What have you done to your Tacoma today? 1st Gen Edition

What's the differences between the ARB locker and those fancy Detroit TrueTracs (I think that's what they call it?)

Eaton makes those fancy electromagnetically controlled ones, forget what the trade name is. Or is that what the Detroit locker is...

 

TruTracs are a fully mechanical planetary limited slip, look up their design cause it is impressive. They do not provide a selectable full lockup though and are better for street uses. Detroit lockers are a clutch based auto locker controlled by throttle input and are capable of full lockup and very quirky driving behavior. ARB lockers lock a very stout set of idler gears in their own cutom center section housing together using an air actuator. Harrop makes e lockers that function almost identically to the ARB units but with an electromagnet rather than an air solenoid. TRD elockers function using an engagement fork that locks the spider gears together causing a full lockup (the design is old and part of the reason it uses the older and weaker 8" differential). There is another TRD elocker design that is in the third gens that function like the harrop units. And another in the 9.5" full floating Toyota axles (found in 80 series cruisers) that engages using a different fork style.

 

Interesting, so which one would be the best application?

 

For your little 2wd truck, I'd do the TruTrac. For your 4WD, ARB or Harrop are nice cause they replace the weakest part of the diffs with much stronger ones.

 

Don't think I'm going to put a locker on the 2WD truck, as that would actually exceed the value of the truck. Haha. You say the TruTrac is better for street performance? When would it become beneficial when just everyday commuting?

 

A Honda Civic or Hyundai Elantra are beneficial when commuting. You don't need any special differential for a commute. A mechanical LSD (not a locker) like the TruTrac is great for maintaining traction in low traction environments like rain, burnouts, launches at the track, and has good road manners because unlike spools and auto lockers it doesn't lock the axles together on turns it just biases them against each other for traction. Selectable lockers like Harrop and ARB can be good for all this too but you have to engage them at the right time. TrueTrac is a limited slip, not a locker so it's hard to compare directly.

 

If you want better traction offroad, you want a locker, not an LSD. Night and day difference in what you can do with a locked diff over an open one. An LSD is kind of in middle there, making it better for street use.

That info @Speedytech7 posted on the differences between the ARB, Eaton and Toyota e-lockers was great, I hadn't known those details other than some were locked via an air solenoid versus electrical. Sounds like the TRD elockers really are the weaker of the bunch, though I've never had trouble with mine other than they can be kind of finicky to engage sometimes.

 

Really the most annoying part of the factory lockers is the finnecky locking method with the little motors and clutch forks causing failures and slow engagement. The smaller diff isn't great either but not an immediate issue. The other designs are just so much more robust, but it makes sense as they cost more to produce as well. Glad I could help clear things up, my descriptions don't use the most technical lingo so I'd take a look at some pics and diagrams of how all these work cause they're all fascinating in their own right.

 

Ah - the TruTrac is an LSD. I was under the impression it was a locker. I see a lot of guys on the 1st Gen Builds subforum with that setup so I presumed it was a Locker.

Really interesting that system exists though - would've never known otherwise. Guess I'll be on the hunt for an ARB locker.

 

That is the BN4 connector. It is mostly for ABS and elocker wiring.

 

Lots more tails to see besides the couple hard ones Monte mentioned and the alpine loop.


Oh, and better ones. Alpine loop is beautiful, but overrun with tourists.

 

Dude. 4. I mean I know you have 3 trucks now but 4 LBJ failures.

When you do the rears, use the smaller ones to keep the slip yoke from sliding out of the drive shaft. Are you jacking via the pumpkin? All you need to do is get it high enough to get the wheels off the ground to take them off, from there set the axle onto the smaller jack stands in a way to make sure you don't let it slide out of the pumpkin and you are good to go. In the beginning the u bolts will hold the axle up but once they are removed you will be doing a lot of up and down positioning on the pumpkin to line everything up. Def a good learning experience of what works and what doesn't.

#brettrants #whatgrindsbrettsgear #campfireentertainment

Also ST MAXX >Hankooks

 

St Maxx all the way as well, and ok I'm doing it rn illI update in a bit

 

Pretty sure that's for the sensor in the driver seat that makes the seat belt light flash on the dash

 

Nope that's what the wiring harness that goes off to the side is for. It goes directly into the body harness.

We figured it out it's for the rear locker.

 

That's what I was thinking. Thanks!

 

Will super lube work for the OME bushing? They didn't send it out with any

 

Seat belt/air bag plugs are almost always yellow

 

I am just guessing but I would say more ABS. I have (had) an elocker but no ABS and I do not have that plug under my seat

Edit: or maybe I do lol, looks like I have one of the two

 

I've had the truck for a couple of weeks now. A 2004 4x4 Double Cab SR5 with 125K off Craigslist. Really nice shape; perfect frame.

So, over the past few days (technically not TODAY), I added a Line-X Platinum bedliner, Wheelskins leather steering wheel cover and a Kenwood Excelon DDX6904S DVD Receiver.

For the stereo, I ran the USB connections through one of the little dash cutouts in the lower section. I'll probably sand the cutout to black, as my dremel hit outside the lines and scraped off some of the gray paint.

A.R.E. Topper next. And I'm drooling over one of those Yakima SkyRise cartop tents.