Manual Hub Conversion for the 1st Gen Tacoma & 3rd Gen 4Runner

For my own tastes I want the dash indicator to work when I switch into 4wd.

I figured out how to get mine to illuminate, hopefully this helps others searching to achieve similar results.

In the driver side of the engine bay under the exhaust manifold is a wire loom with a connector on it. On my truck that came factory equipped with ADD, this connector was connected to a wire that went to the actuator on the ADD diff tube.


Circled above is a picture from the donor truck that came factory equipped with manual hubs. The connector on this truck has a termination on it that basically serves as a jumper wire.
Simple solution, plugged this into my truck, dash light works.

I’m unsure if this works on prerunners being swapped to 4wd because a lot of the electrical may not be there, but at least a place to start looking.

I also negated the entire ADD vacuum system including the vacuum canister in the driver side wheel well and capped the vacuum line coming from the intake manifold. Verified this as well from the donar truck which doesn’t have the vacuum canister or the vacuum/electrical control circled in the pic below

Pile o’ parts I no longer need sitting under the donar truck.

 

That is EXCELLENT information, @Laxtoy! Thank you for the update.

 

Hopefully you can clarify this for me.
Is there any advantage of swapping to manual hubs if I have ADD and push button shifter?
Wouldn't the CV's spin all the time regardless of 2WD or 4Wd?

 

Ok.
The OP's post confused me a bit when he says
"So on ADD front ends it doesn't matter if it's in 2WD or 4WD. If the truck is moving both CV axles are turning."

 

On a normal ADD system both CV axles spin all the time because they are permanently splined in the front wheel bearings. So if you’re lifted, which angles the CV’s more, they will wear faster.

With manual hubs, when the hubs are unlocked the front wheel bearings are not connected to the CV axles, so they’re not constantly spinning in normal driving.

I hope that helps, @CayucosTacoma.

 

Ah all clear.
Your both saying what I thought.
I just read online that with ADD one CV spins regardless.

But you guys cleared it up.
Thanks!

 

They both spin all the time but in 2WD one of the CV axles is disconnected from the differential. That also stops the front driveline from turning when you don’t need 4WD.

 

And with manual hubs, ADD and Electronic shift they both won't spin in 2WD, Correct?

 

If you had manual hubs and kept your ADD actuator, your CV’s won’t spin in 2WD.

My truck has a J shift transfer case which disengages the front driveline from the transfer case. So I was able to delete the ADD actuator when I switched to manual hubs and I can still shift on the fly in and out of 4WD while driving.

Yours with the push button can’t disengage the front driveline. The 4WD button engages and disengages the ADD actuator. So if you switched to manual hubs, you’d need to keep the ADD actuator to shift on the fly in and out of 4WD while driving.

 

Resurrecting an old thread, but I have a question as I plan on doing this conversion soon: Can you press the bearings and associated manual hub into an ADD/ABS steering knuckle or spindle (whichever you want to call it)? Are the wheel bearing dimensions I.D. and O.D. the same between say a 1996 tacoma with manual hubs and a 2004 tacoma with add? With all of the reading that I’ve done, I’ve been getting conflicting info. Obviously it’s easier to get the whole assembly from a junk yard or ebay and just swap them. So far though, I haven’t been able to find a used set of spindles cheaper than I can get the bearings, hubs and seals new. I have a press, so I’m not worried about paying a shop to press them. I’d really appreciate input from people who HAVE done this mod or are in parts gathering/R&D phase. also, I don’t care about loosing the ABS. The next project that currently gathering parts for is a tundra brake upgrade/ABS delete/manual proportioning valve/line lock install.

 

Yes you can.

 

Sweet! Thank you

 

no biggie, just another helpin another fellow 1st gen fan out. Also did my research and I have both the ADD and manual locking hubs. I will be converting the ADD to manual.

 

I’m trying to decide on whether to keep the add or not. I’ve been thinking about doing the hose clamp mod, but hate the idea of it possibly coming loose inside of there. I never seem to be able to safety wire hose clamps very effectively either. Maybe using a banding tool would work better?

 

I know we're suppose to keep tools handy in case of getting stuck but we can only hold so much while camping or hitting the trails.

 

You can go the 'sure' way and just get a manual diff tube for your manual hub setup.

 

That would obviously be the best solution and I’m keeping my eye open for one, but so far they seem a little difficult to find. You wouldn’t happen to have one for sale?

 

Oof

I know @Tour991 has one; I bought a front diff from him but without the tube since I already have one myself.

 

@Tour991 Any love?

 

It can be done, I believe there are only ABS and non-ABS steering knuckles with no inside or outside diameter change for manual hubs vs. ADD. Here is a really good video for it:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TZ2sOfVrnhU