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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.
I just purchased a 2003 Tacoma, does anyone know how to make the rear diff lock in 2hi and 4hi. I've seen info on how to do this but, I'm not sure I want to try it unless I know it really works.
Has anyone else tried this?
There are situations when it would be useful, instead of having to use 4wd. A limited slip diff has the same effect. I've owned vehicles with limited slips and driven vehicles with rear lockers and it does make a difference in snowy conditions.
For instance my 96 chevy 4x4 had a limited slip and in the winter
it helped get me through the snow easier without having to lock it in 4wd. My 92 4x2 chev did not have a limited slip and one wheel would just spin and not move the truck.
After driving in NW Wisconsin you kinda get a feel for what works in off road situations.
There are situations when it would be useful, instead of having to use 4wd. A limited slip diff has the same effect. I've owned vehicles with limited slips and driven vehicles with rear lockers and it does make a difference in snowy conditions.
Yes that is true too. Have you ever driven a truck with front and rear lockers. I used to own a weekend warrior and drove it in the snow while locked up in the front and rear with my Detroit lockers. The truck was not fun to drive in the snow while locked up.
If you slip with the rear tires, just throw it in 4x4. No use to use a rear locker unless you are driving a 2wd truck. All you do is stress the rear end when the fronts can give a hand.
P.S. 95% of the people in here will never ever need to utilize a rear locker.
there is a gray wire mod for what you are trying to do.... i dont know if anyone here has already done it but if you go to the norcalttora.com ..... they have many people who has done the mod you are looking to do.... and no one seems to have any problems with it... so you can try going to the site and do a search for it.... im sure you'll find a lot on it...
BigTun, do you have a 4x4?. If so what kind of mileage do you get?
I currently have 950 miles on mine and I get 15-16 mpg. (75% hiway and 25% city driving).
Did yours improve any after break-in?
yeah i have 4x4... as for my mpg it still sucks... i get about the same as you.. ive had my taco for almost 2 mos and i have 3700 miles on it already..... but i like it anyway.......
Alright,
My new DC has this button on the lower left panel that reads something like,
"RR Diff Lock" or something like that. Now, there is a sticker posted on my door that reads not to engage this feature at speeds above 5mph. Obviously, the owners's manual backs this up--that this feature is for getting out of something, not through it.
Has anybody tested this? That is, has anyone driven their tacoma with this feature engaged while say, driving through snow, or a mudd-ridden road. This would mean that you would be driving at speeds higher that 5mph. Would that be hell on the transmission or other component?
I know its not 4WD, yes. But- is this feature practical to use at lower speeds, say above 5mph and below 30mph?
Thoughts?
Alright,
My new DC has this button on the lower left panel that reads something like,
"RR Diff Lock" or something like that. Now, there is a sticker posted on my door that reads not to engage this feature at speeds above 5mph. Obviously, the owners's manual backs this up--that this feature is for getting out of something, not through it.
Has anybody tested this? That is, has anyone driven their tacoma with this feature engaged while say, driving through snow, or a mudd-ridden road. This would mean that you would be driving at speeds higher that 5mph. Would that be hell on the transmission or other component?
I know its not 4WD, yes. But- is this feature practical to use at lower speeds, say above 5mph and below 30mph?
Thoughts?
Good question. Also, why do you have to actually switch the LD on in the Tacoma when you don't have to in the Tundra? The Tundra's is always on.
Good question. Also, why do you have to actually switch the LD on in the Tacoma when you don't have to in the Tundra? The Tundra's is always on.
I am gonna try to answer your questions and I am sure Deepstealth or someone will correct me if I am wrong.
The feature you have on your Tacoma is an electric locking rear differential. This unit is not the same one offered on the Tundra. The Tundra has an option that is a limited-slip differential. The difference being that the Limited-Slip in the Tundra is activated when a rear tire looses traction. This pressure causes the opposite tire to effectively lock in place and move the vehicle forward or backward.
The Locking differential featured in your Tacoma is a manually activated unit. When the button is not pushed, and the locker is not engaged, your rearend operates as if no traction control device is present. Only when you engage the locker does it start working. The electric locker makes both wheels spin at the same time, and same speed. It "locks the wheels together" and takes no pressure or rear slipping to make it work. The unit you have is better suited to offroad conditions than a limited-slip is.
As far as what the manual says, you do want to be at a stop or near crawl when you engage the locker. But once the locker is engaged, you can drive on it at increased speeds without any harm to your drivetrain. Just don't make the mistake of cruising on the interstate at 70mph and then hitting the button.
But once the locker is engaged, you can drive on it at increased speeds without any harm to your drivetrain.
Clay
on an interesting side note, i found out the other day from a guy that races porches here in the dayton area that some of the expensive go-fast cars use lockers (sometimes even spools) as well. in addition, some lockers can be operated on the fly, like the hydraulic lockers in a pinzgauer. there's even some sort of cool worm-gear thing some of the go-fast cars use instead of the usual spider-style differentials. neato stuff...i never knew any of that.
when we gonna go hit kentucky? summer's closin' down, mang .
Clay, thanks for your answer, that helped a great deal.
If the rear wheels are engaged together by activating the locking feature on the Tacoma, how is this different from 4WD? Are the rear wheels spinning together at a different rate than the two front ones?
By the way I just ordered my camper shell (topper) and it should be here in a couple a weeks (that means one month). Then I shall be ready to throw my gear in the back and haul!
I'll post some pictures soon so ya'll can see what I keep griping about.
Until then:
03 DC (Prerunner) 2WD, Auto, SR5, bed mat, tinted windows, Glasstite Raven camper shell (soon), and oh yeah, it's "super" white. TRD.
Everybody take care!
Clay, thanks for your answer, that helped a great deal.
If the rear wheels are engaged together by activating the locking feature on the Tacoma, how is this different from 4WD? Are the rear wheels spinning together at a different rate than the two front ones? ............
Grab a cold beverage and enjoy!
The terms "2 wheel drive" and "4 wheel drive" really are misnomers. With an open differential system (like all vehilcles that dont have "lockers" or limited slip type add ons) there is only one wheel with power. This means that a 2 wheel drive vehicle for all intents and purposes is a 1 wheel drive vehicle. A 4x4 is really only a 2 wheel drive vehicle. OK before you go "WTF????" this type of set up is needed to reduce driveline stress when you go around a corner. It comes down to simple math as the distances the the inside and outside tires on an axle travel are different as you complete the turn (essentially 2 circles with different radii). If both tires turned at the same rate you would experience driveline binding which would present as chirping tires or even grinding gears in the worst case senerio. This is why it is easy to get stuck if you sink one tire in a mud hole. That is the tire that spins, eventhough the other tire might be on terra firma (BTW a quick fix for this situation is the partial application of the E brake to get the power evenly distributed amoung the tires). This is also why if you take a corner and punch it, the tire on the inside of the corner is the one that will spin. The take home message is that the differential is able to "diferentiate" between which tire has the least amount of traction and transfers the drive to that wheel.
With a locker, or to a certain extent, a limited slip diff, your differential is no longer "open", but closed as it were. This is a major traction aid. In fact a 2x with a locker can go lots of places an unlocked 4x4 can go.
Enjoy!!
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rear differential lock
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rear diff lock
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Rear Wheel Differential Locking Sysytem?
Linear Mode
