Front diff lock isn’t engaging

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Joined
Feb 26, 2015
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las vegas
Took apart my front diff lock to rebuild it because it wasn’t working as i take it apart i see it’s completely clean but still not workin ..... testing the connector for power rn but I’m not sure

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Did this 3 days ago on the 100...
On the 1st picture bend those 3 little copper
Fingers outwards a little bit hit it with some sand paper and the plate it contacts with.
Clean the solenoid,brushes and the comm
Make sure magnets are intact.
All the above worked for me.hth
 
But i rested the power going to the locker and there was no power to it ... i pulled the harness and attached a 12v reader to it and got nothing
 
there is no power going to the actuator and the fuse is good and the harness doesn't seem burnt or destroyed anywhere............... PLEASE HELP
 
Check the plug on the firewall. See if you have power at that connector.

Keep working back if not, at least now you know the core prob.
 
where can I find a diagram for the locations on the wire. I went in the truck and pulled off the dashboard piece behind the switch and stabbed all those wires and they all had power going through them so I believe the wire somewhere in the dashboard is cut maybe theres another piece they connect to and then come off again and thats not irking right.... I'm not sure at this point but I'm very aggravated because of this...... bout to take the truck to the shop to have them fix it :( ANYONE with knowledge or advise please chime innnnn.
 
Follow the locker pigtail up the axle to where it mounts just right of the powertrain tunnel - there’s a connector best seen & worked from underside the vehicle.

It’s not hidden at all, easily 3” all around it of firewall blanket/insulation.

If you have power there, then the whole tearing into the dashboard thing is avoided.

Your pigtail is ~3’ long & probably you either have corrosion in the connector or the wire was either snagged on something similar in the last 20yrs+.
 
I did that already
Follow the locker pigtail up the axle to where it mounts just right of the powertrain tunnel - there’s a connector best seen & worked from underside the vehicle.

It’s not hidden at all, easily 3” all around it of firewall blanket/insulation.

If you have power there, then the whole tearing into the dashboard thing is avoided.

Your pigtail is ~3’ long & probably you either have corrosion in the connector or the wire was either snagged on something similar in the last 20yrs+.
still no power coming from connector only one wire that made the twelve volt light blink in opposite to when my dash light was blinking for the lockers .....
 
Hmmmm....when you test it make sure that you are in 4lo locked in the rear and the tcase
The circuit in the ecm is designed to only engage the front locker with T case And rear locker locked i believe....there are multiple solenoids on the tcase that give the ecm these signals confirming engagement soooo make sure those are cleaned and functional as well
Most of the time these solenoids get stucked from lack off use.


-A
 
Have your lockers worked previously?

Have you added any equipment that you were in the wires?

-We’re getting to a point where returning to basics is where we will find solutions, like bad grounds, corrosion, rodent damage - all the normal actors if you were reconditioning an old muscle car.

More “68 Camaro” -mentality than “Honda Accord” -type fixes.


If you’re looking for the diagram of the wires, you need an EWD - it may be scanned somewhere, IDK. I bought a hardcopy when I did my e-locker conversion.

At that point you could check resistance across the rotary switch socket & the power tap at the firewall socket.
 
Hmmmm....when you test it make sure that you are in 4lo locked in the rear and the tcase
The circuit in the ecm is designed to only engage the front locker with T case And rear locker locked i believe....there are multiple solenoids on the tcase that give the ecm these signals confirming engagement soooo make sure those are cleaned and functional as well
Most of the time these solenoids get stucked from lack off use.


-A
I put it in low, then put it into drive and tried engaging the lockers with the truck jacked up on all 4 trying to see if the wheels will lock which they didn't. put into reverse a few times and same thing.... I then kept in 4 low and kept the lockers on and then put it into neutral then disconnected the harness in both areas checked for power and still had nothing no power from any wire but one.. and the wire wasn't putting off constant power just flashing my 12v reader light on and off in the opposite rhythm then the dash lights for the lockers that where flashing but thats it.... so I'm not certain where the solenoids are for that. MY electrical (experience is decent but not great.... I might just give up and a take it to a shop and have them install arb air lockers into herrrrrrrrr...
 
Hmmmm....when you test it make sure that you are in 4lo locked in the rear and the tcase
The circuit in the ecm is designed to only engage the front locker with T case And rear locker locked i believe....there are multiple solenoids on the tcase that give the ecm these signals confirming engagement soooo make sure those are cleaned and functional as well
Most of the time these solenoids get stucked from lack off use.


-A

That isn't exactly correct. The rear locker does need to be switched on first just because of the function of the switch but does not actually have to be confirmed as locked. The light on the dash for the rear locker can still be flashing. The only requirement before either the front or rear will lock is that the center is locked and the dash light for the center lock is illuminated.
 
That isn't exactly correct. The rear locker does need to be switched on first just because of the function of the switch but does not actually have to be confirmed as locked. The light on the dash for the rear locker can still be flashing. The only requirement before either the front or rear will lock is that the center is locked and the dash light for the center lock is illuminated.
my center diff lock light doesn't light up but I know its going into low because the whole truck shifts and moves but the light doesn't light up.... I also found this online stating the power thats fed through it isn't constant and thats why I can't read it because its not on there .......(It's a tricky one is this. I would like to stick a spare actuator onto the plug and try that - just to prove that it's not the motor. Also the motor only gets power for a couple of seconds. The 4x4 ECU fires the motor momentarily so that the energy is then stored in a spring. If you turned the switch then went to test the power, you'd get nothing even if it was factory perfect.

You can undo the indicator switch from the housing and check that is working too. My old white 80 wouldn't go solid orange on the dash. I though it was stuffed until I tested the ball and plunger only to find that it was locking, but the sender was not telling the ECU.)
 
I would like to stick a spare actuator onto the plug and try that - just to prove that it's not the motor.
If i remember right there is a test in the FSM that outlines how you can test your original actuator using a 9 volt Battery. I looked back at the thread i posted when i got my truck, and there is in fact a test, below is a link to my old thread.

Just as an FYI i had this same problem with the actuator not working on my 94. Upon testing i found out that the connecting harness that runs from the the upper fender well down to the locker had broken wires up inside it. Another thing, these harness are now NLA, so if this turns out to be your problem, you'll have to repair what you have, or get a used one off of a truck being parted out.
New Owner Needs some Help with front diff lock
 
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The only requirement before either the front or rear will lock is that the center is locked and the dash light for the center lock is illuminated.[/QUOTE]

^^^^^
 
If i remember right there is a test in the FSM that outlines how you can test your original actuator using a 9 volt Battery. I looked back at the thread i posted when i got my truck, and there is in fact a test, below is a link to my old thread.

Just as an FYI i had this same problem with the actuator not working on my 94. Upon testing i found out that the connecting harness that runs from the the upper fender well down to the locker had broken wires up inside it. Another thing, these harness are now NLA, so if this turns out to be your problem, you'll have to repair what you have, or get a used one off of a truck being parted out.
New Owner Needs some Help with front diff lock
ok but was yours doing this with the rear too?
 
The only requirement before either the front or rear will lock is that the center is locked and the dash light for the center lock is illuminated.

^^^^^[/QUOTE]
I pulled my dash earlier this week trying to replace bulbs and the center diff light build just won't light up but you can tell its locking because its going into low and the whole truck rises and gets ready
 
ok but was yours doing this with the rear too?
If you read the post i provided a linked to, it states that after i got my center locker working my only other problem was with the front locker. And that problem turned out to be a damaged front locker wiring harness. Once i replaced that harness with a used one, my locker started working again.
 

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