Locker Anytime Mod for Dummies 2005+

The etsy shop is closed But not to fret I have found a replacement. It's a factory made relay and diode from Omron. (Think of Omron like a Toyota of electrical parts).

The part number you want is: Omron LY2N-D2 DC12
You can order them at these sites. They're respected sellers and I've spent way too much money there.
https://www.mouser.com/ProductDetail/Omron-Automation-and-Safety/LY2N-D2-DC12?qs=sGAEpiMZZMsKEdP9slC0YVzLoqlJlno%2B28rChTsbwK0=

https://www.digikey.com/en/products/detail/omron-automation-and-safety/LY2N-D2-DC12/1813758?s=N4IgTCBcDaIDIE0wDkC0ARMqAmBjAjBALoC+QA

This is my first mod to my Tacoma and I was struggling to follow the instructions. There are multiple threads, many confused posters and unclear and conflicting instructions. As I was reading them I felt like I was back in my college calculus class when the Professor would get about half way done with the equation and say “so from this point on it is intuitively obvious how to finish the problem.” Uh no, it's not obvious So I decided to do a Dummies version for those that don't find this sort of thing “intuitively obvious.” (oh and I did pass calculus)

First rule #1 don't be stupid. (That's all I'm going to say here. Read my rant at the bottom if you want.)

OK with the warnings out of the way, let's get started. Why do you want to do this? Well, from time to time you're going to get a little stuck where 4wd feels like over kill, but you still need a little help. Hitting the rear locker is just the ticket in these situations. I chose to do the Radio Shack Amazon relay version of this mod, but there's another one out there where you fool the truck into thinking its in 4wd Lo all the time. That one may well be better, or not. I only have one truck and the relay mod “felt” better to me.

Things you can do to break rule #1. I'm sure the reason Toyota limits the locker to 4wd Lo is the number of stupid people out there. A rear locker is dang handy, but it has its limits. If you have one wheel spinning and hit the locker button you will break rule #1 and blow up the diff. If you are driving over 20 mph in slippery conditions with the locker on you break rule #1 and the rear end will spin out. If you are driving on a side slope with the locker on the rear will slide to the low side. If you drive on dry surfaces with the locker on you will wear out the tires. There are surely many more ways to break rule #1 with a locker, but you get the idea. A rear locker really is just for slow speed, getting unstuck situations.

Here we go with the step by step instructions

Get your parts
Relay - use one of the links above
Crimp ends - http://amzn.to/2gQm81A
Crimper tool - http://amzn.to/2vsfthj
1N4007 Diode -

$10 Cafurty 1N4007 DO-41 Axial Silastic Guard Junction Standard Rectifier Diode (Pack of 20)

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00W17LOBO

Back when I posted this I did not include a flyback diode in the design, which I've since come to understand is a problem. After purchasing an oscilloscope and trying a few experiments I see it at as pretty big problem.




Here's the trace showing a 500+ volt spike. Wow, I knew about inductive spiking, but I had no idea how big they would get.


I've made a video on my Youtube channel showing the problem in detail and how to make your own relay w/ diode combination. If you don't want to make it yourself I've included links above where it can be purchased.



Here are some pictures of what you'll need.




Get your tools

• Wire strippers
• electricians tape
• cable ties
• 10mm socket with extension
• Crimper tool
• soldiering iron and soldier
• crimp on connections
• (not in picture shrink tubing and vampire tap)

Getting access
Make sure the locker is not engaged and turn off the key.
Open the glove box and find the opening damper on the right side. (red arrow)


Squeeze the two ends of the post together and slip the damper off. (it should come off easily with just finger pressure)


On either side of the glove box are the stops. Gently squeeze the sides in near the red arrows and the glove box should drop down. Lift it out and set it aside.


Next remove the glove box top cover. The 10mm bolt holds it in. Once it is removed pull gently on the hidden clips on the far left and right sides.


Finally the plug
Once the glove box and covers are out of the way you can see the plug we will be working on. It, the plug, is a little hard to see so I've marked the photo so you can get your bearings under the dash. To take this picture I literally had the camera on the floor pointing up at the roof of the truck.


This is the plug after it is removed from the 4wd control module. The arrow is pointing at a clip. Just push it down with your thumb and gently work the plug out. The is no reason to remove the 4wd control module.


It's getting real now - cutting the wires
Here is a diagram of the plug and the wires we will be working with. There are two blue wires in the plug and if you look really closely one of them is a lighter shade of blue, is bigger and is in slot number 1. This is the blue wire we will be cutting. The other wires are also shown. There were some question in the threads if Toyota had changed the wire colors. I don't know. My 2011 matched the colors talked about in the other threads. If Toyota did change the colors I can't imagine them changing the pin-outs.

This is the view from the front of the connector


And this is another wiring view from the back side with the wires. It's a mirror image of the other.



Here's a shot with all of the wires we are going to be working with. I removed all of the black tape. I've put red X's on the violet wire because that one is not cut. The violet wire provides the power and will be connected with a "Y" cable I'll show later.


The shit's just got real
I got a little excited once I cut the wire and put a couple of the crimp ends on. But you get the idea. Notice I DID NOT cut the violet wire.


Finished the connectors
Here the work in process with all of the ends crimped on and the "Y" power cable in place. It doesn't look like it from the picture but all of the crimp ends are the same length. When you put the vampire tap for the "Y" cable you will want to put it as far up the violet wire as you can. I made the "Y" cable long and and cut the ends on to match. (you can see the blue vampire tap near the top of the image) I also put little pieces of electricians tape on the cut ends because I didn't want any chance of them shorting out under the dash.


A note on crimping ends
This is the ground wire for the relay. When you crimp the ends on you want to see just the tip of the copper wire peaking through. There is a split on the top of the connector that I always put in the round side of the tool. The dimple goes in the back. I don't know if there is a right or wrong way to do them, but that's how mine are done. Once the crimp is done I give them a good firm tug to make sure they are crimped correctly.


Making the "Y" power cable
On the first leg of the "Y" use a razor to cut the insulation about 1 inch from the end. Pull the insulation up leaving bare wires in the middle. Cut the excess insulation from the end. Strip the end of the other leg.


Twist the wires together.

Soldier


Heat shrink


Thanks to EDDO for posting this picture showing the lengths needed


Making the connections
Electrically speaking there are many correct ways to make the connections to the relay. The ones below are what you see in most threads. There is a PDF out there that suggests a different but electrically equal configuration. (it took me quite a while to compare the different methods, only to see in the end they were the "same") The only time this becomes an issue is if you are using something other than a Amazon Shack relay. Anyway, if you look closely at the bottom of the relay you will see numbers next to the connections. Simply plug the correct wires to the number.

1. Green / Black Stripe
2. Violet (one end of your "Y" cable)
3. Violet (the other end of your "Y" cable) ((the third end of your "Y" cable is connected to the violet wire using the vampire tap))
4. Pink
5. Green
6. Blue
7. Ground (if you are using a diode equipped relay it's important that 7 and 8 are connected correctly. If you do it backwards fuse ig1 no.2 will blow.)
8. Red / Black Stripe

Finishing up
Here's a shot of what it looks like before being put back together. I've taken a bit more electrician's tape and wrapped up the loose ends and made all of the connections.



Testing your project

1. Plug the connection back in to the 4wd control module.
2. Turn on the key to run but don't start the engine and press the locker button.
3. You should hear the relay click and the rear locker motor activate. (neither of them make much noise so listen carefully)
4. If you heard both of them go on to the next step otherwise make sure your connections are correct.
5. Take a short drive. I did this on the quiet, paved street in front of my house. (you're not going to hurt anything if you go slow and just feel for the bind and then back off)
6. In 2wd press the locker button. The locker light will no longer flash. It only lights when engaged. The light should turn on and you should feel a bind in the rear when turning slowly from left to right.
7. Push the locker button again and the light should turn off. You may need to turn slowly back and forth to relieve the bind.
8. Repeat steps 6 and 7 in 4wd Hi and 4wd Lo. You are feeling and listening for the rear locker to engage and disengage.
9. Everything worked as expected? Yes, then go put your truck back together. No, go check your connections to the relay.

The final assembly
And the final picture before putting the glove box back in. You can see in the background where I grounded the relay. The loose bits have been corralled with a cable tie and the relay cable tied to the main wiring harness. (for clarities sake I have removed the second plug from the 4wd control module. In your project you shouldn't have to remove it, but if you do make sure to put it back.)


Put the glove box back
It is the reverse of taking it out. And you are all done.

That's it. I would rate the project a 4 on a scale of 10. It's not hard, but you are cutting the wiring of your truck and if you break rule #1 it could be expensive to fix.

Oh yeah and here is my rant
(rant)all over the internet people post instructional threads and then say “don't try this at home folks.” WTF really? Are they some how responsible for my actions? It seem so condescending to me. If you see someone do something stupid and then you do the same damn thing aren't you the one that is responsible? If it seems reasonable and later turns out to be stupid aren't you the one that is responsible? If they did it right and you do it wrong aren't you the one that is responsible? If you follow my instructions and it goes badly, I am sorry. My purpose here is to help. I just think everyone should follow rule #1 “don't be stupid” also rule #2 is important as well “take responsibility for yourself.” (/rant)

 

No photos. Just little squares.

 

yup same here.

 

I dont even get the little squares.

 

Fixed it. I don't know why that happens when I do big posts.

 

I did this almost a year ago. Best 5 dollars$$ Iv spent!

 

Thank you........got pics now

 

Nice write up!

 

you put heat shrink over the connections at the relay yes? Otherwise you will short something out at some point.

 

You dont have to solder the Y connection.

Great writeup.

This mod is a lot easier than it seems, just take it slow and follow all instructions.

 

I did this almost ten years ago. It really is the most useful mod for the money.

 

I did not feel the need to cover up the crimp connectors. The relay is cable tied in an inaccessible location behind a cover panel. I believe in Murphy's law, but I can't see a way even for him to short out the relay.

I soldered and heat shrunk the Y connection because it guarantees it can't come apart. Fixing that cable would be a PITA and you'd only find out about the problem when you needed the locker. I had an ARB locker in my Jeep and it would blow its fuse every now and then. Nothing sucks like needing the locker, hitting the button and nothing happening.

 

I followed this diy and completed this mod today. It's pretty straight forward. I did not have a vampire tap available so I removed some of the insulation from the purple wire and soldered my Y into it. Thanks OP!

 

Waiting on radio shack to get me the relay.

 

Question for any of you wiring gurus: I would like to safeguard this mod by installing another switch to control the power to the locker motor so that I or someone else doesn't accidentally hit the switch and cause a disaster. How would I go about doing so?

 

Driving it around locked won't hurt anything. The tires squeek on sharp turns, but it's not that big of a deal. You could always use a covered switch, or a hidden switch somewhere.

 

You don't have to worry about it if you follow rule #1.

 

I'm afraid the switch may accidently get knocked on while reaching for the fog light switch while the vehicle is moving.

I'd rather not change the factory switch out to a covered one, but rather just add another secondary switch and make it a two button activation. I'm just not wiring-savvy enough to figure out what kind of switch, where to hook it up, relays required or not etc.

 

If you let tards drive your truck, you could install a normally open switch that breaks the green wire. Ken's advice is better, don't let them drive your rig if you can't trust them to go mashing buttons and ignoring the big flashing light on the dash. Go lock it and go for a drive, it's really not even noticeable that it's on unless you are pulling into a tight parking spot or intentionally doing donuts.

 

Totally understood. I guess it's not my buddies that I'm worried about. It's moreso the alignment guy or the repair tech at the dealership. You never know what the hell they may be doing in your car while it's being serviced. I strive to do everything on my own (maintenance, fixes, replacement parts etc.), but sometimes there's no way out of bringing it into a shop.