A quest for traction, quality parts and good times (1 Viewer)

[CorporalClegg]

This all began with a snow shoeing to a frozen lake. It was a good of time one could have in a snow storm with negative windshield temperatures. As we started our way out I thought it would be a good idea to make a quick run up a passing trail Id done the month previous, which proved to be a terrible idea..

As we approached the trail I stop, select low range lock center dif and proceed with a little haste, travel about 200' and sink.. I get out access the situation realise im buried up to the body and start digging while my brother goes to find any possible help, which came fairly soon. A xj and 3/4 ton first gen Cummins, I thought this was gonna be easy and id be on way home in minutes.. Turns out these guys were headed up the pass for the night and offered to help, first the xj nimble and lightweight compared to the lx nearly skis up behind me and tries to pull.
After a few attempts I get free, drift towards the ditch and sink again. So not being willing to be in the middle the dodge comes back and is just to heavy which resulted his recovery. And with a last futile effort to free myself I hear a loud pop and crunching noise from my truck. I caught a ride into the nearest town. Where I called for help and they left to find a different trail.

The following day I source a willing tow truck and proceed to my truck in my 97 corolla. The route into the trail head is a well maintained dirt road and occasionally plowed. So I cross several snow drifts at full speed only to barely make it threw the last one which transitions up a steep frozen hill that the corolla just couldn't do and I finished on foot to the tow truck.
So driver backs onto the road a few feet just to get close enough to winch, gets stuck and sinks after a few failed attempts to recover. So at this point im sweating this recovery bill. After pulling up a tree trying to free himself, the f550 ford resorts to winching towards my truck by pulling on my truck, lucky for him I was very stuck and he was able to free himself and get my truck out and towed to the shop for the sum of $560..

This is where the real fun began once I confirmed my fears and I needed to either fix sell and find an 03+ or upgrade my 99. Knowing I had questionable rust above the windscreen I decided to inspect that before deciding. Which I determined was fixable inexpensively for my 270k mile 99.

So the parts started to arrive after JTs dropped the ball with shipping the gears..

And before long I was finished with set up and got around to installing the carriers. And some 35's

The install went great, quiet and smooth and 500 miles later I drove 3400 miles and pulled a trailer half of it. after the break in I got the wiring anf air lines ran and was ready to play up to this point the lockers had only been bench tested and a few times shortly after install. And the problems started..

update soon

 

[ClassyJalopy]

Wait what? I am slow this morning - so let me see if I got the story right:
First you had terrible time getting off the trail and while being pulled by a Ram truck your front diff broke
Then you had to pay $560 to get it towed to a shop (your shop?)
Then before taking care of the front diff you checked on the windshield and decided that it is not too far gone to repair
Then you installed the JT gears (4.88?) and some 35" rubber
And put on ARB air locker fore and aft
Finally, you ran into some problems again after the install??

I am curious about this because my truck (98 LX) has the same rust issue at the top of the windshield and is going under the surgeon's knife later this month and every time I wheel I am in the mortal fear of my front diff letting go.

 

[Patassa]

Wait, there's something missing here. What caused the front diff to explode? Were you hard on the gas when he was pulling or something and you caught enough traction to torpedo the diff?

 

[bwell]

Wait, there's something missing here. What caused the front diff to explode? Were you hard on the gas when he was pulling or something and you caught enough traction to torpedo the diff?

As I'm here with the , speaking from experience, I'm guessing the front saying goodbye had something to do with being in reverse, trying to become unstuck and or all while being simultaneously pulled on too.

 

[krice118]

As I'm here with the , speaking from experience, I'm guessing the front saying goodbye had something to do with being in reverse, trying to become unstuck and or all while being simultaneously pulled on too.

So is it best practice if one is being pulled or winched from behind, to keep the 100 in neutral until freed?

 

[Comet]

My 99 just let go of the front carrier gears. Slow going finding gears in the us. Slow boat from Japan for me.

In the top picture, the ring was totally crunched. Had to be skinny pedal involved in that carnage.

 

[bwell]

So is it best practice if one is being pulled or winched from behind, to keep the 100 in neutral until freed?

In my experience I would agree with that statement, and or refrain from excessive pulling in reverse also.

But just as many have probably lost ring gear teeth from shock loading after a tire grips suddenly after excessive wheel speed going forward also.

Between the stock carrier and the factory crush sleeve pinion spacer from what I've gathered over the years, typical abusive driving habits that you might have gotten away with in other platforms will cause a stock front differential to do what we have seen repeatedly, eat copious amounts of ring gear teeth.

 

[nukegoat]

I have a spare third and gears from my 2004 LX

 

[Comet]

I have a spare third and gears from my 2004 LX

Show off! Ha!

 

[nukegoat]

Show off! Ha!

No, I mean, I don't need it. Any takers?

 

[Comet]

Kurt at Cruiser Outfitters is ALWAYS loking for them. Call him.

 

[CorporalClegg]

@ClassyJalopy yes that's it in a nut shell 98.5 - 02 has inferior spider gear set and most 100's ive seen with rust bubbles have a fair amount of damage under the glass.

@bwell you are correct attempting to rock the truck went into reverse the nearly 300k mile ring gear popped and had excessive wear resulting in excessive backlash.


Now for some update...
After wiring up and plumbing the arbs in I hit the switch and greeted with a hissing sound under the hood on both front and rear lockers (from dif breathers) and continuous compressor running. Unsure if was a result of chafing on copper line I shut it down and make a journey across town. At my destination I hit the switches again and am greeted with the glorious sound of engaging lockers . This continues for several weeks no lock when cold locking when hot.. This nearly got me in trouble a few times getting up a trail but no lockers back down, so I pull the rear 3rd and bench test. Every single friggin time the rear locked so I put it together put fluid in no lock. By this point im.assuming air volume supply is at fault that maybe the tiny arb compressor couldn't keep up. So I get two other compressors 1.5 gal air tank with no dice. Few months go by I finally have time to tear down again..

By this point the front had completely stopped working and the rear would lock but not engage completely and leak even with hot fluid. I contacted ARB and spoke with CS and was told that it is "highly unlikely that both lockers had a bonded seal problem, less than 1% over arbs history" and " that I might as well win the lottery" but didn't hesitate to send 2 bonded seals for free.

So I open the rear bench test (floor test under the truck) and low and behold bonded seal leaking air. With some relief, 12 qts of gear oil, three 3rd member gaskets, a bonded piston seal and a lot of my time the rear was together and has worked every time but one since the new seal went in.

Now the front which is much more labor, floor test sure as sh#t bonded seal leaking air and teeth marks on the carrier.

I check runout of the case .0045" by toyotas standards that's too much (.002") So I contact ARB again, "im having contact with pinion on case what is the max runout spec of case this ones @.0045" " about three weeks goes by I receive an email asking "do you have a picture of gear set up wear pattern?" .
I replied with the photo and received a reply a day or so later with a pdf with instructions for grinding or machining the pinion gear. While ARB wasn't wrong to reply with that my question was completely ignored. And I have a hard time believing its within spec.

During my haste at work one day to get this seal swapped on a Friday and go wheeling that weekend I made a rookie mistake and kinked the copper line right at the seal housing, and I had a moad trip planned with time off about two weeks out. I jump online find 3.5 mm capillary tubing all China so I place my order and wait.. So I start looking around price shopping for a seal housing to and find davezoffroad out of CA with the housing I need 1806 and the best price. One week later housing shows up P/N1901.. by now my spirits are low the trip is replanned the spouses t4r to the Great Sand Dunes NP. I get davez on the phone explain I have wrong housing and am told that "it fits all IFS toyotas" and that "the part number didn't show up and that I wasn't working on an ifs Toyota, do you have a photo of the front?" Send photo explain that 100 series is an exception give part numbers all the works. He returns my call after several emails and the correct housing will be 35 more dollars and from 4wp but not in time. So I opt to return the housing that I was sent. I returned and am still waiting for a refund 3 weeks in.


Finally 2 weeks late 6 weeks later my capillary tubing arrived , 1 meter for $3.86. Im able to do a less than stellar braze job leak check and install. The front only cost much more time, onebonded piston seal, some rtv and ~3 qts of gear oil. 9 months later I have my triple locked cruiser back on the road. And while it feels good it was much more difficult than it had to be. My rant is at fault with ARB and not the best customer service experience I had. I want to share this information with people looking to undertake this job. I should of known better when no gear shop would take the set up job with a warranty that arbs have to many problems. Or another 900 dollars would be on the bill.

 

[flintknapper]

Lot of trouble.

IF I ever lock my LX470 it will be with Harrops (if available for it).

 

[CorporalClegg]

Lot of trouble.

IF I ever lock my LX470 it will be with Harrops (if available for it).

I looked for e lockers before I went arb but didn't find them, I evidently didn't look well enough because they are out there, quite a bit more coin vs what I paid but when you total up the bill it for me would if been worth the extra.

My boss has been running the same arbs in his one ton axles for more than 10 yrs never had an issue across multiple builds and was a contributor to my choice.

 

[MountaineerLC]

How hard and costly wound it be to swap in a Toyota factory e locker from a 98-99 into a 00+?

 

[ClassyJalopy]

How hard and costly wound it be to swap in a Toyota factory e locker from a 98-99 into a 00+?

2002 and earlier use the same 4.3 ratio so it is a more or less a direct swap. The only additional step is to add two channel rear brake lines to the 98-99 axle since the older trucks had a single channel brakes.
I paid $500 (incl. Shipping) for my rear axle with locker so it was quite a bit cheaper than aftermarket locker.
@sdnative has done a swap and documented it here on the MUD