Differential Question

Hey guys I Have a 2002 TRD Off Road PreRunner V6 Tacoma (It has SR5 Badges on the door panels near windows) I was wondering if it's possible to know if i have an Open Diff or a Limited Slip, i cant seem to find a clear answer (The Truck was my father's then my grandfathers when he passed and my grandpa knows very very little about the truck).. anything would be helpful !

 

Unless modified, you will have an open differential unless it has an e locker; if it's a real TRD then you'll have the e locker. I say this because plenty of people put the sticker on non-TRD models.

To the left of the steering column, there's a push button switch to engage and disengage said locker.

 

Look on the inside of the driver’s door jamb area for your code. There should be a sticker there with different info

 

Okay thank you! As far as I am aware its authentic (?) My father bought it used from a dealer and its had the badges on ever since so I'll be sure to look !

 

Thank you I'll check it as soon as I get home and tell you guys what I find !

 

I wouldn't follow that to the T;

there are members that have posted having an e locker whereas the door jamb listed an open diff.

 

The E locker uses the brakes I think right? But it's still an "open diff" I believe but the brakes act like it's a Limited Slip? All this is still a little fuzzy, I'm trying to learn this stuff but theres so much it's hard to hold all of it haha!

 

No. The push button locker locks both drive wheels giving equal power to both wheels.

Limited slip= wheel that has traction gets the power.

Open diff= wheel that's slipping gets the power.

 

Correct.
Locker was a dealer available option on some years.

 

If the truck is, in fact, stock... and the question is "do I have a locker?"

Do you have this button right here?


If the answer is yes... you have a locker.

If the answer is no... you do not have a locker.


On an 02 double cab... if you have a true TRD package, you will have that button, white guage faces, and the stock wheels would have looked like this.

 

Forget what you know and refer to post #2 and post #10

 

I've got a 99 SR5 v6 manual 5speed with locking FRONT diff engaged manually on the front wheel hubs, I'm unsure if this info is useful or even pertains to the question but I thought I'd pop in. Though it is obviously a 4wd and that could change things.

 

Those are locking hubs... not locking diff.

No Tacoma has a (stock) locking front diff.

 

Manual hubs do not lock the differential, they just lock the hubs so you can engage 4wd.

No Tacoma has ever come with a front locking differential

 

jinx lol

 

Okay guys ! I went home and looked the axle code is B03A therefore I have an open diff !
Slightly disappointed but nothing a little healthy weight in the back cant remedy, I was hoping for a limited rather than open because I'm up in michigan and wondering in case I get stuck.. thank you guys all a lot for the help ! And on that note is there any way of knowing the TRD Off Road is authentic or not ? I'll add a few photos too while I'm at it.. once again thanks yall!

 

I owe you a coke

 

As far as I know, the TRD package always had a locker, white guages, and the TRD wheels (earlier picture)... in 02.

 

I'm willing to bet that someone just put the TRD decal on the bedside at some point in time, if you have a TRD v6 then it should come with a rear locker.

The only TRDs that came without one on the 1st gens were the 4cyl TRD models, but those were uncommon and are rare to find nowadays

You can run your VIN and it should tell you if it was originally sold as a TRD model or not