e locker help please.

I have an 04 Tacoma double cab trd that is giving me problems. I bought the truck from the original owner a few years ago. when I bought it the rear diff housing was rusted and leaking and the e locker did not work(he said he never used it and I figured it was locked up). I patched it until I had all of the parts that I needed to make it right. I got a housing that was in almost new condition, I also got another center section with an operational e locker(I bench tested it and it works flawlessly), and all new bearings and seals. I put it all together and everything seems to be fine with the exception of my e locker engaging. I ran the truck for a couple of weeks and finally had a chance to check it out. I checked all of the plugs for corrosion. they were clean but I used some electrical cleaner and dielectric grease and reassembled them. I swapped 4wd ecu with my other Tacoma and still nothing. I have checked all the fuses and made sure that the engine, frame, and body grounds were all clean and tight and still just a blinking dashlight with no locker. I could really use some help.

 

In most cases especially if it hasn't been engaged in a while you need to turn the wheel slightly and creep back and forth until it clicks.

 

If on your electrical game , you could jumper 12V to actuator (unplug it from chassis electrical)just to see if it energizes) You do realize that it has to be re-synched if removed, & you can remove the actuator & manually slde the gear cluster over for locking the diff.

 

I tried driving all kinds of circles and s turns on dirt and in the field. Then I put it up on the lift and tried to engage it and still nothing. The actuator was never removed from the center section i put the whole thing in so I didn't think that timing was an issue since it wasn't seperated.

 

Guess I misread, you just put the 3rd into another axle housing ?

 

yes I put the whole thing in. will a test light work for checking the wiring or do I need to buy a multimeter? I was hoping someone had run into this problem before and it would be a bad relay or something. i have looked quite a bit on the web and couldn't find a solution to my problem. i would hate to have to go to the dealer and spend a bunch of $ for them to do things i have done already. and thank you for you folks getting back to me.

 

OK I didn't see it mentioned (correct me if wrong) but did you put it in 4wd LOW? Unless you do the grey-wire mod the locker won't engage in 2/4-HI

 

Sorry I did forget to mention that I do have the grey wire mod done and I also tried 4 lo. I have had toyota's for a long time but these are my first 2 with the elockers. I am not an electrical whiz so that is why I am here asking for help. And believe me any help I get is GREATLY appreciated.

 

Does your "Diff Lock" light blink on the dash when you try to engage the e-locker ?

 

Yes it does blink. I wasn't sure if a testlight would work for testing power at the locker plug or If the voltage was low and I needed to buy a meter.

 

He has the gray wire MOD but that is a great post & question....

OP, I would think a test light would be fine to see if your juiced to the actuator (key in start position, diff lock button pushed) Also I mentioned earlier about calibrating the actuator it's easy, you'd remove actuator & get a clean slotted screw driver (you may even only need your fingers) & slide the assembly into "locked" position, THEN push diff button before you energize the ignition, once thats done the actuator will find it's way home...

 

So I do this properly. I would remove actuator and slide the mechanism to the lock position. Re-install actuator and then push the diff lock button before turning on the ignition?

 

Also you replaced the third member but the actuator is still your original one correct? Mine was locked up from rust inside and the grease inside getting all pastey. After you try @4WD recommendations I recommend pulling the actuator apart.

Awesome write up on disassembly:

http://www.pirate4x4.com/forum/toyota-truck-4runner/698966-e-locker-actuator-rebuild.html

 

The actuator was original to the 3rd that I put in. I bought it from a guy that works at a dealership. It came from a truck that a tree fell on the front of and he was able to purchase it from the customer for a parts vehicle. He was nice enough to go through it with me and bench test it with me before I purchased it. Everything was clean and in excellent condition. He even offered my $ back if I wasn't happy.

 

You can follow this. Both to install and bench test the actuator. Some folks will recommend 3v from 2, 1.5v D cells in series, 1.5v tends to be really slow. Reverse polarity to run it the other direction. Be careful in case something is shorted inside if you use 12v (like I do).

 

I appreciate all of the help from you guys. I have no idea what was wrong but this is what I did. I cycled the locker with power from a battery charger set on 12 volt 2 amps while it was still in the truck. It worked fine. I then plugged it back in and unplugged the harness up by the fuel tank and did the same test from there(to rule out a broken wire in rear harness)with the same results. At that point I had other things to do so I cleaned up my mess and went back to the house. While heading back to the house(something told me to try the locker)I hit the button and it locked. I drove around on the dirt for a bit engaging and disengaging and everything worked fine. I am happy it is working but WTF!!!

 

Motor/brushes could have been stuck, contacts inside could be dirty. These things like to be used.
They are famous for water intrusion and not sealed very well from the factory. It's a good practice so seal all the seams and the joint between the motor bell and the actuator housing. Slathering them with sealer from the outside is fine. Also notice the "pocket" between the top rear of the actuator and the diff housing. This pocket can hold a slurry of road debris/salt, corroding things to no end. I blast that area with a hose now and then.

 

I love Elocker stories with happy endings.....