3rd Gen TRD Sport M/T - adding lockers

If I understand correctly, the V6 M/T Sport models have the 8.75" rear end

Same as the Pro and Off-Road,

BUT the differentials are different. (obviously)
M/T Sport-DIFFERENTIAL ASSY. Differential Carrier.- 413010K120
Pro/Offroad - DIFFERENTIAL ASSY. Differential Carrier. -413030K010

Looking at different pics and looking up part #'s it SEEMS that the

Rear axels, - 4231104060
M/T and Pro/OR Axle/ Differential Housing - 4211004180
M/T and Pro/OR Prop/Drive Shaft -3710004460
Gasket - ?
are all the same...

Then there is a little shield/protector for the locker.

So in theory couldn't the Toyota E-locker diff just bolt right in?

I hear Eaton has an E-Locker for the 8.75" rear, or was it a dream?

For the front locker it appears an ARB air locker is the only option? Is there and ARB for the 8.75" rear?

Any ideas for a competent shop in the Ontario Canada GTA region that could install those sexy lockers?

Thanks for the input!

 

Taken from ARB website.

RD232 rear RD111 front.

If you're actually serious about this, regear the truck as well to 4.88 to match the larger tires you're going go to be putting on.

 

Kewl thanks for that!

Definitely serious, not having lockers on this truck will just suck in mud, right now with all this rain, i wish I had them in right now!

Have ordered some Mobtown sliders, going to get a set of AL skidplates and sensor protectors and whatever else I can figire out to not break as much shit on the trails lol.

If I can get away with just the rear Toyota locker I'm willing to try that, if not I'll be in for re-gear, bushing, and front and rear arb lockers with compressor etc.

Then after my wallet stops whining I want to figure out seats, then suspension then maybe bigger tires. This truck is still going to be a daily driver (except for when my cars are out to play in the summer) so I have to prioritize reliability.

 

Hey, did you ever end up doing this? I'd love to know how it worked out and where you got your work done if you don't mind sharing.

 

What was the reason you went with a sport instead of the TRD Off Road with factory locker?

 

In Canada its not possible to get a M/T DC TRD Off Road.

 

And here, I was wishing for an ACLB OR MT.

The grass is always greener. . .

 

Just curious given what has been said in the TRAC sticky, are you having trouble in the mud with your Sport or are you just anticipating trouble? The mud that I have seen hasn't been enough to light of the TRAC system. So, I'm impressed just what the stock Toyos and the open diffs are doing and wondering how much further I'd have to push it to test the TRAC system.

The times that I have been in mud, I took it pretty caution since I was alone but with recovery gear. Yeah, I know. . .

 

Exactly. Would have loved the AC in the M/T, ended up getting the DCSB. Still happy either way!

 

Same here. I don't know which direction I would have went if I had the choice between an ACLB MT Sport or OR? Most likely the OR, but MT availability is what it is.

 

This. Exactly why I went sport. ACLB MT.
4.88's and ARB's hopefully in my future.

 

I went into the dealer looking to get a Pro.

They could not even begin to guess when I would be able to get a Black M/T Pro.

We went through all the features and it looked like the OR would fit my needs, Dealer said they know of one in a storage lot, so they could get it 1-2 weeks.
so I ordered a;
2017 Tacoma DC, OR, M/T, Premium Tech package , Black bug deflector and Extra 10yr Corrosion Warranty, 5 Year extended Platinum Warranty.

They called me 3 days later and said they Truck was in.

I went down to the dealership (in a snowstorm) and the since my Salesman was off that day the Sales Mgr pointed out the truck, walking out to the truck I notice the hood scoop under the snow and think Oh No it's the wrong model, OR maybe these great guys found a Pro! Wipe the snow off the back of the truck and see that it says "Sport". I went back in and said "Wrong Truck it's a Sport and I wanted the Off-Road.

Sales Manager told me " It's the Same, just has the added hood scoop and the stiffer Sport Suspension".
So I made the mistake of paying in full that evening.

Couple of days later on a Friday evening I picked up the truck, lol worst presentation of a new truck I have ever seen, 4" of snow and Ice on the vehicle and in the dark back corner of their lot.
When I washed the truck the next day and could finally see the Paint, I now knew why they never cleaned the truck and kept it in a dark area...
Looked like someone dragged a porcupine down the passenger side and the hood and roof were stained with white marks (from the protective wrap they put on the vehicles and water get underneath and it sits in the sun) really noticeable, like 20' away it looked like someone jerked off an elephant type of bad.
Could not find the button for the A-Trac and the E-Locker.

Got the run-around for 6 weeks before I even got someone from that dealer to even look at it. Took another 4 weeks and after me screaming in the phone at a VP before they put in writing that they would fix the paint issues. VP said sorry I got the wrong model but he's not going to fire anyone over it (I never said fire anyone) and sorry for receiving such an obviously screwed up truck but they won't trade it back but I could go to the Auto Arbitration if I wanted to.

Long story short,
-I bought a DA polisher and fixed the scratches myself,
- Read the Toyota Service bulletin on the Wrap Stains, and along with another method fixed the white stains on the hood and roof.
- Re-adjusted the tailgate so it was not sticking out 4mm.
- Added ACF-50 and fluid film to the rear leaf springs and added a Back-rack and roll-up bed cover to the bed (weight) and 10Lbs of weight to the back corner of the cab to fix the rear end whine at 100km/h and made the whole truck "smoother".
- Came to the conclusion that this dealer especially knows F*-all about Tacomas, is more incompetent than most other dealers, and only survives because of the Toyota name.

 

I wanted the locker and A-Trac for mud and mild rock climbing.

Some of the jobsites I go to are basically huge mud pits, if you have a crappy 4x4 it means you are carrying/dragging your crap from the road to the buildings.. or at the end of the day your stuck because you sank into the mud. Have not had a good "mudfest" yet, but if I have to be towed out by a plumber I will not be impressed...

I am VERY impressed with the Sport's TRAC system, have not really tested it out yet, as my sliders won't be in for another week or two and I have not mounted the skid plates yet.

Only thing that worries me is with TRAC you have to go faster and spin the wheels more... makes it easier to break CV's. In the summer I plan to hit some of the trails in Northern Ontario and the Muskokas. Breaking a CV or anything up there is a PITA.

 

Wow! That was a purchase nightmare.

I used to work in jobsites. That was some of the worse conditions esp when beat up by large equipment.

 

If I was not so busy I was just about ready to park out front of the dealership with a picket sign.
Documented everything so when I get time, I'll send a nice report to Corporate.

I'll sometimes use the truck to pull heavy wire through conduit or spool out heavy wire instead of using a large tugger, and we are doing that when all the ground trenches are open and the ground is all torn up. Add some rain and no open differential 4x4 is getting out of that mess, let alone doing anything useful.

One day we may be wiring up big greenhouses, next we are wiring a medical building, day after that huge mansions, day after that and Apartment building downtown... Oh did I mention that rock climbing looks like fun!
Lol I really do need good at everything truck.


I was looking at ECGS

Rear E-Locker
https://eastcoastgearsupply.com/i-23993416-8-75-tacoma-elocker-third.html
Front E-Locker
https://eastcoastgearsupply.com/i-23993417-2016-tacoma-8-reverse-ifs-clamshell.html

My original Toyota dealer has no clue about these, sigh, told me a locker on a Sport was impossible, when I looked up the part#'s for the M/T Sport and the Pro and the Off-road and asked why the housings, axles, driveshafts all have the same Part#'s and the only difference was the Differential and Differential Cover plate between the Sport /Pro/OR you could see the "Oh shit he knows we didn't even look and have no clue" look on their faces.
They then proceeded to say that even if I put a Toyota E-Locker in the rear it will void my whole drive train warranty. WTF!

Next two months i will be doing 12-16hr days so won't have time to look into finding a Semi-competent dealer to work with that won't f*ck up my tire rotations and oil changes and void every bit of my warranty for stupid crap....

It won't get much mileage so won't hit the first service due date till after this work project is finished. I'm researching dealers and interviewing service departments before my truck does anything more than drive by a dealer again.
Never going through that kind of Gong Show again.
If it were not for the warranty and "dealer maintained" trade in value that truck would never see a Toyota dealer again.
Ooops ranting Lol

It looks like if I got the whole assembled units the installation for the rear could be done in an afternoon and the front over a day... So lets say a weekend.
Then take my time and do the wiring and rest so it looks factory.

I'd like to get two of the Toyota Stock E-locker buttons and put them in the overhead console, just flip the front E-locker button around.
So buttons and a new center piece are on the to-do list.
I want to do a confirmation light for when each one is locked.

Want to set up some kind of fool-proofing on the system so someone does not hit the Locker buttons when their turning a corner at high speed so my first thought is to tie the relays for the lockers through the 4Lo signal. And maybe add a toggle switch to override the 4lo signal requirement.

Have to figure out what/ where I can get the 4Lo signal.
Need to find a nice power center (will need it for other accessories) and place to mount it with the relays,
Wire harness connectors for the diff and clamshell,
I want all this to look factory installed so nice wire routing plan is also on the to-do list.

Pro's in this Plan
Front AND Rear Lockers on a Sport, for cheaper than me to trade in for an off-road,
Front and Rear Lockers AND Fox Adjustable suspension and new rear leafs in the back for cheaper than to trade in for a Pro,
The look on people's faces when they see a double locker SPORT.

Cons in this Plan
Dealer warranty hassles,
Never recover the cost on a dealer trade in,
20-40 hrs researching buttons, connectors, wires looms and misc.
A weekend to do mechanical install
4-20hrs to assemble and install the electrical
for the 6 times a year I NEED a rear locker I could "get by" or install a winch.
TRAC has to be disabled completely even if just a rear locker is engaged.

 

Just do the lockers on the sport, its my plan in the future because no dclb offroad in canada. And regear with the lift.

 

Protesting would not have done much. The folks on TW represent a small slice of the Taco owners. Even here, including me, we get the features and options hosed up sometimes. Not as epicly bad as your dealer, but . . .

If your not pleased with what you find for service shops, just keep your receipts for services and keep good records. About the only time that you'll get serious money on a sale is if you are trading back to the dealer who did all the servicing.


There is this thread for the 2Lo mod:
https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/lock-stock-and-2wheel-low-3rd-gen-diy-mod.536677/

It might give you ideas on the signals. In my own mind, I just wouldn't leave the diffs locked when handing over the keys to someone, esp on pavement. Otherwise, you should be fine. Regardless, peeps are jerks and might just test out your lockers on asphalt for you.

Have a look at the TRAC modes sticky:
https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/3rd-gen-traction-control-modes-explained.530695/

You shouldn't need to turn TRAC off when locked since you won't have any differential wheel spin. But, it is easy to do. Also, we believe there is no engine regulation 4Lo and think there is none in 4Hi, just TRAC braking for traction.


Yeah, mods are for the benefit of those buying them. Unless your build ends up with really low miles when / if you sell, there definitely won't be money in the back end. But, you being happy and not stuck is a big benefit.

 

Wow, feel for you man.
I went OR this time because I was so sick of open diffs on my original toyota pickup, and 1st gen Tacoma. The OR was frankly probably overkill for my needs with the effectiveness of TRAC in 4Lo now, but I was DONE with wheels spinning in mud on my own dang lot.

@PB FAB did a nice writeup on his arb locker install on his SR. (I dont recall which size rear end). https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/arb-install.527919/

I am 99% sure it will be easier to install the ARB than mess with the OEM rear locker. The OR/PRO oem locker is fed a PWM signal generated by the ECU, with different duty cycle locked vs unlocked. I devised a circuit for anybody to attempt an 'anytime lock' for the OR/PRO but I havent done it myself with no intention of doing it myself. It isn't something I am really interested in, and I really think it is mainly useful to the 'donut duffus' of the world. To my knowledge nobody has implemented it. Thread , and Schematic . But some of what we learned might be useful if you were to try installing an OEM locker.

It might not be so horrible electrically for the Sport to add the OR/PRO locker (than it is to get the OR/PRO with its hydraulic booster and skid control logic and CANbus communication to lock anytime), because the ECU and schematics seem to maybe still be designed for prerunner type configuration (rear locker with 2wd) that may give a bit less trouble. But I just don't think its worth it to mess with OEM here. I recommend just do the ARB type install, and then devise the electricals to give your 4lo safety lockout.

Here is some info to help with a 4Lo lockout if you ever persue this.

I believe the yellow wire, (Pin 3 on connector F13 at the 4wd ecu) is grounded when, and only when the transfer case is has successfully switched to Lo. This is the transfer case low range feedback wire, not the command wire. That wire should be usable as a relay ground, and will prevent relay powering except when in Lo.






Good luck, if you need any schematic or service manual help, hit me...

 

I’ve done testing with my rear arb and found no issues with TRAC. Both the rear tires are spinning at the same speed so TRAC never sets it self off. I need to do a little more testing. Worst case it would deactivate itself if the brakes overheated.

I recommend an ARB over installing a factory e locker.

I have an 8 inch rear end.

 

Good point guys, Trac probably won't be an issue and may help with only a rear locker.

I think the E-lockers ECGS is using is the Harrow so it's either those, or the ARB AIR lockers.

I was hoping using the Toyota differential would reduce warranty hassles, probably won't so not worth it.

re: 8" rear end, You have an automatic right?