How much fun can it handle?

[EVILSPOTTER]

I know that some of you have destroyed a Toyota locker just like this one. My question to you is: how did it die? Did it go out with its boots on, spinning 40's & traction hopping at a cliff- or did it die hiding in a corner with stock sized tires while grandma was driving.

We are trying to decide where to put this assembly. So far three answers seem to make the most sense:
Option #1 sees fewer than 20,000 highway miles per year, moderate air time playing Dukes of Hazzard & hardcore rock crawling in high traction conditions.
Option #2 sees over 30,000 miles of highway per year, no air time, overloaded towing conditions & hardcore rock crawling in high traction conditions
Option #3 put it on the shelf, it is not equal to a detroit or arb in strength, but someone might want it one day.


I also think that it would be helpful to hear what you were doing when you broke it. Thanks guys.

 

[toy4xfun]

well my guess would be bend it till you break it then you will know!

but then i am just the hillbilly that knows a crank pulley and harmonic balancer on a toyota r engine are one and the same.

 

[2ndGenToyotaFan]

The only broke Elocker I know of had it's locking ring split in half where it slides into the spider gear... There are pics on Zuk's gearinstalls.com

 

[missouriman]

If I were you I would send it to western south dakota for testing.

 

[2ndGenToyotaFan]

That being said, I haven't had any trouble with mine, I'm running 33's 4.56's and Marlin 4.7 T-case gears.

 

[EVILSPOTTER]

The only broke Elocker I know of had it's locking ring split in half where it slides into the spider gear... There are pics on Zuk's gearinstalls.com

Thanks for the heads up, I just checked that out. I wonder if that busted side gear is a repetetive theme for toyota e-locker owners. Zuk does awesome documentation.

 

[Chop Shop]

I have installed and troubleshoot tons of these lockers.

I have two hipinion elockers here and three lopinion ones at the moment.

I set up allot of gears in these and wire allot of relay harnesses too.

I have seen three different kinds of failures.

#1. Crashlocking it. This will eat the teeth right off s*** and break lots of parts. I have seen the engage gear broke from crashlocking and I have seen the ring/pinion broke also when a crashlocked diff that was not fully engaged without load on it. When it let go of its traction the shockload killed a couple teeth on the ring.

ALWAYS lock it in with no load on things. Like when rolling off an obsticle backwards or just rolling up to something you know you will need it to climb. Never lock it in while load is on it.

#2. Wrong axleshafts. Big dumb problem. Over the years toyota used several differnt lengths of minitruck rear axle shafts. Some are as close a 1/2 or less to the same. If a Elocker is used in the rear allot of guys start mix and matching shafts. DO NOT. Use the shafts that came in the housing you are going to use. Do not swap non elocker shafts into an elocker housing, do not swap elocker shafts into a non elcoker housing.

What happens that is bad = The side gear that is simple (not the engage gear) ends up broke into two pieces. When the wrong axle is used it does not slide fully into the sidegears splines. It only slides 2/3 of the way into the gear and it never reaches the strong part of the gear (inside the thick end of the gear, not the skinny part of it inside the carrier bearing).
So it will work, but will pop in two chunks if beat hard that way.

#3. The actuator motors absolutely SUCK. They hate water and mud. They are hard to seal. The magnets fall off/delaminate from the can and quit working. Most owners will then bang on the tin motors can to get it to work (like a toyota starter) This further damages/breaks the magnet chunks into little fragments that cannot be supergued back together.

Other than that they are great.

Dont forget and arb and detroit need NO housing mods.

Takes me 3-4 hours to get a housing and elocker bolted together by the time I cut and notch, then build up the gasket area, then drill and tap the new studs, then I still have to build a relay harness.

What people dont understand is why elockers got popular.
They can be bought cheap allot of times.
Then a crafty DIYer can get into a selectable locker for less than $300 allot of times.

But if you have to pay a shop like me then its not a good choice anymore. By the time I do all the mods to install it and make it work, you could have a stronger servicable detroit or ARB.

Unless you are a dirty cheap DIYer that is good with tools and relays, I would suggest the ARB or Detroit.


That said my wheeler runs 38x16x15 TSLswampers on beadlocks and dual cases, linked up, HiPinion Elocker front. I am NOT NICE to this truck at all. I do however follow the tips I posted and have never had an elocker problem to date on my rig.

 

[EVILSPOTTER]

Chop- thanks for chiming in. That housing & all that are in my trailer in the picture in post #1 are what we have been talking about using, swapping in the whole assembly I mean. I generally have only used detroits in my toyota housings and because of this I have developed a strong prejudice against selectable lockers. I can't complain about arb's because the only ones we have ever had were hand-me-downs. Jim bought a few of the aftermarket electric lockers when they came out like the eaton, and they are unuseable. Units of that type have an electromagnet that attract ball bearings into locking ramps once engaged. With only a 100:1 final drive ratio the locking mechanism was crushed to oblivion on the first set of clean stairsteps that he tried it on. The vendor did warranty the unit one time, but the replacement also was a one trip wonder. We also have an ox locker in a d44 housing that works as long as you have spare cross pins. Jim & Glenn have had the ox product in jeeps with d35 rears that did not serve very long at all, but that may have been due to the undersized jeep axle design. Both of these differentials had multiple crosspin failures, ending in failure of the carrier itself when the differential gears tried to pass each other in the housing.

We have spare differentials in the shop, it's not like the end of the world if this diff isn't up for rocks. People mod housings to put them in, I can mod this housing to take it out. I posted up my question here because I know many of you guys are crawlers as well, and axle failures are part of rock-crawling. Speaking of crawling: lots of the younger guys that we play with bring up d60's & 14t's when an axle failure happens. We just put a d44 & a 14bolt in Ross' hilux, & I think that is cool for him. We're not ever going to do that with one of our play trucks.

So Chop Shop, after beating around the bush for a minute, let me ask- are you saying that this unit is up to the kind of duty pictured in your avatar?

 

[Chop Shop]

So Chop Shop, after beating around the bush for a minute, let me ask- are you saying that this unit is up to the kind of duty pictured in your avatar?

Of course just dont be an idiot. You know, they is a propper way to destroy things.

Mine gets beat at least once a month.

 

[dILzNAK]

I run the Elocker in my FJ and Beat the S#!^ out of it and havent had a problem...

 

[EVILSPOTTER]

I have thought about the more modern toyotas that these came in. How much does your FJC weigh? Does it have the 3.4 liter V6?

 

[EVILSPOTTER]

Of course just dont be an idiot. You know, they is a propper way to destroy things.
Well Chop Shop, I'm not afraid to admit that I derive a fair amount of pleasure from driving like an idiot. I also see amusing lines where my playmates see only pain & suffering. That is how I got my trail name, and that is why I ask foolish questions about breaking things. No one asks me to spot them anymore-

 

[jtaco1]

I have a complete elocker axle out of a 02 Tacoma in the back of my 88 4 Runner. It has been flawless thus far. It originally came from my buddies Tacoma with the 3.4 and a TRD blower, and he was not gentle with his truck.

Like said above, do not crash lock it and you should be good to go. I have dual t-cases with 4.7 gears in the rear case and run 37" PB Rockers. The locker as worked great and engages/disengages quickly. Full throttle launches and what not, being bound up in the rocks have not been an issue.

the only issues that I have heard about this axle are that the shaft seem to be a weak link along with the housing, but so far I haven't had an issue with either. Although I do have a spare housing and shafts sitting in the garage just in case Run it and have fun.