SteveO

You will need to change out the Full time spindles to part time spindles. ORS has a kit, but its not cheap. But, the cool thing about going this route is; you can break an axle, pull the outboard axle, and drive home. Plus, the tone gear can be pressed back on when they put these new spindles in. Also, the 3.4L V6 engines with ABS, generally (not always), use the ABS as a speed sensor to feed the Speedometer in the instrument panel. So, be very careful before you start to mess with the ABS stuff.

I broke two axles in Moab on my last venture. I left outboard joint in place, with a stubb of a shaft sticking out, and then pulled the shaft from the inboard joint. I was able to drive 7 hours home on that. If I had my old setup, Full Time hubs, I could not have done this. I would have needed to have a spare outboard joint that I could put into place of the broken shaft. The shaft clips into the outboard joint with a snapring on the inside of the outboard joints bell. So, trying to pull this apart on the trial, is pretty much a no go. Unless you bring your shop with you.......

Click on the pictures for ORS


I would imagine there are other companies out there that have the same setup as well.

dfoxengr

all trucks with a stick for switching to 4wd arent ADD right?

like my 96 tacoma wouldnt be vacuum activated.
which trucks did that system come on?

SteveO

My Limited has a stick for switching to 4wd, and it was ADD. Most, if not all, 3rd Gen 4Runners and the Tacomas with no hubs have ADD (Automatic Differentical Disconnect). The ADD is a sleave that moves in and out, connecting and disconnecting the passenger side shaft. This setup is vacuum actuated, and has a sensor that tells the console when you are in 4wd or not. Your '96 MAY be vacuum actuated. You really need to get under there and take a close look.

Take a look at this picture:
http://www.hunt4steve.com/OR/4Runner...ff_carrier.jpg

The vacuum stuff is connected to the passenger side of the diff houseing (left side of the diff looking at the pic). In the upper right hand corner, you can see the A.D.D Vacuum hose and what they connect to. Check your rig against this pic.

dfoxengr

yeah those hardlines actually look familiar so im sure i am.

whats so awful about it.

thanks
-derek

SteveO

Nothing is really so bad, its actually great on the road and light wheeling. But when you get into the heavier stuff and you actually BREAK something. Then, its really bad. Since there is no manual hub to deselect the axle, the shaft will spin inside the hub, hence turning the broken shaft. You can't have a broken shaft floppin around as your drive back home. You can't take the outboard joint (see pics at my site) out, as this outboard joint helps to hold the pressed in (unitized) bearings together. If you did, the wheel would come off, literaly. And talk about ruining your day. Nobody likes to have a front wheel come off their rig at 50 mph on the highway. Just no fun at all.

So, your option is to get spare outboard joints (I just so happen to have two of them). So, if you break an axle shaft, you can pull the shaft from the inboard joint, but not the outboard joint. So then, take the entire shaft and outboard joint out, and put in your replacement outboard joint. This will keep your bearings clean, and hold the wheel and bearings in place. Recall, you have a bolt on the end of your outboard joint. This helps to keep everything in place. So, don't break an axle, or have an entire axle as a spare. You can pick up an entire reman axle for about 100 bucks. This is great insurance to have when you are on the trail. Because if you break an axle with ADD, no manual hubs and no spare axle, while on the trail, you may not get off the trail.

dfoxengr

cool. good info, but i was wondering whats so bad about the vacuum part of ADD.

also are left and right axles the same on the newer trucks?

-derek

SteveO

Unless your looking for something specific, I don't know of anything that is really bad about the ADD.

Yes, the left and right axles are the same. So, bring one spare, and your good for both sides.

dfoxengr

thanks again.

-derek