Rear diff locker will not engage (bad actuator?) - Help

Update: I rebuilt the actuator. The shaft was seized to the aluminum housing plate. There was also a nice hole in the plate that I had to seal with JB weld. I got the shaft to spin freely and hooked it up to the electrical connection to test it. After some difficulty (at first it locked and then would not unlock), I got it to work and bolted it back to the diff. Everything worked. It was locked when I restarted the truck, backed it out of garage, unlocked in the dirt, disengaged 4 wheel drive, and tested everything twice.

Problem: It has been one week and I went to some trails this weekend and it would not lock up. It makes noise like it shaft is turning, but the light just blinks. Anybody have this problem after rebuild? Suggestions?

I am going to take take the actuator off the diff this weekend and test it again.

 

next day bump

 

Bump for the OP

 

next day bump: I know there are people out there who have done a rebuild on the actuator. anyone have a problem after?

 

Just to check: Did you have a wheel up in the air (one spinning), or both on the ground? If the latter, did you drive forward a little and turn to either side to make it engage?

 

When I reinstalled the actuator, I had BOTH rear wheels in the air to make sure they were locked together. I slid rack gear to left, locking the diff, and reinstalled actuator in locked position. Started truck and light on dash showed locked. I unlocked and relocked trice in the driveway driving forward and backward.

A week later, I went to some trails and nothing happens. I turned in circles, went forward, and backyard. Light kept blinking. Put rear end in the air and tried to lock it up, nothing.

Thoughts?

 

OK, no, other than internals are still screwed up somehow. I've never fixed one of these, but I was just reviewing a bunch of fix threads on this because i thought mine wasn't working (but it is).
E-Locker Rebuild/Troubleshoot: http://www.tacomaterritory.com/forum...motor+pictures
http://www.tacomaworld.com/forum/1st...ator-help.html

 

yeaaa i just took my locker off, disconnected my breather and nothing but a shit load of dirty water came out i guess this is why when i press the button the gear doesnt spin

 

Always works.

 

^ What is that?

 

http://www.chilkatdesigns.com/E-Racer.html


This^

Works pretty good, and is dependable.

 

Pretty slick! My locker is currently not working and I was going to try and rebuild it. If that doesn't work, that cable actuator may be in my future! Kind of like the OX lockers...

 

OP don't mean to thread jack.

I had a non-TRD tacoma with no E-locker so I decided to do a rear axle swap. The rear axle housing I bought was from a 01 or 02 TRD tacoma. Everything matched up except the harness was different. I had to cut the chunk of wire out of the harness that came with the axle housing.

Here is one of the ends of the harness that would plug directly into the motor.


Here is the other end.


Here is the plug underneath the seat inside of the cab.


As you can see the plug isn't going to plug directly into the large 26pin plug underneath the seat so I had to cut the plug off and splice wires then take those wire and connect them to the 26pin plug. Its been so long I forgot how which openings I used, there were only four spots available... I had a total of 6 wires that made the harness up. I only used four of the wires, where does the other two go? My locker works fine. I am assuming the other two wires are for the indicator light, but I am not sure where to make the connection.

 

idk what to do, when i opened up my locker it was nothing but mud, rust and water inside it...i cleaned it to where it looks almost bran new but i hooked up up and nothing happened is there an easier way to test it other than with the shit load of wire?

 

Ok. I need more information before I can help you. These are the questions you have to answer:
1) Is the gear on the locker that slides into the rack teeth in the diff actually turning BY HAND? Meaning, when you took the entire locker apart, can you freely spin the gear (round gear with teeth all the way around that locks into rack teeth in diff) by hand. If not, it is frozen to the face plate and you need to free it.
2) There is a way to test the diff without all the wires. Simply hook it up to the plug on the truck and do not install in the diff. Then start your truck (make sure diff light comes on for a second when you start and then turns off). Once truck started, put it in 4wd low and hit button. Have someone else hit the button while you are looking under the truck at the locker (I simply held the damn thing in my hand while someone hit the button). If it turns, then it obviously works. If it does not then back to troubleshooting.
3) Also, when you reassembled, did you use dielectric grease on the components inside, specifically the copper terminals that tough the back of the gear. It needs good contact. I just smeared dielectric grease on the moving components and terminals.

Answer these and then will move on from there. The only way the thing should not work is it you fried the actual locker actuator (the round part on the top where the wires go into). That is a separate component and beyond my scope of knowledge as far as repair. At that point, you may be looking at a replacement. Someone on TTORA pulled it apart and there are lots of tiny pieces and electrical components in there.

Let me know and feel free to PM.

 

[/QUOTE

you just helped me a shit load lol this whole time me trying to test it out my dumbass had it in 2wd instead of 4 low....when installing it all i need to do is make sure the slide gear and actuator is in unlock right? then just line up the gears or do i have to do something else?[/QUOTE]

Actually, the way you describe will not work. Here is what everyone before me and myself have done (someone else did it your way and it would not work, has to do with the computer).

1) Connect locker to the electrical plug (do not install on the diff) with the truck off.
2) slide rack teeth fully to the left. Just take a screwdriver and slide the teeth to the left. It will lock the rear diff. It is helpful to have the rear lifted by the pumpkin on the axle so you can spin a tire if need be to help the diff lock in place as you slide rack gear left. It will slide left and you will hear a click. Make sure both wheels are spinning together.
2) Start truck and put in 4wd drive low (keep the clutch fully depressed obviously if you are manual so you do not drag the damn truck of the jackstands or floor jack)
3) hit locker button and make sure locker cycles to the locked position (this is when it is helpful to have someone hit the button while you look at the locker gear, it should turn 90 degrees towards the passenger side).
4) Turn off truck (meaning do not hit any buttons or disengaged anything)
6) install locker as you had it (meaning the locker and diff are in the locked position). Just line the locker up like it is meant to be bolted on and slide it in. It should slide in pretty smooth. If not just jiggle it a little but do not force as you are trying to line up the gear to the rack teeth. Bolt it up when it slides in.
7) turn on the truck without touching anything (still in 4wd drive low and do not touch the diff button). It should immediately recognize that the rear end is locked meaning the rear diff light should remain solid and not just flash at you.
8) unlock by hitting the button and disengage 4wd drive. Go and test it out on some dirt to make sure it lock and unlocks.

If you have questions, just ask or PM me. I had to do this shit a bunch of times. Also, I recommend that if the gasket between the housing and faceplate on the locker is bad, then just put some sensor safe RTV sealant on it to help keep out water (that is if you have it apart again).

 

Hi Steve, not that it relates to your woes but more than a few here don't energize their E lockers once in awhile (or at all) until they get into a situation where they need their locker only to have it fail in locking, my point is guys , even if you dont use the locker or even their 4wd you need to make it a point to do so couple times a year , especially because they are electrically engaged & not mechanical, the phrase "Use it or lose it" pertains to this issue. IMO....

 

This. Great advice and Totally agree. I do it once a week now after I rebuilt it to make sure it does not get frozen again!

 

After reading this thread, I went out to try mine. I havent pushed the button since I owned it and that has been for 5 years. I pushed the button, nothing, it just kept blinking and blinking. I then put it in reverse and backed out of my driveway into the street and BAM! it works. I guess I was one of the lucky ones. I don't however here any noise that lets me know that the gear is working on locking. The only reason I knew it was locked was that one side if the tires were chirping across the pavement when I would make a 90 degree turn.