Help with RR Diff Lock a

I have an 01 Tacoma TRD 4x4 3.4 ltr 5 spd. manual and I'm having a little trouble engaging my diff lock. Since I havent had my tacoma too long, (bought it from a guy who never even put it in 4x4) I don't know alot about how to put it in RR Diff Lock. I'm just getting into off-roading with it but I'm eager to get the Lock button working. So far I have this....I come to a complete stop, shift into 4lo, and push the button. The light continues to blink although it is in 4lo and if I shift into 1st gear and move up about 10 ft. the diff lock will lock in. When I want to take it out, I do the same thing I did to put it in but the light stays completely solid even when I push the button to disengage the locker. I have to shift into 2wd, aput it in reverse and give it some gas to disengage. There is a loud noise when it disengages so I dont know if that's right or not. PLEASE HELP!!!!!

 

So - you've been able to get it to engage after you start moving...? And the light goes on solid?

Disengaging it can be tricky. If there's any 'torque' on the axle - it may not disengage until there's no torque.

Removing torque from the system (so to speak), means you should be on a flat level surface and move the truck forward a bit, then move it back a bit, etc. Anything to relieve the torque.

One question..... Are you running in 4WD and/or the locker on dry surfaces?

 

What do you mean running in 4wd? sorry I geuss you could say I'm a noob or something with the lockers. And yes I was on a dry surface when I was trying it out because I was just curious how it worked and this is when all of this was happening.

 

My own opinion, never run the locker on dry pavement because it can cause excessive twist on the rear end as Janster suggested. Run it in dirt or shallow sand or gravel etc. Mine when I tried it (once on dry pavement like you) was awful moody too when trying to disengage. Also-when going for the disengage don't turn..even slightly-keep it in a straight line, it'll eliminate that clunk you heard.

 

Well, when I say dry surface I meant gravel (driveway). I didn't turn either when I tried to disengage. I've tried it 2 times and both times I tried to disengage differently. The first time I pushed the button then shifted into neutral then back to 2wd. The second time I shifted out of 4lo to see if the red light sensor that says "RR DIFF LOCK" would begin to blink on the dashboard. Any suggestions?

 

Find yourself a nice flat dirt road somewhere and experiment with it.

You might be better off driving 20 feet (for example) while things get a chance to move, untorque themselves, etc. Like Ridgerunner mentioned - don't turn at all while trying to disengage.

 

ok THANKS for the info. Sooo basically what your saying is to pull up on the dirt road, come to a complete stop....... could you finish that for me? I'm just trying to figure this thing out.

 

First, be at a complete stop. Next, push the rear diff switch. Next, the indicator light will blink-wait a few seconds for system to complete operation, at which time the light will remain solid..................TO DISENGAGE, (and this is in direct opposite of what I said before..sorry) for EASIER unlocking, push rear diff lock button SLIGHTLY TURN WHEEL IN EITHER DIRECTION while vehicle is in motion-when diff actually disengages light will go out. Had to bust out my owners manual for ya-we have the same year truck

 

thanks but is it different for you because i have a 4x4 and u have a prerunner?

 

OK yeah I forgot that part..they say you can shift it into 4LFIRST, then do the rest as I wrote before

 

haha ok. did u read what i wrote to start with? i was having problems doing everything and I was doing it exactly as the manual said to do it. See if you can help me fix the problems I was having

 

SURE I read it I just didn't PAY ATTENTION sorry man, who knows-could be the lack of use caused a problem that requires dealer attention. It does say it will "also unlock if you shift out of 4L". I know the diff system is separate from the 4-wheel system so maybe an electrical sensor connection between the two may not be doing its job? Now you got me wanting to go out and try mine again!

 

I gotcha man. And yea i might end up takin it to a dealership and havin them look at it. It just seems like it does want to lock in right away and i have to move around some to make it lock in. Im gonna go out and try it on some muddy huntin paths of mine tommorow and see if i can make it work any better. ill let you know how it goes.

 

Awright have a ball-we'll be watching for ya

 

According to the manual, you should have the 4wd lever in 4Lo and the transmission in neutral. I have an 02 auto 4wd. If you say the guy never used 4wd, then he wouldn't have used the locker. Maybe it just needs broken in. I also have to sometimes pull up or back up a little bit to disengage the locker.

 

oh ok yea that could very well be it. I was just makin sure that i wasnt doin somethin wrong while engaging the locker. I'll keep messin with it to see if it works. I wanted to try that gray wire mod but i'm a little afraid of messin somethin up.

 

I have to rock the truck back and forth to disengage more with the gray wire mod than I did before, but I don't consider it a problem.

The mod is very easy and virtually free. Just take your time and make sure you cut the right wire(s).

 

Sometimes you just gotta drive it several feet slowly to allow things to complete the cycle. Back-n-forth or forward ....whatever...

When you press that button - basically - you are forcing 'gear splines'(teeth) to mesh with other gear teeth. And the splines need to be alligned perfectly for them to mesh together during engagement. And again, if the driveline is under torque (although you might not think it is), it'll have a harder time engaging. Same goes with disengagement...You gotta be patient....and don't force it.

 

thanks JANSTER for the info on the gear splines. I tried it out again today and heres what i had happen... I stopped, did everything the way im suppose to and the light just kept on blinking. So i moved forward then backward then forward again and it engaged. I rode on it for about 20 yards and stopped. I pushed the button to disengage it and it cut off as soon as i pressed the button. Without moving, I pressed the button again and it engaged as soon as I pushed it. I disengaged, went back to 2wd and tried it all over again. The exact same thing happend where I had to move forward and backward for it to engage. I dont really know 1. if there even is a problem with the engaging part, and 2. If that is how it should engage.

 

I don't think you have any problems at all... It's the nature of the system.

As you mentioned above - you've been able to engage and disengage without any problems and without moving. Sometimes it will happen that way...and sometimes it won't.