Rear diff not engaging.

My diff lock has always worked previously. When it wouldn’t engage i took a look and saw the wire in the pic hanging up in the air. Does anyone know what that is. There is the rubber stem that it fits into that you can see in pic.
When I engage the diff switch I can hear a click in the glove box area, I engaged a friends rear diff on his truck and can hear the actuated in rear. Can’t hear that on mine.

 

It's probably the ground wire for the locker, or it's the power, it looks like there are two wires for it. Does it go into that connector there? It should be obvious.

 

Thanx for reply. Yes there seems to be a spot it goes into. I researched once I saw the small cable hanging out. Couldn’t find anything. So I put it into the rubber stand just below it in pic. But it still won’t engage. It looks like a wire but I see no wire in it unless it’s broke off inside tube. That wire goes into small wiring harness.

 

I also disconnected and cleaned cannon plugs that are attached to rear diff

 

I don’t think that is a wire.
It’s a hose, it is the vent for the actuator.
Stick it back in the rubber rubber holder.

As for the locker not engaging.
If that hose fell out, there is a possibility waster got into the actuator.
You probably need to check your actuator.

 

Im leaning the same way as @TnShooter

If its solid black and hollow its a hose - the vent line. If its white/black striped then its the ground wire for the limit switches inside the locker assembly. Hard to tell from the pics.

 

It is solid black. It did seem hollow to me. I did look inside best I could and put a piece of safety wire inside slowly to see if I could feel anything and seemed hollow. I just didn’t understand why it went into wiring harness. Thanx go the help so far guys.

 

IIRC the factory breather hose runs in the loom for 'wire' management purposes. Goes from the diff up to the frame cross member. There is a very small plastic barb fitting in the cross member where the breather vents

 

Best I can do right now.

 

Good pic. That’s the one, the smooth black wire/tiny hose. Thank you guys really appreciate it. Pretty certain now that shouldn’t be the reason my diff is not engaging. The light will blink and won’t go solid no matter what i try. When my 1st gen did this I needed to take it off and rebuild. Was a common problem on those with the rust.

 

Are you in 4LO? Not trying to insult or nothing like that just asking. Btw if the one you’re holding is the vent with the arrow in the picture then you are running the chance of water filtration(as previously stated by @TnShooter ) into the motor therefore a potential reason of the issue at hand.

 

You might check the limit switch voltages for the rear locker at the 4wd ECU, I haven't done much research on the rear locker but I know what the voltages should be.
https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/4wd-system-operation-help-thread.742420/

 

Yes. Mine is not moded so it only works in 4 lo. Tried reverse, doing circles, going left going right, pretty much anything you can think off to make it engage. Just not happening. Also I don’t hear the actuater even trying to engage. Just hearing a click noise in glove box area. Maybe fuse or relay?

 

Same fuse feeds the locker as feeds the 4wd system, same module controls it.

 

The clicking is the relay, that means the button is commanding the action. Sounds like you got your internals of the e locker wet.

 

Gotcha is one of those things I’m not aware since I am a conversion guy with a j-case U.u

 

4wd & Diff Lock wiring diagram.

 

Thank you guys. That thread has a lot of good info. According to that thread the breather tube off could very well be the issue. Unlike what I thought. Will have to just bite the bullet prob and take off locker and see what’s going on inside.

 

Nice

 

Yea I know the vent hoses coming off the 4wd actuators cause issues, I'd imagine the locker is no different.
I believe the Locker Actuator has to be timed properly when reinstalled as well.