Center Diff Lock Actuator (2 Viewers)

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Are you listening for the actuator motor while the engine is off? It’s pretty quiet.

Yes I did, nothing from under the car.
 
Should be able to test with a voltmeter from ground to different pins to see if it is getting power.
This might help with which pin. Since the motor reverses 12V can be on either leg of motor depending on direction.
Edit - Looking at CDL relays it looks like pin 2 or 3 (OR not both!) need to grounded for relays to feed power to motor. Normally done by travel limit switch in CDL actuator.

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It looks that pin 1 and 5 are powering the motor.
So if I use a 9V battery and switch between pin 1 and 5 that would test the motor, right?
To close it pin 1 positive and pin 5 negative, open it pin 5 positive and pin 1 negative?
 
It looks that pin 1 and 5 are powering the motor.
So if I use a 9V battery and switch between pin 1 and 5 that would test the motor, right?
To close it pin 1 positive and pin 5 negative, open it pin 5 positive and pin 1 negative?

Not sure you want to be applying power directly to the motor, its geared way way down and without limit switch and control circuit you might break one of the arms in the actuator (saw a post here of a broken arm in one). Also I have not decoded the circuit to know which way to power it for a direction.
 
Finally had the time to tackle the CDL issue.
Opened it up and it didn't looked too bad.
Then opened up the rotor housing: oops.
Full of rust and one winding blackened.
When measuring the resistance between pin 1 and 5, it was infinite.

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Received second hand actuator.
What silicon do you use between the flanges?
 
Were you able to remove the actuator without removing the cross member to drop the tranny a bit? I've heard a bit of conflicting reviews on the best way to get it out.
 
Were you able to remove the actuator without removing the cross member to drop the tranny a bit? I've heard a bit of conflicting reviews on the best way to get it out.
Even if it's possible without, I strongly recommend lowering the box a bit. It takes you 5 mins to position a jack and undo the bolts, and it makes it a much easier task to remove or replace the actuator, with less possibility of screwing up.
 
Even if it's possible without, I strongly recommend lowering the box a bit. It takes you 5 mins to position a jack and undo the bolts, and it makes it a much easier task to remove or replace the actuator, with less possibility of screwing up.

Oof. Reading through, I'd hoped it could come off without. Working solo with a Slee belly pan is...not ideal. Appreciate you spelling it out, helps to plan the big jobs.
 
Christmas break is coming up and it is finally time to troubleshoot my CDL issue.
Mine isn't engaging for a long time now, it was working in the beginning and it suddenly stopped working.
I can hear the relay clicking but no noise coming from the actuator.
Before I take the actuator out, is there an easy way to measure if there is power coming from the relay to the actuator?
I have taken the connector on top of the actuator off, but don't which pins to measure.
From the FSM there are 5 pins.
Or is it just as easy as measuring from one pin to earth and move on to the next while someone is pushing the CDL button?
Anyway you can take a picture underneath of the location of the accuator. I want to pull mine out but don't know where it is located..i would appreciate the help and pictures
 
Anyway you can take a picture underneath of the location of the accuator. I want to pull mine out but don't know where it is located..i would appreciate the help and pictures
Crawl under the passenger side of the vehicle and look at the far top corner of the transfer case. There’s a vacuum line and electrical connector running to it.

You can easily remove it without dropping the cross member.
 

Is this diagram for the 2002 LX470? I noticed that (exact same 100 I have) being the problem car.

I changed the plug/switch on top of the diff with a 27mm wrench. No dice/still doesn't work. I had a mechanic friend test things out and he eventually got the lights to appear on the dash by grounding something (?). I had never previously seen the lights on the dash before, but despite that, it wouldn't lock. He did all he could to verify that the axles wouldn't spin like they could when locked. He said he heard the actuating motor make sounds for a second while I tried to engage the dash switch.

I'm guessing maybe I have the "broken arm" problem inside the actuator. Mechanic friend said he thought the motor half of the actuator at least moved as expected.

Can someone tell me if I take the actuator off to temporarily inspect it, can I or should I use new seals to put the actuator back on my LX?

Just want to inspect it closer before dropping so much on a new actuator, or otherwise attempting to source a used one. The tax we pay to find parts for these things!
 
Is this diagram for the 2002 LX470? I noticed that (exact same 100 I have) being the problem car.

I changed the plug/switch on top of the diff with a 27mm wrench. No dice/still doesn't work. I had a mechanic friend test things out and he eventually got the lights to appear on the dash by grounding something (?). I had never previously seen the lights on the dash before, but despite that, it wouldn't lock. He did all he could to verify that the axles wouldn't spin like they could when locked. He said he heard the actuating motor make sounds for a second while I tried to engage the dash switch.

I'm guessing maybe I have the "broken arm" problem inside the actuator. Mechanic friend said he thought the motor half of the actuator at least moved as expected.

Can someone tell me if I take the actuator off to temporarily inspect it, can I or should I use new seals to put the actuator back on my LX?

Just want to inspect it closer before dropping so much on a new actuator, or otherwise attempting to source a used one. The tax we pay to find parts for these things!

If I remember correctly, it's just a FIPG/silicone sealant around the edge. There are one or two dowels on the transfer case itself that keep it aligned long enough to get bolts threaded in.

I'll check a little later today—I think I have a spare actuator I can just mail over to you. I thought mine was broken at some point, but discovered instead that it was just the little gear out of line inside the transfer case. Someone had been in there before me and didn't install it properly. (Has to be locked for install)

I wrote some stuff down while it was fresh at the time: Center Diff lock not engaging after transfer case removal - https://forum.ih8mud.com/threads/center-diff-lock-not-engaging-after-transfer-case-removal.1225323/post-13366408.
 
If I remember correctly, it's just a FIPG/silicone sealant around the edge. There are one or two dowels on the transfer case itself that keep it aligned long enough to get bolts threaded in.

I'll check a little later today—I think I have a spare actuator I can just mail over to you. I thought mine was broken at some point, but discovered instead that it was just the little gear out of line inside the transfer case. Someone had been in there before me and didn't install it properly. (Has to be locked for install)

I wrote some stuff down while it was fresh at the time: Center Diff lock not engaging after transfer case removal - https://forum.ih8mud.com/threads/center-diff-lock-not-engaging-after-transfer-case-removal.1225323/post-13366408.

Thanks so much for the info and offer! Really good to know esp for someone like me who messes things up lol ^^

I'll probably get into it soon when I get a chance, hopefully sometime this week or next.
 
If you pull your actuator - DO NOT remove the phillips screws.
2022 LC CenLk-0060-cr.jpg


Once you have the actuator out mark the position of the gear on the body right away.

2022 LC CenLk-0050-cr.jpg

Once its out rehook the electrical connector and cycle the switch to see if the gear moves
back and forth a little over a half rotation. If it does then the actuator is probably okay.
Return the gear to the position it was in when you pulled it out. Checked with saucebox
he referred me to FSM that says it needs to be in locked position to reinstall.
If you are not going to pull the t-case to dig deeper, re install the actuator.

If it doesn't rotate that much and you hear the motor running, you may want to open
it up by removing the phillips screws. Warning there no replacement parts for this or
any documentation on how to assemble the magic spring inside and get it all synchronized.
I have done it once, but I am an engineer that thinks solving puzzles is fun. ;):banana::banana::banana::banana::banana:🔧🔨

BTW - the 80 series actuator is a different internal design, don't know if it will work.
 
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Do they make a more manual conversion with maybe just a cable and handle to do away with electric actuation?
Doubt it since there are gears that spin the lock.
 
Doubt it since there are gears that spin the lock.
Bummer. Out of nowhere mine is stuck in lock mode and would have preferred to have that upgrade path if I need to dig into the problem. It seemed to go in and out of lock on its own a few times with the dash indicator showing and then stayed in lock. While this was happening I didn’t even touch the button since it was dark out and I’ve only used it like twice and didn’t remember where the button was by feel.
 
Bummer. Out of nowhere mine is stuck in lock mode and would have preferred to have that upgrade path if I need to dig into the problem. It seemed to go in and out of lock on its own a few times with the dash indicator showing and then stayed in lock. While this was happening I didn’t even touch the button since it was dark out and I’ve only used it like twice and didn’t remember where the button was by feel.
Worth removing it to see if it's gunked up. Takes only about 15-20 minutes and you don't have to drop the tranny sub frame. I had the same problem where mine would not unlock and I was able to take it out and clean it up.
 

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