Rear e-locker options for 16+ LC200 (1 Viewer)

[NoClue]

Yep Proper current. This is only a personal preference. I do not like "current". I do not like air suspension. I wish I could step outside and lock the hubs. This is just me. The electronic part of an air locker is very simple to repair. I have never ever scene some one loose an air locker from a broken airline. In fact the air lockers are less engineered. Less parts. (poor install is 95% of the problems from air lockers)

I am assuming if someone is doing lockers they are doing both the front and rear. The 125$ difference x 2 is the price of a basic compressor that will run the lockers and pump a tyre. Drop another 200$ and you have a very good compressor. Also the air lockers are time tested. Tech is cool but it tends to break.

Ive went back and forth between air and e lockers. After chatting with zuk at gearinstalls, I'm glad I went with e lockers. You're wrong in regards to the amount of parts in an air locker. There are too many seals / brazed fittings that can fail in an ARB

ARB sucks air

ZUK shares many close-up good pics of Toyota gear installs

www.gearinstalls.com

 

[Lester did that]

Ive went back and forth between air and e lockers. After chatting with zuk at gearinstalls, I'm glad I went with e lockers. You're wrong in regards to the amount of parts in an air locker. There are too many seals / brazed fittings that can fail in an ARB

ARB sucks air

ZUK shares many close-up good pics of Toyota gear installs

www.gearinstalls.com

Been running air lockers for 25 years. I never had one issue with them? I also have been using the same guy for the installs on 6 vehicles. Air lockers fail 98% of the time because of an improper installation. You really need a guru that can do it blindfolded to install them proper or your going to have issues. I have a 94 Disco with air lockers installed about 12 years ago. Not one issue yet but I probably just jinxed myself.

What ever works for you. The elocker vs air locker is always going to be a debate. I have just observed more issues with elockers than air lockers over time. Air lockers are more responsive to the switch, they stay locked and don't roll back, they run a hell of a lot cooler (maybe that's why elockers don't have the lifespan), you really can engage them at any speed or in a turn and the same goes for releasing them. They are a little easier on the entire drive train because they don't roll back and reengage every time.

If someone is selling you something they are going to show you and tell you all the problems with the competitor. Just like me. I prefer air lockers. So I am biased towards air lockers. It's not a right or wrong. I hope they work out well for you and last the lifetime of your rig.

 

[rlynch356]

just a counter point.... I ran ARB lockers in the front of my D90 for years, and had 2 internal seal failures resulting in Remove, have East coast gears rebuild and reinstall the 3rd member (that takes 1/2 day each way for me).
Anyway its a PITA for an O-ring seal failure.
My friends Front just failed the same way this weekend, you can tell by it pressurizing the Axle housing and the air coming out of the axle vent.

I replaced it with an Ashcroft locker which is engineered to not do this (its a common failure point with the LR defender/RRC/D1 lockers) - and have had no issues in 2 years.

The rear has never failed except a cut line and remains an ARB.

For the LC200 - I am most likely doing Eaton

YMMV

 

[TeCKis300]

From purely a systems engineering perspective, there's more components and complexity in the chain to activating an air locker.

air-locker - switch > electrical > pump > airline > locker
e-locker - switch > electrical > locker

This doesn't talk to how robust each component is. Rather just the number of links. Reliability could be the weakest link in the chain.

 

[CharlieS]

From purely a systems engineering perspective, there's more components and complexity in the chain to activating an air locker.

air-locker - switch > electrical > pump > airline > locker
e-locker - switch > electrical > locker

This doesn't talk to how robust each component is. Rather just the number of links. Reliability could be the weakest link in the chain.

I like that way of thinking about it.

I wonder if some feel that a pneumatic actuated system is more reliable than electromagnetic?

I was going to go with air lockers originally (moslty due to criticisms of the harrop/eaton ramp and pin design), but when I contacted Zuk he told me he doesn't install them anymore due to all the failures he's seen and worked on. That was enough to convince me to go to elockers. Outside the diff, it is dead simple and from a pragmatic point of view, seems to work reliably.

 

[linuxgod]

I don't understand how someone in this thread can knock on the LR's air suspension and then in the same post say they prefer an air locker to an e locker.

My personal experience is anecdotal. Aftermarket elockers are quiet and reliable. In fact my real gripe is that they're so quiet you don't know they've engaged. I've read lots of posts about people who have had air lines leak, seals blow out, and more with air lockers.

*shrugs*

 

[Moby]

Sample size of 1, but I had nothing but problems with the rear ARB in my FJ-62. Kept filling the air line with oil. It wasn't an install issue. After several attempts by the shop that did the install to rectify the problem I finally pulled the third and took it to ARB (they are local to me). After a oouple hours of debugging they found that it was an "old design with issues". Didn't say that the whole design was bad, just something about the design and my particular unit (this was years ago, memory is hazy). Anyway, a year plus of troubleshooting a dysfunctional locker only to find out it was an ARB problem.

I don't need lockers in my 200, but if I did, I sure wouldn't do ARB again. Again, just one person' experience. YMMV.

 

[borfoo3]

I will certainly report out once I get them installed later in January. From talking with Just Differentials and reading the Eaton site, this new design does not experience the engage/disengagement. And they added the Land Cruiser application for the Elocker4 earlier this year. Hopefully it works out as stated. Oh, I pulled my unit out of the box just now and it is only stamped with Eaton. No reference to Harrop anywhere on it.

Bumping for updates
Also appreciate the install notes on what had to be swapped or replaced to get it to fit

 

[DesmoPilot]

Bumping for updates
Also appreciate the install notes on what had to be swapped or replaced to get it to fit

I am running ARB air lockers front and rear. I had received some inaccurate information that the Elocker4 was available for our rigs. So, I went with ARB instead. Working great!

I sourced a front clamshell from a pre-16 model. Otherwise, nothing special for the install.

 

[BadReligion]

If a Toyota gear install guru like Zuk is done with air lockers, you know it is not an install or set up issue, but rather an inherent issue with design. Most people that have run air lockers in the past end up going to e lockers on future builds. Not many go the other way.

 

[DesmoPilot]

If a Toyota gear install guru like Zuk is done with air lockers, you know it is not an install or set up issue, but rather an inherent issue with design. Most people that have run air lockers in the past end up going to e lockers on future builds. Not many go the other way.

The great news is that we have options. I chose air as I have run them in multiple vehicles. I have also run e-lockers. The only issues I personally have seen with either style has come down to installation issues.

Regardless of what you run, lockers are a great addition.

 

[rlynch356]

I agree with that.. Go with what works best for you. I will be evaluating it when I get there in the build... could go either way really.