Factory Locker Rebuild? (1 Viewer)

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L

LRIwater

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Oct 16, 2003
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It doesn't appear that my Factory Lockers are engaging. The dash lights blink on and off for both front and rear. I cannot hear any actuator when the switch is turned. I have a '97 w/ 89k miles. I have searched the site for info on rebuilding the Locker Actuators with no luck. Any advice for a newbie? Is an actuator rebuild possible for a weekend mechanic? Thanks in advance,
Chuck
 
you can take the actuator apart and clean and relube it but there are no internal pars available, if you need parts you will need a new actuator

first confirm that the actuator is the problem a common problem is the position switch for the center diff locker on the transfer case, if that switch does not make then the truck will not allow the front and rear diffs to lock
 
Thanks for the tip. I just checked it again and actuated everything a couple of times. Now the front diff locks and the rear does not. Half way there, I guess!
Chuck
 
Is this a new-to-you truck? sometimes if the previous owner does not use them they get slow, exercise will help, also the rear is coarser and requires more differential rotation between the rear wheels for it to lock in, try finding a large gravel/dirt area and make a large arc it should kick in well before a full circle is made, try not to make to many turns with the front locked in and after the rear finally locks it is best to not turn much, even on gravel/hard pack dirt a lot of stress can build up in the drive line, most of the time the 80 can handle it but is best not to stress it for no reason


What are the lights doing? When you go 4-low you should get the ABS and the center diff locked light (both yellow) then rotating the locker switch should give a blinking diff lock light (red) when the locker finally locks in the light goes solid
 
I agree with Raven my 96 with similar mileage the lockers were slow. I engage them every month or so now. I have also notice the slicker the surface the easier they engage/disengage and is pretty quick sometimes they lock instantly.

andre
 
I was finally able to get the rear locker to lock by driving in slow large circles in the dirt. Thanks everybody for all of the help!
Chuck
 
I've followed the above links, which are excellent and detailed - but first I need a wider understanding - meaning, very simple...

OK, rear factory locker blinks but doesn't engage. Tried the turns etc.

There are three main sets of wires going into the locker: one big black wire seems to go to the worm gear (yes, I read the links) and then there's a 5-wire clip, and a 2-wire clip.

2-wire clip gives me intermittent power, I guess that's for the light on the instrument cluster.

The 5-wire clip has one black/white wire, which should be ground. My multimeter gives me no voltage to any of the others when the switch is blinking.

Does this mean there is no power coming to the locker and I should first check that out before opening up the cover, etc.?

Or is it the single big black wire that I should be checking?
 
Prossett
Take the 5 wire connector that goes into the actuator and apply voltage with a 9V battery to pins 2 & 3. Reverse polarity and try it again. You should hear the actuator move. Only apply voltage for a couple seconds. If its not moving when you do this then you need to take off and dig into rebuilding it. Raventai and ToolsRUs have excellent write-ups on this. The other 2 wire clip goes to the sensor. You can use a paper clip or wire to close that circuit to troubleshoot if the sensor is the problem. They are easily removed and test for continuity.
 
last note the big black wire is actually the vent tube.

the part you are interested in is the 5 wire connector, the 2 motor wires are in the row by themselves, the three on the other row are position switches to tell the relay what position the actuator is in.
 
OK, thanks. Here's what I did - I took off the entire thing and took it apart... nothing like asking a question and then not waiting for the answer! :grinpimp: I figured I should learn what's on the inside anyways...

So, the power comes in to the motor, turns the worm gear, which moves the actuator into the diff - cool. Cleaned out some corrosion, putting back the magnets is a pain, motor works when hooked up to the battery, checked the fuse (guys, this should be step 1!!!) then took out the connector behind the switch on the dash, and now figure the problem is a relay somewhere between the fuse and the rear locker...

Anyone know where the relay to the rear locker motor is?

Yes, black wire is actually a vent hose, took me ages to figure that out as I was reluctant to just pull on it.
 
Put the truck in low ratio or engage the cdl switch. Leave the trans in Neutral turn the Diff Lock switch to the rear position and then jack up one side of the rear axle and the front axle. Turn the rear wheel by hand. If the actuator is working it will engage and you will not be able to turn the wheel any more shoul not be able to turn it as it will be locked to the wheel sitting on the ground.

I have just spent the weekend wheeling in a river and the diff lock indicators flashed all the time even though the lockers were engaging as required. I need to get in and sort out the indicator switches.
 
can the actuator just be pulled out and replaced with out having to worry about alignment in the grears? stupid question i know but i am a one banana guy at best.
 
Prosett

PM me with you email address and I'll send you the replay, wiring connection diagrams.

Jon
 
Thanks bud - PM sent.

Anybody got a quick "yeah, it's down by the left-side panel by the driver's leg, look for a blue box with a pink funny bunny on it..."

Yeah, I got kids... daughters... what can I do? :)
 
OK, for anyone interested - relays for factory lockers are somewhere up behind the glovebox. I found them by ear listening for the click.

Diff lock works!!! :)

peepers, no gear alignment - the clock-like spring mechanism is attached to the front cover with the three 10mm bolts, and they have alignment pins so it can only fit back one way. One problem could be the little gear that runs on the worm gear up top since it might come off - it goes back on the way that gets it deepest into the worm gear.

Actually, all in all, it is a one banana job - rip into it.

Ah, but careful with the electric motor cover (the round thing up to the left with three Phillips screws) - inside it are two pesky little magnets each on its wire with a little spring behind it. They can boing out when you remove the cover, and they are tricky to keep pressed in while you try close it up. I hooked them by the wire with bent paper clips as I shut it. Still one banana...
 
Glad you got it figured out.
______________HiJack Begins______________________
How important is it to use thread adhesive on the rear diff lock actuator lever.
I torqued it to about 20lbs (FSM says 17) but did not use adhesive on the threads. Any one have a bad experience with this?
Debating about weather I should open it back up and do this.
 
Thanks bud, it's great to feel that clunk and forwards surge. I went and got stuck right away to test it out!!

Which one's the actuator lever you talk about? On the inside of the machinery there's no tightening of bolts, so it must be outside.

Is it one of the three bolts that are on the diff part, on the right?

I'd like to know what those do. They go into the diff housing, seem to be related to the locker but are not on the parts that can be removed.

If I remember correctly they had red RTV on them when they came out... or maybe that was the adhesive you're talking about.
 
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