2012 rear locker question

New 2012 potential owner
I test drove the 2012 Tacoma today, double cab, off road package and have a question for those 2012 guys trying to lock the rear differential

Ok getting into 4hi, green indicator comes on and does not blink
Ok getting into 4lo, 4lo orange indicator comes on and does not blink

When I am in 4lo and I try to push the rear differential button to lock the rear differential the red indicator comes on but it blinks

Is the red rear differential locker indicator supposed to blink or stay solid for 2012?

Help!

 

Pretty sure that means it hadn't engaged yet.

 

Pretty sure that means it hadn't engaged yet.

 

Blinking means you pushed the button, but it is NOT yet engaged... driving a few feet, turning the tires a bit helps line the gears up so it will lock.

However, you have A-TRAC and that engages instantly with zero difficulty. Use A-TRAC in low range, as it gives you traction nearly equal to lockers in the front and back.

The Rear Locker is for emergency only (per Toyota), anyway... You may never need it off roading, but nice that it is there if you ever did.

 

I hear mixed things on the 2012's, it seems salesmen have no idea what they are talking about, I test drove two 2012 tacomas and in the parking lot in 4lo(while driving straight) I pushed the rear locker button and just could not get the red light to stay solid it kept blinking

I am hoping to hear from a butt load of 2012 owners on here

crazy

 

It isn't just 2012, all three of my Tacomas ('01, '05, '10) take more than one attempt at engaging the rear diff. usually... It will go solid (the light) sooner or later... but, again I have to say not to worry... the A-TRAC is instantly active and it gives you front and rear traction. Don't worry about the rear locker... someday it may be gone once everyone understands A-TRAC, so until then it is a selling tool. When I got my third Tacoma, I didn't know about A-TRAC (other than seeing a test of it on a Lexus in the desert 10 years ago, but didn't know what it was)... and I buy the Off Road TRDs because they have the rear locker, always.

 

i just bought a 2012 tx/pro and i cant seem to get the rear locker to engage either. it has worked twice for me just so icould check it out but it isnt consistent.. i need some help on the topic. i understand a-track but i want everything to work in this brand new truck...

 

lol ok i will try that and see what happens thanks man i know you posted to one of my other psots thanks for the info. ill check back in and let yall know waht happens.

 

The A-TRAC turns on with NO EFFORT... and instead of just 'locking the back', it works on ALL FOUR wheels. Of course the rear locker should work as well... but if you are on the trail, and in low range... just always have the A-TRAC on... and it would be a rare condition when you would ever need to use the rear locker... if ever!

 

^X a billion

 

yea exactly i want to know about the locker lol i got that the A-trac to some is awesome but all aspects of a new truck should work so thats what im trying to solve. unfortunately im stuck at my desk at wrk and cant go play :/

 

What are you all going to do when Toyota stops offering the locker? ? ?

Yes, the locker should engage... mine does, sometimes at the first try sometimes it takes three tries. But, if we use it as it is designed to be used by Toyota, it is only to be used to get unstuck. (Yes, I know you can use it anytime).

So, if you already have the A-TRAC... then getting stuck is pretty much a thing of the past! Seriously, if you are in a stuck that the rear locker can extract you from, then the A-TRAC (with double the traction of a rear locker) would get you out/ through.

 

Yes it is, and IF IT DOESN'T WORK (as is the case here)... The OP and ANYONE ELSE should know that there is even MORE traction from their A-TRAC. The Rear Locker is only for emergency stucks (per Toyota) and the A-TRAC is for ALL the time you are in Low Range, if you want more than just open differentials.

 

lol i get that a-trac is cool(sounds awesome) but im just wondering why locker is so difficult to operate it kinda baffles me. figured it should be just as easy as a-trac to activate. IMO

 

I was wheeling once with Seth (PRS 2TiFJ) and he went down into some deep ruts. Once down there, he was in the classic "one wheel unloaded from each axle" articulation challenge and wouldn't you know - the locker wouldn't engage and he couldn't roll far enough one way or the other to get it to engage. He had to take a strap to get out.

If you're going to roll over an articulation obstacle that's going to unload one wheel from each axle in that way - it pays to engage the locker when you're on relatively level ground beforehand.

 

Motherfucking shithell.

Ignore the A-TRAC retard. Let's talk about the locker. Here's some education for free folks:

This is how an electronic locker works, in concept. This is GM's setup on Hummers, but the idea is the same. The carrier itself is essentially hard mounted to the spider gears in the differential, and the side gears are connected/disconnected to the spider gears by a locking collar that more or less makes one side gear one with the carrier when it's engaged. This has the effect of the side gear and both spider gears being locked to the carrier...which leaves the other side gear nowhere to turn, because the other three gears in the differential take it with them as they rotate. Hence the "lock". In place of GM's magnet/ball-bearing setup, Toyota uses an electronic motor with a splined gear to push the locking collar into place.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-VPPGsYq6TE

See those little pins on the locking collar? See the holes they slot into? It works the same way in the Toyota Locker, only it's a splined collar rather than pegs. In any event, when you happen to press the locker button, the splines may not be lined up. You need to rotate the side gears at DIFFERENT RATES to turn the carrier so the splines in the locking collar line up with the splines on the carrier and the locker slots into place.

The easiest way to rotate side gears at different rates is to turn your vehicle. This causes the wheel on the inside of the turn to rotate at a slower speed than the wheel on the outside of the turn, because it has less distance to travel. This rotates the side gears inside the diff and when the splines line up, voila - locked diff.

SO, if your diff is cranky about locking, do this:

Engage the locker, if the light is blinking, put the truck in reverse, cut the wheel to one side a turn or two, and idle backwards. I guarantee you won't have to idle more than a few feet and the locker will engage.

Make sense now?

This is correct. Engage your locker before entering hard obstacles, as long as you're not turning on a high traction surface. Even if other traction methods could get you through, why NOT have the control the locker offers?

There is a difference between just getting your truck through the obstacle and getting your truck through the obstacle with a minimum of wear and tear and minimum risk of driveline breakage. Using it correctly is key to minimizing these risks and avoiding unnecessary trail repairs.

 

VVVV - Now he can never say again that "I never said atrac is better than a locker." Double the traction?

 

I didn't even read this statement the first time through.

David, seriously man. You're this weird Dr. Jeckle/Mr. Hyde mix of TW newbie helper guy/ATRAC-Locker BBS Troll. I don't know what to make of you; really I don't.

I don't generally waste my breath telling folks what they should and shouldn't post on the interwebz - but man, you *do* throw out these inflammatory statements with regularity. I can only conclude that you *enjoy* the resulting imbroglio; otherwise you'd surely stop doing it. But if, perchance, some part of you is wondering why you're always in these enormous shit fights - well - it's time to look in the mirror, dude.

Where's that cartoon? It goes something like:

"...coming to bed dear?"
"No, this can't wait. It's important. Someone is WRONG on the Internet!"

 

XKCD:



http://xkcd.com/386/


The funny part is who's wrong?

 

So, if idling it into diff lock is ok(understood, gently and within reason), then if I was hung up with two opposing wheel spinning, and unable to get the locker to lock... can press the button, put her in gear and slowly move let a wheel move?

Might save my own ass someday!