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Engine & DrivetrainDiscussions about the engine and drivetrain of your vehicle.
This is a discussion thread titled "Tacoma: Tacoma Differential Q & A or Comments", within the Engine & Drivetrain forum, part of the Technical & Vehicle Assistance Forums category.
So, if it's raining or snowing you can engage it and leave it on til the storm passes?? Why not leave it on all the time to help with traction control?
So, if it's raining or snowing you can engage it and leave it on til the storm passes?? Why not leave it on all the time to help with traction control?
Yes you could leave it on while going through rain or snow to help with traction. There is no reason to leave it on if you don't need it. Because it locks both wheels and makes them turn at the same speed, it will greatly increase wear on the tires if left on all the time. It will also make turning much harder. Read the information given by TMS2U below. He gave a good explanation as to the disadvantages of a locker on the road.
I have engaged it a few times it does help greatly when i didnt have it engaged i wasnt able to climb a hill i was going over my tires would spin out in the pot hole but onces i engaged it it was a piece of cake all it does its make the 2 wheels spin at the same time as opposed to 4x4 all wheels spinning at same time, and i also turned it on while driving in street and turning was a b***h and you would hear the tires squeal so i wouldnt recommend it
So, if it's raining or snowing you can engage it and leave it on til the storm passes?? Why not leave it on all the time to help with traction control?
Ok, for one thing your locker from the factory is only opperational in 4-low, you need to do the grey wire mod and the locker will be functional in all modes, 2wd 4-high, and 4-low. A locked 2wd truck will go almost all places a normal 4wd will go, and a 4wd with a locker will go way further then just a 4wd truck, the locker is made for offroad use at slow speeds and has no value for use on the highway.
Also you would not want to drive in snow, rain or mud with the locker engaged at any real rate of speed, your rear end will slip and slide all over the place untill your doing circles on the freeway or backroad. The locker becomes especially helpfull once your stuck, when the one wheel is spinning and has dug it's self a hole, engage the locker and power is split equally between the 2 wheels and your soon unstuck. It also comes in handy when drag racing in a strait line, do the wire mod, leave it in 2wd, engage the lock and you'll essentially have twice the traction as an open diff. Finally you don't want to drive on dry solid surfaces with it engaged while turning.
Ok, for one thing your locker from the factory is only opperational in 4-low, you need to do the grey wire mod and the locker will be functional in all modes, 2wd 4-high, and 4-low. A locked 2wd truck will go almost all places a normal 4wd will go, and a 4wd with a locker will go way further then just a 4wd truck, the locker is made for offroad use at slow speeds and has no value for use on the highway.
Also you would not want to drive in snow, rain or mud with the locker engaged at any real rate of speed, your rear end will slip and slide all over the place untill your doing circles on the freeway or backroad. The locker becomes especially helpfull once your stuck, when the one wheel is spinning and has dug it's self a hole, engage the locker and power is split equally between the 2 wheels and your soon unstuck. It also comes in handy when drag racing in a strait line, do the wire mod, leave it in 2wd, engage the lock and you'll essentially have twice the traction as an open diff. Finally you don't want to drive on dry solid surfaces with it engaged while turning.
How do you do the grey wire mod? My taco is a 99 ext cab TRD, 4x4 V6.
There is a wire that comes out of your ECU which goes to a switch located on the side of your transfer case. On Tacoma's it a grey wire, all you need to do is ground this wire, by splicing into it.
The e-locker will only engage if your going below 5 mph and in 4WDL, by doing the mod you can engage it in any mode. Just don't disable the 5mph feature, try not to engage you locker on dry pavement and only stay locked long enough to get unstuck.
The locker is slow to engage, first the light will flash, once it goes solid your locked, sometimes it helps to be travelling slow or in a very slight turn for it to lock quicker, same goes when it comes to unlocking. Engage your locker every once in a while, to insure that corrosion hasn't gummed up the works.
Each Axle (read front axle with 2 front tires, rear axle with 2 rear tires) has a differential in the middle of it. The differentials job is to put the engines power into the right wheels while turning and during regular driving.
When you turn for instance, your outside tires need to spin more to complete the turn. The differential senses that the outside wheels need to spin more and sends more of the engines power in their direction to help turn you.
If you're offroad and you get stuck and one of your wheels loses traction and starts spinning, your differential THINKS that you must be turning so it continues to kick up the torque to the outside wheel with no traction. Your differential is "naturally" flawed (nothing engineers can do anything about except with the solution relevant to your situation I will talk about below) in that it can not distinguish between a slipping wheel in offroad situations, and normal everday turning situatins where it routinely kicks up the engines torque to the outer wheel(s) to complete a turn.
A rear differential lock was created specifically to address the problem of a slipping wheel getting all the engines power when you don't want it to go there, but instead to the wheel with traction. As was already mentioned, the rear locker LOCKS both rear wheels together so they must spin at the exact same rate, which nulls the differential's function, and this will ensure that at least one a wheel with traction gets some of the engines power. You should NOT use it in anything over 5mph as was recommended as it can seriously harm your axle components and/or differential which is big $$$ to fix. You must decide if it is the right situation to use it. Use your best judgement.
What will happen if you do find yourself stuck and you engage the rear locker is since one wheel probably has traction, but it is not getting the engines power because of the differentials fault, since both wheels are spinning now at the exact same time since you just engaged the locker, but one wheel has torque and one does not, since that wheel now has the engines torque/power, your wheel with traction will have more "say" in now and you will probably find your truck back end kind of kicking out on you one way. Not something you want to happen, so you MUST GO SLOW with your differential lock button engaged. Especially on a narrow 4x4 route where you could go off an edge or into a ditch or something like that.
Situations where you actually need the rear locking differential are usually rare. Usually simple 4x4 will suffice.
In 4x4, the transfer case gives 50 percent of the engines power to the front differential and 50 percent to the rear differentila. This ratio can NOT be changed. It is up to the individual front and rear differentials to decide, depending on how you turn/drive, where to send the torque to each of it's individual wheels.
So if you got stuck and your rear wheel started spinning freely because the rear differential thought you were turning (remember that the front and rear differnetials do NOT talk to each other), you still have the other 50 percent of the engines power in the front 2 wheels so they will probably pull you out of the situation.
Here is an example of a situation where a locker might be worth engaging:
Imagine you are 4x4ing and you come to a deactivation ditch. You get over a hump and almost high center a bit and your front left wheel dips into the ditch a bit and starts spinning and you haven't had time to react. Since your front left wheel has dipped into the ditch, naturally your right rear wheel will come off of the ground. AGain, remembering that the front and rear diff's don't talk to each other, your front diff will think it is turning right, so it kicks up it's share of the engines power to the front left wheel which is off the ground dipping into the ditch, and your rear diff will think it's turning left and kick up the engines power to the right rear wheel since it is off the ground. Now you're screwed (in a sense, each differential has mothballed it's own engine torque into a useless black hole) and this is a perfect situation where a rear differential lock will get you unstuck. The rear left wheel is still on the ground with tranction and with the rear wheels locked together (differential lock turned on), it should push you out enough to get at least one axle's both wheels back on the ground. AS SOON as this happens, you turn your rear diff lock off and continue on in straight 4x4 hi or lo.
You can go over the 5 mph restriction, it just depends on the driving location. In sand, I regularly drive much faster with both front and rear locked. Yes, I do have a locker in the front too, ARB makes an air actuated front diff lock. I installed it along with 4.88 gearing. Some of the places I have driven and other areas that I will be driving in the future require two lockers and more. The Toyota drivetrain isn't that strong, so you really have to watch how you use the locker. It's ok to go fast as long as your not travelling on twisty roads. When locked try to keep driving as straight as possible. In an offroad situation with your wheels locked, the inside wheel in a turn will slip, this has already been adressed from another poster(read above).
One of the places I go offroading, I've seen ring and pinion gears and axles break, from guys who push their rigs a bit too hard. The actual diff unit is quite strong and I have yet to see one of them break. I think you mentioned something about wanting to leave two patches of rubber on the ground.... Yes this can be done, but over time the stress can also cause a drivetrain failure.
In the 04 Taco not only do you HAVE to be in 4LO for the electric rear lock to work, but you have to be in a slip condition as well!!! No slip condition, no locker...
Hope this mod "cures" that as well...
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2004 Pontiac GTO
2005 Dodge Magnum Special Edition SXT
1991 Honda Nighthawk 750
1987 4Runner
These topics; the locking diff and grey wire mod have got to be nearly the most popular topic for Tacomas. I'm surpised that no one has said 'do a search on it...'
I have a question though. The concern about not locking the diff at high speeds - does it lock if your going over 5mph? I tried once and the ABS light flashed and the diff remained open till I came to a stop.
These topics; the locking diff and grey wire mod have got to be nearly the most popular topic for Tacomas. I'm surpised that no one has said 'do a search on it...'
that's cuz you dont have 4 years of old posts in this forum talking about the same thing . you guys are creating those reference posts now.
No slip condition, no locker...
. you guys are creating those reference posts now.