mechanical lsd install in 2010 2wd base

Hi, ive had this idea in the back of my head since I bought the truck new and am really looking to o get the info I need to make it happen.

I drive a 2010 2wd 2.7l base tacoma. It has the elsd however im looking to install a mechanical lsd in it instead. Ive searched and found pieces of unconfirmed info on the subject so I figured starting a thread was my next step. What exactly do I need to change to do this. I see there were oem lsd in select tacos pre 09. If I found that what do I need the full rear end and 3rd member or just lsd and 3rd. I also saw something about only the same gearing fitting?

Are there any aftermarket lsd out there? What would I need to have installed and work properly as far as parts all technical shimming aside. Would a quaife lsd for a 2.7 hilux work?

Thanks in advance for any and all constructive help its greatly appreciated because im still kind of at the drawing board here weighing the options.

 

First off - you need to find out exactly what rear-end you have. In particular, the size of the carrier & ring/pinion.

The mechanical LSD is the 'carrier' within the diff - which houses the ring gear.

There are different options (more or less).

**Swap out the OPEN carrier for the mechanical LSD carrier. This requires swapping the entire carrier & ring gear (seals & such also). You may be able to reuse the ring gear IF AND ONLY IF it fits on the LSD carrier. You might have to buy new ring & pinion gears. Regardless if you use the old gears or new gears, requires ring & pinion setup - which is a 'technical' process that should be done by a professional or someone who knows exactly what's involved. If the gear setup is not done properly, could result in major damage in the future.

**Swap out the entire 3rd member - that is compatible & fits in your diff.
I'm not familiar with 3rd members but I believe no gear setup needed. This option is probably the cheapest & easiest compared to the above.

**Swap the entire axle - which, can also be an easy (HEAVY) option also making sure everything is compatible. With an entire axle swap, you have brakes & electric connections to consider compatibility with.

(FWIW - I swapped axles in my Jeep and had gears setups & such. Although, I've never done this with a toyota...I have a general idea).

 

I'm 95% sure that you have the Toyota 8.4" diff, which is the same diff in all non-TRD Offroad Tacomas (the TRD Offroads have the 8" diff that works with the e-locker).

Tru-trac is a really good aftermarket LSD for our rigs. I don't know the specifics on installing one though, like if you have to take the ring gear out to swap the carrier which would mean you have to set the gears up again which, as Janister said, should be done by somebody that knows what they are doing or you will destroy the ring and pinion gears pretty easily...

 

Hit up East Coast Gear supply. They will take all the guesswork out of the equation. My guess is you can simply swap thirds with them and that can be done by a novice mechanic, but no idea about the electrical components you would need to modify.

 

There are a few options, some already mentioned, and some may be based on your skills and available tools.

Calling East Coast is the simplest way for a DIY swap. They will accomplish the difficult tasks of gear clearance setup, and properly torquing the fasteners so this is a somewhat simple remove the old, install the new third and enjoy.

Next, you might find an assembled third from an earlier model and swap it in.

You could get more involved, and find a used open diff third and buy the diff. Remove the existing open diff and swap in the new diff of your choice. In theory, this should require no shim changes or pinion drag setting changes. Regardless though, they should be checked. Plan on a pair of new carrier bearings expecting the old ones to be non removable.

Lastly, you could just swap out your existing diff for the new one. This too would require swapping the ring gear from one diff to the other and the same basic steps listed above as if you found a second open diff and did the swap.

TruTracs seem to make the most sense for a better rear when coupled with the electronic setup. They require no friction additives, have no clutch or friction surfaces to wear out and so forth. Plus they are quiet with no ratcheting or tire issues when compared to a spool or locker.

PK