When I got the E-locker home and I was looking it over more closely I realized a very slight rough feeling when rotating the Pinion. I tore it down to inspect just in case some grit had gotten in there but the small pinion bearing had just barely started to fall apart. The other bearings were intact but had turned grey indicating they were on their way out. Decided to order a rebuild kit. I bought USA Standard Gear P/N: ZK TV6 which is the overhaul kit for a Toyota 8 inch V6. The only thing different for the E-locker is the big carrier bearing which I bought from the dealership. It's P/N: 90366-75001.

Next thing to do was build up the wiring harness to control it all. I used this diagram I found by Googling "Tacoma DIY E-locker harness." There's lots of options. I liked this one because it used relays to take load off the switch. Also the relays give an audible click at the beginning and end of the actuator's travel so you know when to let go of the switch. Once the actuator rotates fully the locker isn't necessarily engaged. The wheels may need to rotate just a bit relative to each other before the splines line up and the locking collar slides in and engages. Once the locker is engaged, a light on the switch illuminates.


To build the harness you'll need a few supplies, I bought the switch from Low Range Off Road, P/N: DIY-ELSR. This is a Carling switch. I would have preferred an OEM Toyota switch but they cost somewhere between $60 and $90 depending on where you find one. I didn't want to pay that much more. I also bought a Carling VC-01 connector and a couple WeatherPack connectors from eBay. From Toyota I bought the studs (90116-08330), harness (82127-35100), and differential gasket (42181-60050) for a template. I already had two 5 pin relays with connectors, a bunch of wire, loom, and shrink tube, butt crimps, and ring terminals so I didn't have to buy those but you might. From this point it's just a bunch of measuring wire and crimping things. I actually got almost everything done in the correct order. Only forgot to slide the shrink tube on before crimping twice.

You need the Toyota harness just for the plug that goes into the actuator. The other end gets cut off and the wires extended up to connect to your DIY harness. It also has the provisions to connect the actuator breather which helps.


I paid a few extra bucks to get the correct connector for the switch. It is possible to use female spade connectors with this switch but that means when you disconnect it you have up to 10 wires to re-connect correctly. This way is way easier and cleaner.

The lower light comes on with the dash lights.


The upper light comes on when the locker is engaged.


I don't have speakers here anymore, I have 6x9's in the doors, so I put the relays here. When you hit the switch you'll hear one click on and once the actuator travels fully (about 1 second) you'll hear it click off. Then you can let go of the switch.


Here you can see where the wiring exits the body and a couple sealed connectors so that everything can be serviced or removed without leaving a hole in the body or having to pull wires from all over.


Also have a non-sealed connector on the inside so I can service or remove things from the other end without pulling wires or leaving holes.

Here's where it all gets power from. The rear fuse block is powered when the ignition is on. That block feeds power to the seat heaters, CB, and now the E-locker. The front block is constantly powered. The big circuit breaker supplies power to the power inverter mounted in the trunk.


Once it was all put together I plugged it in to the diff on the workbench and tried it out. Nothing. No click, no movement. I double checked all my wiring and it all seemed good so I dug into what looked like a really clean actuator. Turns out it was junk.

Rust.


Rust.


And the actual problem. The motor rotor shaft rusted under the commutator and split it open. Went to a couple motor repair shops in town and none of them said they could fix it.


Tacoma actuators run about $800+ new. No way I'm paying that much. But Land Cruiser front high pinion E-locker actuators are under $300. Looking at pictures they look the same but they are not listed as compatible. I know the plugs are different so I crossed my fingers that was the only difference. I ordered Aisin SAT-002 from RockAuto for $273 to my door.

The wire colors and locations are the same between the two actuators. The pins are the same type. Just the connectors are different so I swapped them over. I then discovered that the wires for the high pinion are about 1.5 - 2 inches shorter so you have to route them differently. But for $500 in savings I'll deal with it. Also, the high pinion actuator has one less tapped hole than the Taco actuator so you can't run the factory guard. I'll make one up myself one day.

Taco wires.


Land Cruiser wires.


Online I read of the modifications necessary to make the original axle housing accept the E-locker, the notch for the actuator, the notches for the ring gear, the welding, the tapped holes for the new studs, and the dimple for the carrier adjustment locktab bolt. Well, I skipped a couple of these. The E-locker uses the same ring and pinion as the Toyota V6/4 Cylinder Turbo diff. Those don't require the notches cut when installed in earlier housings so I decided to try skipping it. No issue at all there. You don't need to make any more clearance for the E-locker ring gear.

Next step is cutting the notch for the actuator fork. I used a jigsaw with metal cutting blade. It was a bit slower than a grinder but the metal chips are much bigger, not as fast, and mostly pulled out of the axle housing as opposed to just everywhere like with a grinder. I plugged the axle tubes to keep junk from going too far and put a big magnet inside to try to attract chips before they got too far. It was still a mess and took a long time to clean. Here's the finished product.


Also, I didn't feel like welding so I just drilled the holes with the differential housing in place to make sure it was all aligned. Tapped them out and there is plenty of meat there.


New studs installed with red LocTite.


Didn't want to dent up my axle housing for the adjustment locktab. Did this instead. 90 degree countersink on the tab.


A bit had to be clearanced on the carrier bearing cap.


Use this bolt with a bit of blue LocTite.


Nearly flush.


Thin bead of Permatex Ultra Grey and it hasn't had any issues. Sealed up a few diffs this way and I prefer it.


And here's some proof that it works. I've driven other vehicles before and after locking and knew it would make a huge difference so I couldn't wait. Went out to a local spot with a buddy and this thing was awesome. Walked up stuff I used to have to ram. Got out of holes I used to have to go around.