Never used diff locks potential problems

[skunkworks]

I have found a cruiser with diff lock,original owner but he has never used the difflocks. Is this a problem.... I wonder if the mechanism can be damaged from non-use. Also what is a good...market price for a 94 cruiser with diff locks...good
condition except for bad front seats and a couple of roof and hood dents. Rig would be considered to be in very good shape if it were not for the bad front seats and hail damage. The rest of the paint is very clean...damaged spots need repainting. He's asking $7000

 

[4WD Toyota Owner Magazine]

On my 80, the front locking diff took a couple of sessions before the unit as a whole (or the actuator) broke through the gunk of disuse, and sure enough, it worked!

If the dashboard lights are flashing, it implies that they are not working/locking. In my case, the front was flashing but in fact it WAS locking.

How bad is the hail damage? 7000 seems pretty reasonable.

Dave

 

[skunkworks]

I have not seen the truck...I'm going to take a look at it tomorow. I wonder how hard it is to match white paint as I'm sure the dented parts will have to be repainted.

 

[NorCalDoug]

how many miles?

 

[skunkworks]

95,000

 

[KliersLC]

Not bad, but why are the seats trashed with only 95k??????

 

[photogod]

Blue book on the 94 is around 9000. Subtract the cost for damage and go from there. Any add ons like ARB or winch? Add a bit for those. If it is stock subtract the damage and you should be able to get it for a good price. I wouldn't worry about the lockers. Do some slow (below 5 mph) turns and see if they lock. Put it in low and turn the dial and see what happens.

 

[IdahoDoug]

A '94 with lockers and 165K in VG cosmetic condition sold yesterday for $7500 in my area. Full dealer service, no tears in front seats, and all service paperwork. It was also the highly desirable and clearly most beautiful color ever devised for a LandCruiser - Emerald.

DougM

 

[skunkworks]

There is always a dilemma. I had originally wanted a 95-97 yr. with abs & air bags, nicer dash etc… then this 94 pops up. I was expecting to pay around $14,000 – $16,000 for a low mileage 85K truck. It’s hard to justify paying twice the price… who knows what I will have to change on this 94 rig. I know I can pay top dollar for a rig that looks like it came off the showroom floor! Or I can pay $6000 (can say until I see the rig) and have to spend maybe $2000 to make it right.

 

[stayalert]

I'd bet if the lockers havn't been used it would be easy to coax/massage them back into perfect working order. I looked & test drove an FJ60 once that the owner had no idea what the transfer case lever was for. A couple of well placed whacks undernieth with a hammer and I fixed his siezed transfer case. I never bought the truck (too much rust) but at least i fixed the t case

 

[Biff]

Wow!!! 7k for that amt. of mileage. I paid 8k for my 94 150k miles w/no lockers and some paint damage. I say if the paint damage is not substantial take it.

 

[JasonH]

The lockers on my 94 have never been used either and neither of them work (the dash lights just blink). Do I need to disassemble them to free them up or will they work if I keep cycling the switch?

 

[Brentbba]

That's insanely low mileage for a '94. I agree with Biff, if the hail damage and seat damage isn't that bad, jump all over it. Where has the truck lived - rust belt or sun belt?

Regarding the lockers, based on my personal experience as the original owner of a '94 with factory lockers that didn't really know what the hell he had until about 3 years ago, you should be able to coax them to work. As others have stated, slow turns on gravel or dirt. The actuator sensors may not want to work. I eventually had to replace both the center and rear ones, but at smart shopper pricing from Cdan and about 10 minutes per sensor, you would be good to go. Also see the diff for dummies stuff in the FAQ section if you aren't already familiar with lockers. Mine took a few 'sessions' of exercise before they worked fairly quickly.

Keep us updated and pics when you've got them.

 

[ace10]

location? as this plays a sizeable role.

also pull the carfax and look for recent gulf state registration. used car buyers have got to be earnestly on the lookout for katrina flooded cars.

 

[ed97fzj80]

My experience was similar to Brent's, but I didn't have to change any sensors. Just take slow turns on dirt until they lock and unlock freely. Turn the switch, turn the truck until it locks, turn the switch, turn the truck until it unlocks . . . lather, rinse, and repeat. It took six or seven cycles to free mine up and get them working smoothly. Now I try to exercise them every couple weeks just to keep things from getting sticky.

 

[Gauge]

The lockers on my 94 have never been used either and neither of them work (the dash lights just blink). Do I need to disassemble them to free them up or will they work if I keep cycling the switch?

When I bought my 97, the owner admitted to me that he didn't know what the switch to the left of the steering wheel was for and he never used it.

When I used the lockers for the first time, my rear locker worked OK, but my front locker got stuck engaged and would not DISengage! Talk about a problem! It is impossible to steer with a stuck locker.

Anyway, the problem with lockers is that they use contact pins on a metal wheel that "sense" how far to engage and disengage before stopping - much like a power antenna does. The grease that lubricates the pins becomes hard and dries out causing the pins to lose electrical contact with the metal wheel they ride on. No electrical current flow = no work.

Do a search. I did a whole write up on stuck lockers with pictures.

 

[Mars]

I just purchased my 93 with 170k, and the lockers had been used a grand total of one time, 7 years ago. I test drove it on some dirt and tried to get them to engage. The rear locked up no problem, but the front took a long time of fiddling/driving in circles, etc for it to lock up. Eventually it did, but was equally slow to unlock. Since then, I've used them multiple times, and each time I do, it locks up faster. I wouldn't worry about the lockers on this rig.

.02c

Mars

 

[CELICA XX]

Related question:

I have an unlocked 97 LX, recently purchased from a "soccer mom" with 130,000 miles. Never taken off-road.

Is it necessary to exercise the low gear range occasionally?

Sometimes I hear a slight grinding noise while shifting the differential.

All services performed at the Lexus dealer, including the recent 120,000 mile service...

Thanks for your input.​

 

[Elijah]

Yes, it is necessary to keep the center locker functioning much like the front and rear. A slight grind while shifting into low is normal as the gears are aligning themselves.

 

[trainrech]

WRT price - sounds reasonable for the miles. We bought our '97 LX450 w/ lockers and hail damage for $7k, had 136k on the odometer.