Has lockers, but not working. Need help!!

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SoCalJoe

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Nov 8, 2006
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I am new to this forum, and have looked around a bit, but I apologize if these topics have already been addressed.

I am looking at buying a friend's '95 FZJ80. The truck is in really good shape, he is the second owner (original owner was his father-in-law), and he thinks he has ALL of the records, back to the dealer sticker! The truck has 147K original miles, 4 newish Michelin Cross Terrain tires, original tow package, all the interiors work, etc. The body is clean, with just minor scratches. Never been in any accidents.

Now here's the kicker... It has lockers (yes, I checked the data plate on the door - K294) but they are not engaging. Neither he nor his father-in-law ever used the lockers. The truck was put into low several times by the original owner (due to snow in upstate NY), but it is an off-road virgin. When I try to lock the diff's, after puting it in low, the dash lights come on but they do not stop flashing. It does go into low, but I did not see the center diff or the ABS dash light come on either.

Unless you all change my mind, I am very interested in getting this 80. This guy knows a bit about LC's and is not desperate to sell, so I thought I'd ask about the value of the value of the truck, given the information mentioned above. I want to put out a good first offer, but I know I cannot BS the guy.

Any advise would be greatly appreciated!!
 
Welcome to mud. There is a lot of great info and knowledge here.

I don't think the sticky lockers are that uncommon. IIRC, I remember someone saying that if you just drive around in circles (on soft ground), they will eventually work themselves out.

If that's the only issue and the price is right for you, go for it.
 
You're correct, this topic has been discussed many times. Check the FAQ's.

IIRC they probably just need to be worked out a little. You may also have to move the truck back and forth a little. But you should be able to get them working.

Others will be able to give a better idea of price. I would think in the 10k range give or take 1k.
 
Welcome Joe!!! Sounds like a good truck that just needs to have it's lockers exercised a bit.

The FAQ section has a wealth of information to start your journey into 80's heaven.

Specifically - you've said you know it goes into low when you shift but the center diff light does not stop flashing? Could be the diff lock sensor located front top left on the transfer case needs either cleaning or simply replaced. Check Slee Offroad for info on how to clean these. Some say it's worked, others have just replaced the sensor. About $40-45 from Cruiserdan (American Toyota - top right banner ad - he's the best for OEM parts and a great wealth of cruiser info). The truck will not lock rear or front if it doesn't 'know' that the center is locked. That's where you need to start.

Best way to proceed is to locate the center diff lock sensor and pull the wiring harness connector. Put a paper clip into the truck harness side to bridge the connection. If the center diff lock light comes on and stays on they you know it's just the sensor. For my money, just replace it, then proceed to the rears and fronts. Once you conquer the center you may also need to drive the truck around a lot both straight and in circles to get the rear and then front to engage since it sounds like they've never been used.

Good luck and post back with results.
 
FInd a dirt parking lot, put in low, drive in circles/figure 8's over bumps uneven to get those locks to engauge. You might be driving for quite awhile...;p but once that happens, unlock/lock again, low/high range and they will start working faster as long as there isn't anything wrong with the sensors/actuators.
 
Thanks for the quick replies! and I would love to hear more feedback. Sounds like this may not be a huge problem. I'm keeping my fingers crossed!

If this does turn out to be a bigger issue, how much would/should/could this affect the sales price? One reply suggested a value of around $10K if things check out. Does this sound reasonable to the rest of you, and if so, by how much would fixing the problem drop the price?

I will take this sucker out and drive in circles or 8's in a bumpy dirt lot and see what happens. If the diff's have not been serviced regularly/lately, if this a death sentence for the lockers? I just don't want to spend hourd driving in circles if they will never engage.

Thanks again for the feedback. You guys ROCK!
 
BTW, I would like to post some pics of the LC in question. Do pictures need a URL, or can they be inserted from my desktop?
 
If exercise doesn't work you can test the voltage to the actuators to ensure they are getting power and can also manually exercise them using a 9V battery. Alternatively you can also completely rebuild the actuators to ensure they are in perfect working order.

When I got mine the front locker didn't work. I found that exercise didn't help either (it would never lock). I disassembled mine and compared it to a friends (RavenTai) and discovered that the magnets in the motor had come unglued and seized the motor in the actuator. A bit of epoxy and some trial and error and I had a front locker that was faster than the rear.

Not a one banana thing to do though :)

Exercising them will help if they will lock. If you can't get them to lock you may need to service them. If you were close to ATL I would offer to help, but I suspect your name indicates the wrong coast :)
 
w/o a silver star you can post minimal # of pics (3 I think). When you do a reply or new thread you'll see a little button called Manage Attachements. Click there and it's pretty simple. Watch your file size. Each type has it's limit.
 
*The following advice is not endorsed by anybody here*

My center diff lock was being sticky and not 'locking' about three months back. One day while trying to get it to lock I 'accidently' tried to shift from high to low while in N. There was a horriable griding noise and I quickly threw it back in H. After that the locker engaged right away.
 
Sounds like you gave it a bump there Doc. :)

The whole concept of "exercise" comes from the lubricant in the actuators drying out. Once it dries in place from non-use the lube turns into an adhesive of sorts and gums up the works. That is why if you get it to move you can usually increase functionality with more use...the lube begins to break up.

There are extreme cases where the actuator has water penetration and rust is the monster...this is a replace situation if there is too much damage.
 
Don't let unresponsive lockers stop you from getting the truck you want. There are many fixes for this problem (most of them cheap-as-in-free), mine had the same problem and all it took was some vigorous "exercising" (read: pound the crap out of them) of the L4 and CDL indicator switches on a workbench.
 
I figure the actuator had a dried ring of lube keeping it from locking.. and the 'grind' knocked it loose either from vibration or the jerk.

Anyway- I felt like a tard afterwards, but the locker works now!

(That reminds me, it's time to exercise it on the drive home tonight).
 
I hate to be a pain, but any more suggestions about an appropriate starting offer for this truck? This is my biggest concern right now, 'cause I think he has someone else interested.

Thanks!
 
SoCalJoe said:
I hate to be a pain, but any more suggestions about an appropriate starting offer for this truck?
Click to expand...

In my region that truck would sell for around $8k.
 
I would subtract $700 per locker that doesn't work, since that is the ~ replacement cost for new actuators :)
 
Sorry to hijack this thread. Maybe, I should start my own thread. When I shift to "Low", there are no lights. No ABS light, no CDL, nothing...I turn the key on without starting engine, and I don't see CDL light. ABS light works.
 
sounds like possible bad bulbs.

Can you feel it engage? scrubbing of the wheels, etc, difficult steering?
 
sounds like you have a CDL issue more than diff actuators.
 
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