E-money

Traded in my 99 4-runner for a '04 Tacoma Trd. My 4runner did not have an e-locker so I'm not to familiar with the system and I had a few questions:

What situations do I engage it? (obviously when I'm stuck) Sand? Mud? Snow? Climbing a hill?

What are some do's and do not's with the e-locker? (don't want to mess it up by not knowing how to properly use it)

Don't flame me too hard I searched and just couldn't find enough answers to these questions.

I need to post some pics of the rig this weekend. I went with the OME 2.5 lift from ToyTech and what an improvement from stock. (settled to about 2.25 inches of lift). I also added the Cooper St's. I had them on the 4runner and they were a great tire.

Thanks for the Help!

Tacoclimber

Well, here's a few tips:

Don't engage it when the vehicle is moving.
Don't be afraid to engage it before you think you'll need it (off road)
If you need it on icy asphalt, don't forget to disengage it when things get dry.

There's a few. I'm sure others will chime in...

Oh yeah, search for "grey wire mod" VERY handy...

E-money

I'll do some research on that tonight.
thanks

Tacoclimber

In a nutshell...

When you need the extra traction...

89macrunner

I did the grey wire mod and use mine when getting on the highway.

in pittsburgh theres a lot of places where we dont have on ramps, just stop signs and you have to get over 3 lanes of heavy traffic to go in the right direction.

I usually lock the locker than disengage it as soon as i pull into traffic. That way I dont destroy tires

Tacoclimber

I've never heard of anyone doing that...
Is it just to keep traction when you punch it?
While I've had the locker engaged at high speeds (50+ mph) I've never disengaged it at that speed...

Interesting.

X-AWDriver

If I'm ever stuck in snow I only use it to get unstuck and then I turn it off since you don't want to drive on a slick surface with it since it can spin you;it's not really a traction enhancer on hard flat slick surfaces.

Offroad I only use when I think I might need it like when encountering off angle terrain and steep climbs.

Henrythewound

I have some questions too, mainly when would it be BAD to turn it on. For example I am pretty sure you could damage something by using it on flat dry pavement while turning but I could be wrong. Offroad seems to be fair game. I though on my sun visor it says not to use above 5 mph?

X-AWDriver

Yes,it's not doing your rearend a favor running it on dry pavement but off road you just might be overworking it if not needed.

It will automatically disengage above 5mph unless you do the "grey wire mod" which allows use of the locker at any time any speed (which isn't always a good idea) even in 2wd.
I have the mod but I've never had a use for the diff lock except off road and under 5mph;ok,blasting through a slushy blocked trail I needed it at about 20mph and it took 6 tries.

E-money

Nice info guys I just didn't want to do something stupid and damage my locker.

hodgepodge79

Lots of folks run welded rear ends at highway speeds and just around town. Your not going to damage anything, although I would agree that over the long run, you aren't doing your axles or tires any favors.

If you engage it in you driveway, go drive around the neighborhood and make some tight u-turns! It makes a very distinctive "Chirp-Chirp-Chirp" on the inside tire.

Especially without doing the grey-wire mod, you aren't going to mess anything up. The computer prevents that.

When engaging mine, I get going about 3-10mph and dis-engage the clutch or put it in neutral (so there in no power getting sent through the driveshaft), then I flip my switch to engage.

have fun.

Henrythewound

Great, I have a few trails in mind that I couldn't pass in a stock 02 Cherokee (work vehicle) that I'll bet my stockish 4Runner could handle w/ the rear locker (the kind where you are on 2 wheels, one front one rear diagonal from one another). The Jeep just spun the wheel in the air. I may just have to try it out.

Tacoclimber

As far as the grey wire mod goes, all it does is disables the limitation that the 4wd's came with in regards to only being able to use it in 4low. The logic was this, "If the 2wd Prerunners that come with lockers don't have a limit on when or at what speed you can have the locker engaged, then why so in the 4wd's?" So, the "grey wire mod" was born. Sure, using your locker all the time isn't great for either axles or tires, but you're not going to destroy anything if you use it wisely. As far as only using it at speeds under 5 mph, I think that's an unnecessary precaution. I regularly use mine at trail speeds which can range between -1 mph to upwards of 20 mph with no ill results. As long as the inside tire can spin at a faster rate when taking a turn (as it will when you are off pavement) you're doing little to no damage to either tires or axle. On pavement is a whole other story.

In summary, don't be afraid to use it off road. It is a very valuable tool, and will probably save your keester sooner or later...