FJ case in a 3rd gen tacoma

So let me start by saying this was no easy task and i do not recommend anyone do this unless they are very skilled mechanically. There is no turning back almost immediately after you start this project.

I did it purely out of necessity. My actuator died on my transfer case and toyota denied my warranty at 21k miles because i off roaded my tacoma TRD OFFROAD!

They quoted me between $2100 and $2800 to do the repair. There was no way i was going to pay that for a knob I already hated and wanted out of my life.

The initial part of the swap is the same as the 2nd gen.
Purchase a FJ T-case out of a automatic FJ Cruiser.
Swap the input shaft from you tacoma case into the fj case.


https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/fj-cruiser-t-case-install-in-2007-tacoma-6-speed-manual.182470/

After you have done this and verified everything works, get out your dewalt (or milwaukee) angle grinder. Grind 1/8th of an inch off of the passenger side shift rod on the tcase.
Grind 1/16th of an inch off of the drivers side shift rod on the tcase.



NOW FOR THE REALLY CHALLENGING PART.

Remove your center console, Remove the rubber boot around the shifter and cut a hole about 2-3" back from the existing hole for the shifter.

Next
Take that grinder to your transmission. You have to grind away 3/4-7/8" off the top of the trans tunnel interior. You will see where the shift rods go and you will know where to clearance. When you do this, put a towel over the hole. My interior is filled with aluminum shavings now.


Then throw your case back in. Once the case is in double check you can get 2hi, 4hi, and 4lo. If you clearanced it right everything should work.

I do still have to make some changes to the shifter so that it isnt interfering with the transmission shifter. I will be taking this wheeling tomorrow to test it. Hopefully it doesnt blow up.

 

Niceeeee.

 

I've been wanting to do this for a while now. What did you do for the electrical portion for the rear locker?

 

This is my future plan, because I already blew my front actuator once on 2015 and I will probably blow it again on my 18...

 

Do you have any idea what is causing the failures? Do you use your 4wd often?

 

Wonder how this compares to doing it in an AT? I have no intention of replacing my actuator if/when it dies. I hate electrical shit performing these functions.

Props on the swap though.

 

great job.

 

So i have not gotten to the electrical portion of this swap. My dash says 4wd failure... but it said that before too haha. I will work on that more this winter. But mechanically it works.

I use 4wd to get out of my driveway so i use it everyday multiple times a day.

 

On 2015 I blew it while trying to go in 2HI because the wheels were spinning and computer didn't detect that.

In general it's just a poor design where the moisture can build up and corrode circuit. There are dozens of members on TW that had similar issue under different conditions.

 

Well shit.. I wonder if there is anything I should be watching out for with the 2016...

 

I've seen about 3 members here with 2016+ models that blew their actuators, so watch out!

With my 2015 I just played dumb customer and it got covered under warranty.

 

I really feel that it should be covered regardless. I'm not sure how Toyota would expect their customer to do anything other than take the thing off road when its a 4wd vehicle... Oh yeah, they're hoping it never leaves the pavement like 95% of the trucks they sell..

 

there might be alternatives a local gear head up the road from me had the solenoid go on his transfer case in his 2016 Tacoma and he converted it to manual set up with parts he purchased from this place < https://jb-custom-fabrication.myshopify.com/ > and what else he had to do I cannot say right now have to wait until he returns he been deployed for 6 month (gone 2 now). I would contact these guys to see if they offer anything in full or will work something out.

 

How are you activating the ADD in the front DIf?

 

Its locked in. When the tcase actuator died it stuck in 4lo. so the front was locked and stayed locked.

 

Wow, very impressive.

What’s that saying....where there’s a will there’s a way??

Hell of a DIY

 

I have been brainstorming the electrical portion for a while and maybe using a micro switch on the manual 4wd lever to tell the 4wd computer that the truck is in 4wd. Find what sensor the transfer case uses to tell the 4wd computer it's in 4wd and run the micro switch to those wires?

I haven't began to dig into mine yet (1.5 kids, school, and work makes time scarce) but I'm thinking something like that may work.

Maybe place the switch in a way when the shift lever is in 2wd it contacts the switch. As soon as you move the shift lever it either closes or opens the circuit (depending how the 4wd sensor works) then that tells the 4wd computer that it's in 4wd. Just an idea though, not sure if that will work yet.

 

Also, I can't tell by your pics but I would suggest to smoothen out the grinds on the transmission as much as possible. Get some sand paper or something to do that. Any rough ridges may lead to a cracked housing. I would imaging there's a fair amount of torque going through the housing and rough ridges aren't going to help you.

 

Added twin sticks now. I have 2 wheel low. It’s sick