ManyMods

I did a search and saw that TRD offers a LSD that is most likely made by Eaton. I want to go directly with Eaton and not TRD so does anyone know what the PN is for a unit that fits the 2002 4Runner?

The parts list in the Performance Parts catalog only goes up to 2000 and I cannot learn anything on the Eaton website. I emailed Mike Hewitt at Eaton but have not heard back.

Also, can someone tell me what are the specs of my OEM open rear, or where I can find the specs?

sschaefer3

You have a Toyota 8" V6/Turbo rear diff.

Here are the gear codes:

http://fastq.com/~sschaefer/Toyota_axle_codes.html

ManyMods

Thanks for the response Steve.

The differential nomenclature for my vehicle is: VZN185L GKPZKA. That means I have 4.100 gears. I am hoping I am correct that the R&P is 8.0", 30 spline pinion shaft with 12mm ring gear bolts.

I spoke with EATON and also with my dealer. What I do not understand is whether or not I have the electric-locking differential and what that is? I asked my dealer if I had an E-locker and they did not know but said they would get back to me.

I am told by EATON that the PN 19614-010 diff is the correct part number if the axle is 12 bolt, 30T spline and the ring gear correct (8.00"), the unit would be a drop in. They go on to say that they do not understand why I would want to go from an electronic locker to a limited slip. EATON does not make an E-locker for my vehicle, only a Posi. The only thing I can find in the Toyota information is that with 4wd you have a center locking differential but that is not the same thing as an E-locker rear differential --- correct?

DrBeau

Is there a button between your Steering column and dash dimmer that say in orange letters "RR DIFF LOCK" or something similar? If not, then you don't have the E-locker.

EDIT: Come to think of it, I don't think you could get the rear e-locker in '02.

Jonathan

you're right 2000 was the last year of the e-locker.

ManyMods

Well, that is good news for me. I went back and looked at a '99, 2000 and '01 sales brochures and you are right, 2000 was the last year it was offered. The literature says: Locking rear differential --- Available (4x4 only). So it looks as though I am good to go with the EATON LSD. Thanks guys.

CynicX

I wouldnt say thats GOOD news for you since a rear locker does what a LSD does cept without any slipping and can be turned on and off manually....

I doubt the Eaton unit is gonna be any sort of bolt on. So I'd recommend a professional doing the install, and I would recommend an offroad shop over a Toyota dealer....

ManyMods

My '99 had the E-Locker but I never knew what it was called. It was great for really tough situations but I rarely have those situations. What I want is not to get stuck on level ground or to constantly have the VSC engage. Where I live there is sand everywhere and sand on paced surfaces is like driving on marbles--- you can imagine how difficult that makes riding a street bike --- so a LSD should do a lot to give me more stable traction control. I realize I could ride around all the time in 4wd and the mfg says it will not harm the vehicle at moderate speeds, but I really do not want to do that. I agree with you that this is not a plug and play and requires finese because of the tolerances envolved, but EATON did say it was an exact drop in. I will have my mechanic do the install as he has changed rear ends for me many times in other vehicles. I appreciate any advice, warnings and concerns or tips from those who have done this before on a 4R. Thank you.

ManyMods

I will report back on this topic after I install and drive the EATON Posi rear; however, in the mean time I want to add this information to the thread for future reference.

My question is "What type fluid should I use in the new EATON Posi rear?"

ANSWER:
Eaton strongly recommends utilizing an API-GL5 approved Mineral-Based 80W-90 Axle Lubricant and one 4-oz bottle of Limited Slip Additive (GM or Ford).

Colemanfu

Had an Eaton Posi in my old rig and loved it. The best part was the manual hubs up front. I could put it in Lo and not change the hubs to give a locked low range 2wd. Huge diff with the Eaton added. Traction was so good that in the sand (you can drive on the beach in Daytona) most times I did not need 4wd. You will not know it's there on the road - unless you get on it in the rain or snow in you case. Just takes a soft touch. Have fun!

ManyMods

I started this thread a long time ago and it has been almost a year since I placed my order with EATON for their LSD. They had manufacturing QC problems that stopped production until now. My unit was shipped on January 6th but I have yet to receive it.

I have some pre-installation questions but first want to post excerpts from EATON’s FAQ.

What type of lubricant and limited slip additive should I use with my newly purchased Eaton Limited Slip Differential?

Eaton strongly recommends utilizing an API-GL5 approved Mineral-Based 80W-90 Axle Lubricant and one 4-oz bottle of Limited Slip Additive (GM or Ford).

What is the spring pre-load in the standard limited slip differential unit and are upgraded spring pre-load packs available to consumers?

The standard spring pre-load for all Eaton Limited Slip Differentials is 400 pounds. We do offer 800 pound spring pre-load packs for high performance vehicle applications.
[Please Note: The 800 pound spring pre-load systems are offered for a limited number of vehicle applications, and the units have a higher propensity to produce chatter.]

Is the Eaton Limited Slip Differential a drop-in OEM replacement part?

The Eaton Limited Slip has been designed to install as a drop-in replacement for most OEM vehicle applications. (Please consult your owner’s manual for specific vehicle replacement part requirements)

Here are my questions:

1) EATON recommends API-GL5 Mineral-Based 80W-90 Axle Lube. Is Mobil-1 Synthetic 75W-90 Gear Oil okay or is it too slippery? Should I use REDLINE 75W-90 High Performance Gear Oil instead? Is 4 quarts enough? I know I am suppose to use one bottle of GM LSD additive, which I already have.

2) If any of you have installed this unit; does EATON supply all the installation parts or do I need to get parts like the Carrier gasket, bearing spacer seal, axel tube o-rings, etc from Toyota?

KZN185W

iTrader: (1)

For Q1: Red Line 75W90 already contains the LSD additives so there is no need to have GM LSD additive. 3 quarts for the rear diff is all you need to buy as the rear diff has a capacity of about 2.2 quarts.

Am using Red Line 75W90 Hypoid Gear Oil for my Hilux Surf which came with factory LSD.

HTH.

ManyMods

Roy,
Thank you so much for your reply. I really appreciate it and will get the fluid.

Flannelman

Can you post the model num. for the LSD? I was looking at getting the trd badged version but they're hard to find so if I could just order one from eaton that would solve some problems. Also not to be nosey but how much was it?

ManyMods

Roy,
I had put in a call to Mark Kramer who is EATON's go-to tech guy and he finally called me back yesterday. Ironically, I also received the LSD unit yesterday. I asked Mark about the plug-and-play aspect of the LSD unit and he confirmed that it just drops into the carrier and bolts up to the ring gear w/o shimming or any additional adjustments.

I asked him about the gear oil and he said that he would NOT use Redline or any synthetic, only use an API-GL5 rated mineral based oil w/ the additive. He said I should be able to get it from GM or NAPA. I asked him if using synthetic would void the warranty and he said no. However, he said the gears will chatter more with synthetic oil. Do you find that to be true with your Helix?

I also asked him about TRD's LSD and he thought EATON was making the LSD for TRD. I told him apparently not. He also said the EATON LSD has carbon fiber clutch discs.

KZN185W

iTrader: (1)

Peter,

Mark Kramer may have a point about not using synthetic oil considering that you have a new unit (LSD). You'll need to have a break-in period of about 3000 km wherein you need to use non-synthetic oil plus the additives. The reason for that is because synthetic oil is very thin and the new clutch surfaces of the LSD are still rough so the synthetic oil cannot give adequate protection. After the break-in period, you can use synthetic oil.

My Hilux already has 80000+ km so there's no chatter.

The JDM TRD LSD (made by WayDo in Japan) does not have carbon fiber clutch discs. Am not sure about the ones sold in North America.

HTH.

ManyMods

Thanks Roy,
I purchased some GL5 rated 80W-85W-90 gear oil from NAPA and the truck is going in today for the installation. We will add one bottle of GM LSD addative as per EATON's instructions.

NOTE: Performance Products, who sells the TRD unit advertises theirs as having "carbon friction discs".

I asked my mechanic about a week ago if there were any other parts that I might need. I thought possibly a case cover gasket and axle seals but he never said anything until yesterday when he asked me if I had axle seals. I KNEW IT!!! So, for anyone who is doing this to a truck with any kind of mileage it is a good idea to have those axle seals and a cover gasket. My truck has 40,000 miles on it now.

I am excited about getting this done because I am always getting stuck on level ground either in a little sand pocket or icy puddle where I have to throw it into 4WD in order to get moving again.

MTL_4runner

Hey Peter, that sounds like an awesome mod (the LSD) for someone like you and me who are mainly highway driving. At one point I was beginning to do the lift, etc, but now with little kids I am making it more of a street machine (with offroad capability when I really need it.....more often now the closest I come to offroad is a huge snowstorm). I am still going to keep the OME but I may cut a coil to bring it back down to about an inch from stock.

Are you running dedicated winter tires? If not I definately would recommend it after getting a set of the Michelin Lattitude X-ice's. Makes a huge difference because of the tread and they stay soft enough in low temps to give you very little slippage whether it be in rain, slush, sand, ice or snow (just about all the bad stuff you can think of when living in the northeast). It is more expensive and you need some storage space for them, but man, what a big difference.....and you also extend the life of your warm weather tires by quite a bit too.

Sorry to get your thread offtrack.

ManyMods

Hi Jamie,
It is funny you are asking me about tires. I did what I considered to be a lot of research when I bought new tires last year. I opted for Yokohama Geolander H\T-S P265/70R16 tires. The tread looked good, the reviews showed that the tire had good manners and longer tread life and worked well on wet surfaces. Also, I thought the price was very good as it usually is with Yokohama. They may be trying to reclaim market share by flooding the market with inexpensive tires. The only thing I do not like, and I am assuming it was not the mechanics fault, is that they took a whole lot of weight when they were balanced on a Hunter high speed state-of-the-art machine.

I have been thinking about getting some of those TRD 16” alloy wheels and putting real high speed summer only tires on them, but I cannot find a tire that will fit on a 16 x 8.5” rim without changing the aspect ratio. If you have found something please LMK.

BTW, it is always good to hear from you and I hope life is good for you.

ManyMods

My mechanic just called me, totally disgusted with me, and announced that now that he has my rear end pulled completely apart and the side bearing off of the OE cage, they will not fit onto the EATON LSD unit because they are about .04-.05 too big. I had a devil of a time finding anyone at Eaton Torque Control and finally found one engineer who is looking into it right now. I told them my truck is pulled apart, taking up valuable space on a lift and my mechanic is furious with me because I assured him after I was assured by EATON that this was a simple plug and play drop in.