Locker options - 85 4runner

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T

thespruce

Joined
Nov 12, 2009
Threads
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Trying to research locker options for my runner project,,,

Can anyone tell me which locker options are available for my 4runner, solid axle, which might be found at a junkyard?

A high pinion, E-locker, would be fine for me (electric, or do the manual conversion, I'd be happy with either). Did this come in an fj-80? Or did the fj-80 just have a high pinion diff, which I can then drop a locker into?

What else had an E-locker, and what else was high pinion? Other options?

Basically, I would like to scavenge from junkyards, and I'm trying to raise my drive trains without hurting angles too much, so the high pinions would help, and I want selectable lockers... ARB is an option, although expensive... Thoughts?

Spruce
 
another electrical option came in the tacoma .. but not sure about the ring difference .. 8" vs 8.4 in the Tacoma rear .. ( low pinion )
 
The only E lockers are: A Tacoma TRD rear. And the FzJ80 had locking diffs as an potion, though the rear is a wash... The fronts of all Landcruiser FJ80's are High Pinion 8" diffs...

And putting a High Pinion in the rear is a no no...

Isuzu's (I thought were AISIN) had a selectable as well, but other than a Youtube vid, I didn't even know they existed...

Seems it'da been front page news if one would fit or even come close by now...

YouTube - ‪Montero differential Air locker‬‎


Otherwise, the only other "lockers" that will fit your truck are the ones you can search for that fit the 8" diff.
 
Also, IIRC, Eaton markets the E locker/ limited slip they have for a LC and Hilux, but only in Australia or Europe...


Again, IIRC... There is a post on here, but quite frankly I don't feel like looking for it right now.
 
So, I could try to find a Tacoma TRD e-locker for the rear, and an FzJ80 high pinion E-locker front, is this correct?

Or, I have to try to source lockers which will fit in a regular 8" diff.

Just trying to figure out how to keep it as cheap as possible, but end up with selectables, and high drivelines.

Spruce
 
ARB's and the Toyota E diffs mentioned are the only selectables that I am aware of...
 
Howdy! Why a selectable in the rear? Lots of mini trucks and 4 runners around here are running either Detroits or lunch box lockers. Seems to work OK on a longer wheel base. Save the $$ for a selectable on the front for sure. John
 
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I could save some $ and just lock the front with a selectable,,, but it would be nice to have it - anybody have any experiences driving/cornering on road in the snow with a detroit or similar in the rear? I am in snowy areas a lot, and have heard it might not be the best???

Spruce
 
If I can source a TRD rear 3rd, will the e-locker fit the existing 3rd I have, or will the 3rd completely replace the 3rd I have in an 86 vehicle? Or an 85?

Man, I am such a newbie it is ridiculous. Over the next few months, expect me to ask all manner of absolutely retarded questions as I muddle my way through a build up. And to fully prove my newbie status, here's the dumbest question of all? Can you use a rear diff up front, or vice versa? And what is involved. I was following a thread way back when on an oz site, where a guy grabbed a rear diff from a cressida, and swapped it onto the front of his IFS 4runner to make a center diff'd IFS rig that was close to indestructible. Way cool, and it got me wondering.

Spruce
 
thespruce said:
If I can source a TRD rear 3rd, will the e-locker fit the existing 3rd I have, or will the 3rd completely replace the 3rd I have in an 86 vehicle? Or an 85?
Click to expand...


An 8" diff is an 8" diff is an 8" diff... They can ALL be interchanged... But the E diff requires modding a non-TRD housing to fit.


paroose... But notice the gasket. You will need to cut a small tab out, and install 2 or 3 studs into a non TRD housing.

http://www.inchwormgear.com/store/index.php?cPath=25_62


thespruce said:
Can you use a rear diff up front, or vice versa? And what is involved.
Click to expand...

Yes, and zero. But as stated before a HP in the rear is not a good idea, though some hard core guys do it... But they understand the risks.

HP = High Pinion = Reverse Rotation... All the same thing.


thespruce said:
I was following a thread way back when on an oz site, where a guy grabbed a rear diff from a cressida, and swapped it onto the front of his IFS 4runner to make a center diff'd IFS rig that was close to indestructible. Way cool, and it got me wondering.

Spruce
Click to expand...


Man you need to get some terminology... A center diff is the a.k.a for an AWD transfer case. As in, "The FJ80 has a center diff" b/c that's exactly what it is, a differential that allows it to be operated on hard surfaces without bind.

Full Time 4WD and Permanent 4WD = AWD. AWD DOES NOT = 4WD They are a play on words, like "The wheel that slips, is the wheel that grips" Bolt a differential on the back of a transmission and that's what you'll have, a center diff.

Part Time 4WD = Only 4WD in high or low range with the hubs locked. And not advisable to use on hard surfaces. It's more like the PTO on a tractor. Pull the lever and no compromise power comes on the shaft.

MUST SEE 3:00 mark! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l5u_5kzdEWA

It's only when you lock the center diff, you get true 4WD... You WILL hear Brits say "diff locks" but they mean it in a AWD locking the center diff term, not a locking front or rear differential/ axle term.

Diff, pumpkin, axle, 3rd, differential, all the same thing.

The Cressida(?) has a limited slip that the front carrier of the IFS front only trucks use... It's just a cheap mod to get a clutch pack limited slip. It's not a center diff, and it's not a locker. IFS front axles are the 7.5" the 2WD Toyota rears use. Zero can be interchanged with the 8".


A limited slip is NOT a locker. Any traction device that needs wheel spin in order to work is not a locker.

A traction device that does not need wheel spin to work IS a locker.

A traction device that does need wheel spin in order to work IS a limited slip.

Locker, locking diff, the same thing.




Hilux said:
Or vice versa b/c it's a part time 4WD anyway...
Click to expand...

Optional, but b/c you will use the rear diff 100% of the time, the front ONLY IN 4WD.

You don't lock an AWD front b/c it will make steering harder both on and off road, though some hardcore guys do it... But they understand the risks.:D

But you should only be where in 4WD? On soft(er) surfaces...
 
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Hilux - here's the thread I was referring to with the cressida diff on a runner (or similar).

Toyota 4WD Surf Owners :: View topic - 8" Front diff upgrade - It Is Here!!!

Sorry, not center diff, but a cressida diff, centered on the front of an IFS rig,,, It's not just the front carrier - it's the whole deal, complete with all axle mods, dif brackets, etc. Towards the end of the thread you can see they're working on putting a true locker in (ABS). This guy did this mod as an alternative to SASing his rig. Gave him more downtravel, better angles on his halfshafts, thicker halfshafts, and the larger, stronger dif.

Thanks for the info on lockers - believe it or not I've been searching all over, on a thousand forums - it's hard to soak it all up and get it 100% right though. So, I'm asking questions as I go to double check. I understand the difference between lockers, open difs, limited slips, etc.

Since I'm going to be in the snow, I'm wanting to go with selectables - it might be doable putting the selectable only up front or whatever, but I'd really like to do it right. So, I'm searching for parts as we speak, and I'll see what I can come up with.

Looks like I'm looking for either the (early?) 90s 4runner with the e-locker in the rear, or a Tacoma TRD with it, to get my selectable in the rear.

For the front, I'll need an fj-80 e-locked third - if I want high pinioin. With no high pinion, I could take the e-locker out of a rear (if I can find it at the junkyard) and drop that in the front. And switch/make sure gear ratios are correct.

One last question - if you were to order say just the high pinion and housing (trail gear or similar), could you then modify the unit to take the e-locker out of a rear? That would limit the number of things I have to source new, and increase what I MIGHT be able to find at a junkyard.

Hopefully I'm making sense... Thanks for the patience

Spruce
 
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Alright, I lied, here's another question. I know about diff windup - gotchya on what a centered dif is/AWD transfer case - so guys who are rock crawling in Moab, in runners or similar (anything without a factory center dif) are running a center dif? I haven't seen this mod in all the searching I've been doing - any more info on it? Not that I would need it real bad - more slippery conditions then full rock crawling - although I do happen through Moab pretty often on climbing trips, and it would be sweet on rest days to go wheeling...

Spruce
 
The hi-pinion 8" elocking front diffs were an option on 93 to 97 Land Cruisers (I don't think they were available in 91 or 92 which were the first two years of the 80 series). Only about 7% of them in the US came with that option so they are relatively rare. You can expect to pay $400+.

The 8" elocker rears were an option on late 90's (maybe through 01?) 4Runners (not "early" 4Runners).

The retail price on new 8" TRD elockers is around $1250 but you can buy them from a dealer for less than $900 if you shop around and ask nicely. They come in 3 different diff ratios. I bought two new ones in 4.56 for my 85 4Runner.

Like you, I wanted to go hi-pinion in the front but I also wanted to run 4.56 gears so used was an expensive option (price of used diff plus gears, setup kits, labor, etc.).

The axle modifications are well documented on the web if you do a bit of searching (which I assume you've already done).
 
thespruce said:
Hilux - here's the thread I was referring to with the cressida diff on a runner (or similar).

Toyota 4WD Surf Owners :: View topic - 8" Front diff upgrade - It Is Here!!!
Click to expand...

Dang, Spurce. Thanks for that link... I've often thought about that, but never seen it done. Thanks for that link.

thespruce said:
Looks like I'm looking for either the (early?) 90s 4runner with the e-locker in the rear, or a Tacoma TRD with it, to get my selectable in the rear.
Click to expand...

No. No 4Runners had the TRD package at least until 1995.5, the "Tacoma" body style. Different make, different model, different production run altogether.

thespruce said:
For the front, I'll need an fj-80 e-locked third - if I want high pinioin. With no high pinion, I could take the e-locker out of a rear (if I can find it at the junkyard) and drop that in the front. And switch/make sure gear ratios are correct.
Click to expand...

Correct.

thespruce said:
could you then modify the unit to take the e-locker out of a rear?
Click to expand...

No. It's a completely new casting.
 
Alright, thanks Hilux. That's cleared up a ton of info for me. I'm sure I'd read a lot of it while searching, but the only problem with searching, is the sheer information overload. Gonna keep searching for parts now... And start stripping what I need from my junker 85, selling what's leftover, and scrapping the rest.

Spruce
 
I have a Spartan locker in the rear, its similar to a lock right. And I have a E-locker up front.

I daily drive my truck year round, I do not own another vehicle either. I haven't had any issues in the winter, and we get plenty of it in Minnesota. I had the 4runner locked in the rear for a few months this past winter. And my pickup I had before was locked for 2 or 3 winters.

With a auto locker you just need to know when to stay out of the gas pedal. You can either push the clutch in around a turn, or just let off the gas slightly as you roll through the turn. You can also accelerate through a turn still, but you need to be gentle with the throttle.

After driving with one for so long, I hardly even notice it.
 
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