Rear E-locker to Air Locker.

As far as a core it's not really different than taking the 3rd out of your axle. As long as it meets their core criteria then it is no big deal. In fact the regular thirds have less criteria than the elocker ones:

https://eastcoastgearsupply.com/p-15954-core-policies.html

With swapping axle housings you'll have to undo brake lines/ebrake/shocks/ubolts instead of just pulling the 3rd but all of that can be done pretty easily.

 

Thanks to anyone with useful info. ECGS can if fact build a air locker to fit. They have done several ones like this. Now the waiting begins.

 

You might need to either fool the ECU into thinking the locker is present or swap the 4wd ECU. There is a thread about I guy that swapped his entire axle from on with an OEM locker to one without one and afterwards he could not engage 4wd.

Note that after turning the engine back on, you can often prevent the locker from disengaging if you press the locker button fast enough.

Personally I would never go through all this trouble to replace a perfectly working locker. IMHO in most situations the locker does not improve on ATRAC.

 

Do you have a front locker, or considered getting one? The truck is a completely different animal with a locker up front.

 

If you are really hell bent on this route, you might as well wire your existing e-locker to be manually controlled to an always hot or key accessory position before you tear out the e-locker.

Just wire it up to a switch straight from the battery. It's only about $25 in parts, depending on if you use mating connectors or just cut and splice the wires.

You are going to have to spoof the 4wd ecu anyway after you put in an air locker, might as well do it now.

 

I haven't read the whole thread, but several things stick out from my perspective. Some say the ARB needs its own air supply, true, but if you are wheeling with the constant need for a locker, you already have an air supply to air up the tires at the end of the run, this is a non sequitur for me. If I ever get into my diffs for a regear, I will put air lockers at both ends replacing the OEM electric locker. My vehicle is an auto trans and if I remember correctly it has to be in 4WD-Lo to engage the rear locker - not good. Anytime engagement with an air locker is my only way to go as I would like to use the rear locker in 2WD with one simple switch (there is an override mod, but it is electronic, continue reading). On my other vehicle I use pneumatic switches in place of the electrical solenoids supplied by ARB and I carry and have used splices and extra tubing to repair those trail failures when a branch or rock catches the tubing and opens the air circuit. I do not want to have to troubleshoot electrical problems while on the trail. Most everyone can troubleshoot a simple pipe by listening for a leak, try doing that with electrons!

 

Why would you ever want to do that?

whats next? “How to turn my toyota into a chevy?”

 

the issue with the ARBs is they are decent reliable but when the seals leak you’re out of luck and have to tear part the diff to replace. And it’s not a matter of time of if the seal will fail it’s when. The elocker can be jumpered, I can’t see electrons but if you stick your tongue on the wire you can feel them.

 

Have an ARB still working flawlessly from an early 2000's install. When's it going to fail?

 

Just whom among most of us are capable of finding the correct wires to jump on the trail when they have trouble? Or the wiring, probes, etc.. I have worked with electronics all my life and do NOT wish to do so on the trail (i.e. I don't wish to work on the trail). Yet I do carry a VOM in each vehicle, a bad or good habit depending upon the circumstances, my desire is they come into more use for others I am wheeling with than myself.

My understanding is the Tacoma rear electronic locker uses one voltage to engage the locker and another lesser voltage to hold the "lock" adding to the confusion on the trail. It has not been clear to me if the two voltages are necessary of just preferred. Most people do not understand electronics, most of us have had a leaky garden hose which was quite obvious just what was wrong. Even with the electronics ignored, the Toyota electronic locker too can have internal problems.

As to the reliability of ARBs: I have myself had a problem with a plastic cage that transfers the air piston pressure to the locking of the side gear to the carrier on my REAR locker, the FRONT locker has had no problems in 20+ years. The rear broke for a reason unrelated to the ARB use that is too hard to explain and does not apply to the Tacoma or for most any vehicle except my very modified Samy. I believe ARB has never used a plastic cage on Toyota units. Prior and very current application is a 1986 Samurai which is much more capable and will go many more places than this Tacoma ever will, but I can sleep/camp in the Tacoma in inclement weather without the hassle of setting up a tent in the rain and snow.

I'll have to try the hand to tongue across the battery trick tomorrow, I have lots of experience with 9VDC batteries in this regard testing to see if they have power. If you never hear from me again you know what has happened!! As for the leaking of internal seals of an ARB; if one is paying attention to their vehicle, and I will say most on this forum are not capable of doing so, then the leak will progress from a small leak to a larger leak before actual failure on the trail. Out of caution, I replaced my seal when my plastic cage broke.

 

ARB air lockers are not what they once were. When I re-geared my truck the shop refused to install new ARB lockers, their explanation was that after 20+ years of installing hundreds of them the quality dropped off and seals began failing frequently, to the point that it interferes with the shop’s warranty. I installed a Harrop E-locker, it’s oddly silent and there’s not much to fail. If the truck stalls the circuit should still be completed as soon as you start it back up.

 

I hear you; nothing is what it once was, especially with the COVID labor crisis. It seems I have been fighting a lot of improvements/mods to this truck - not Toyotas fault.
I wonder if ARB cheapened thing up and stopped using the X-Profile seals or didn't polish the mating surfaces? Example of seals can be seen here:
o-rings | McMaster-Carr
I will verify and augment, if necessary, thanks. Easy to do. I modify and fabricate many things differently than the original manufacturer designed.

 

yes the full voltage operate/locks it and the lower voltage holds the coil energized to prolong the life of the solenoid. Much like the holding coil of a relay.

I am not disagreeing with you at all on the complexity of either one being easy to understand, to each their own. In my second gen I can remove the actuator with a few bolts and manually lock the collar in if it’s really a bad scenario, can’t do that with an ARB.

I’ve had an ARB on the front of my Tacoma for 10 years and no issues with the seal but I’ve seen and heard plenty of complaints. And yes the leak would be slow over time and noticeable, aka your compressor would have longer run times.

Elocker and air lockers both have their pros and cons, neither is perfect. A trail rig only a spool would suffice and be a simple solution. For most of us myself included I don’t carry spare air parts so if my compressor dies or my air line ruptures I’m up the creek. I do carry a spool of spare wire and DVM in the truck. If my locker failed to work I’d probably just winch out if possible and hit some easier trails and then diagnose at the comfort of home.

be careful licking those batteries, I guess it’s less painful than licking the frozen flag pole from a Christmas story though

 

You’re absolutely right, it seems everything I order now needs to be modified to basic standards.

 

Good to know, if I keep the stock rear locker. Toyotas are new to me.

 

The ARB is much better about locking and unlocking instantaneously than the Toyota Elocker design. That said it's probably not worth the effort to replace an elocker for an ARB unless you're replacing the entire axle for something heavier duty

 

Yes, doing front air locker also.

As far as tricking the 4wd ecu. In ARB's instruction manual tells you too simply splice the electromagnet circuit to keep the 4wd ecu thinking the e locker circuit is complete. The other sensor in the diff is the position sensor for the locker. I've yet to test but I'm thinking as long as you are not commanding the computer to lock the diff it will never look for position.

You could in theory build a circuit to keep the locker on. However it needs to be pulse width modulated to not over heat the unit. However it would not help the unit lock any faster.

Some seal failures are caused by lack of maintenance and improper set up. Water intrusion, blocked vents, etc play a factor too.

 

So if you are shooting for 'reliability' on the rear locker, I would put $10 on any new ARB in the rear being much less reliable than the existing electromagnetic rear.

I have been advocating a single power resistor to manually drive the factory rear locker (and bring the power down to factory levels)

*reliability definition that each person is using is probably much different.

See schematic and connectors in this thread (because its handy) https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/factory-locker-install-on-16-sport.692802/
.. (yes I know you aren't installing an OR rear in a sport, but similar methods apply)... this is just one example thread.

 

Yea, the stock locker may always work, I can't rely on it coming on when I need it to. Which really makes it unreliable IMO for my use/truck.

Anyways, got the gears and lockers installed. Not too hard of a job. Everything works great in dirt parking lot testing, and the 5.29's are great. The only thing needed to trick the 4wd ecu is to splice the OEM rear locker wires together. The position sensor can just leaved unplugged. Easy.

 

Could you not just hotwire the e-locker to work even with the key off?

I guess this is a benefit to the pre-2016 e-locker?