I just finished my install at 3:30am, started when I got home from work at 10pm. Not too bad I guess considering the most I've ever done when it comes to a differential is replace a pinion seal.

Following the directions which seemed good enough I was able to get it done without any major issues. Biggest pain was getting the ring gear off with the assembly out of the 3rd member. Had a hard time holding it to break the bolts loose. Seeing as I just want to go to bed, I didn't get to offroad test it, just a ride around the block. The clicking was even less noticeable then I expected. Didn't feel much different to me on pavement.

I'll add some captions later but these are pretty self explanatory, bed time.

 

Good pics. Nicely coloured gear oil there. Time for diff breather extensions.

 

x2 !!!

Good job on the install You will LOVE the extra traction you get.

 

that's a 1610 4 cylinder install... the 1620 v6 diff is slighly different... the diff body comes apart, and you use the factory side gears with the concave lockrite pieces...

 

I have a quick-lock (qwik-lock?) made by Genuine Gear that I got from Wabfab a while ago.

Just put it in the rear of the stock (except for 34x10.5 LTB's) 83 pickup I got.

I'm going to agree with the "road manners are exaggerated" statements.

Even on snowy corners gunning it in 2wd I couldn't get it to bust out any more than with the swampers and an open diff.

I wouldn't let someone unfamiliar with my truck drive it on a slippery road with or without the locker. mud tires suck on slippery roads.


also it was very easy to install

 

exactly - mud tires make more of an impact on handling then the locker does.

 

Beaniam, how the locker performing on and off road?

 

On road as others have said it's really not that big of a deal. The day after I put it in I drove to work in the pouring rain and I survived. You just have to put a little more effort into rev matching for a smoother ride. I could feel it a little making sharp low speed turns while applying power. Definitely nothing I didn't get used to within an hour of driving though. Off roading it caused me to get a wet ass over the weekend as I went through some stuff I wouldn't have tried before and sunk down over my seats. I climbed up some off camber hills than 2 cherokees on 33's and 4" lifts with open rears couldn't do. I'm pretty happy.

 

how much diff oil does it hold? I bought one and I am going to try to do the work this weekend.

 

Apparently a rear third takes 2.3 quarts. For a locker, running a heavy gear oil quiets it down. Does a heavy gear oil help performance (ie: smoothness) of operation with a locker?

http://www.4crawler.com/4x4/4R_TechInfo.shtml

 

When I first installed my lockright last summer, I noticed it quite a bit at first. I would have to clutch in around sharp corners to keep it from bucking. But now that its had some time to break it, its very smooth and I hardly notice it. Every now and then between shifts it will grab and my truck will buck a little.

I also installed mine in a friends garage, I only needed his help a few times.

 

Did anyone reset the backlash when they installed their locker. I know you don't have to but I think it might be a good idea seeing as the bearings have been in there for 20 yrs or so.

 

make sure your tire pressure is the same in both rear tires it helps alot

 

You will have to reset the backlash after removing the ring gear from the rear diff, but not the front diff. The backlash on the rear diff is adjusted by turning the side adjusters. Once you take the adjusters out to do the work the backlash specs go out. The pinion depth will remain the same though. The backlash in the front diff would remain the same because it uses shims on both sides of the bearings, so nothing changes. Correct me if I am thinking wrong here...

 

Well I'm going to have to change my recommendation, at least until I get this straightened out.

The first time I took the truck off the road, it had only been driven 5 miles after the locker install. I don't remember noticing anything wrong, and I seem to have written a relatively glowing review.

HOWEVER, I started noticing a "POP"ing noise/action from the rear end of the truck, and it would even free spool sometimes with some grinding.

Basically the driveshaft was turning but neither rear wheel was turning. If I put in the clutch and let it re-engage the locker would lock and then I could move, but often I couldn't even get the clutch fully out before it would start popping and slipping.

This is even happening on the road going straight. When I first took off from some stops, the locker would free spool and I wouldn't be moving. VERY scary when trying to cross a busy intersection to get home!!

I could feel it slipping a tooth or so every so often when going straight down the road, making the truck buck, jump, and sometimes hop to the side :O

The reason I haven't contacted WabFab yet is because I've been busy with work and school.

I have been doing some research on this, and it looks like I need to pull the 3rd. Everything was in tolerance when I put it in, according to the install instructions and the install guide I followed from, I think, 4x4wire..

From the others that have had this experience, it looks like the locker is probably trashed.

If I pull the third and it's toasted I'll get ahold of WabFab and see what they will do for me. Unfortunately I bought the locker a while ago and couldn't put it in due to truck being down, so I'm not sure if it is even covered by any kind of warranty, will have to check my paperwork. On that note, I'm note sure if it would be Genuine Gear or Wabfab that would do the warrantying

Otherwise I guess I just ate the cost of a ty locker that doesn't work right. I really should have done my homework first and went with a detroit or at least an aussie locker. I've been finding lots of threads with this same issue, pretty much all directed at the quick-lock

Next time I'll know to ....

I'll keep you informed as to what I find when I pull the 3rd

 

Well,

I got home and it was snowing, but still in the 30's, so I decided to see what was up.

First I checked the tire pressure for giggles, and it was 1psi off one side to the other, and the fronts were the same as one of the back.

With that knowledge I said "crap" and got a beer. Might as well start this off with a bang, I don't have to go anywhere until work tomorrow at 8am and I have the car to drive.

I drained the fluid from the rear diff and got discouraged. Here is what I found:









At this point, I bit the bullet and pulled the diff, fearing the worst, because that little slice of a sheared off pin or whatever the hell looks nasty

I pulled the third, and got soaked laying in the icy/water mix that is my driveway. Need a shop bad. Brought it inside and had to break into the beers.

It wasn't as bad as I thought, this locker just sucks, imho












The warranty says "blah blah blah ... In used vehicles when not used in competition of any type for one year of differential use from the date of delivery to the first user ... blah blah ...

NORMAL USE AND SERVICE means that:

blah blah installed and maintained according to directions ... CHECK

maintenance must be equal to or better than specified by manufacturer CHECK

The differential will be applied and operated within the boundaries of the vehicle manufacturer's standard vehicle specifications"

I think I am ok on this, but not sure? My "34 inch" tires measure out to like 32" at the pressure I run on the street. AFAIK some of these trucks came stock with 31" tires? I'll have to ask either genuine gear or wabfab.

Hopefully they don't try to give me another one, because I really don't want one. This whole experience has sucked. The only good part is that, as one poster in another thread about this said, I am now quite proficient at removing and replacing toyota rear 3rd members

I just want some cash money. Would have been better off saving up for something better and running open

I'll start by calling wabfab on monday to see what he suggests.

 

Wow that some bad luck there. Mine has been in almost 2 weeks now and I've done quite a bit of wheeling and not really taking it easy on it either. Today I did a rear axle seal. Aside from the gear oil looking like chocolate milk from the seal being bad and not having extended vent lines there was nothing out of the ordinary on the drain plug. Just some of the usual powered sludge mixture. No pieces. I run 31" tires.

 

From everybodys experience, what is the best lunchbox locker for a v6 toyota?
Operose's experience kind of makes me want to stay away from whatever brand that was.

 

IMO the lockright (or aussie 4cy since its the same but made from cheaper materials) is probibly the best auto-locker for our trucks.

I have been BEATING on mine for months. I love it!

 

Everything I've read suggests the Powertrax No-Slip is the best 4-pinion (v6) "lunchbox" locker available. The problem is that at ~$400, they are only a hundred or two away from a full carrier replacement (Detroit locker) which is supposed to be stronger, or an e-locker retrofit.

I spoke with Bill Cole from Aussie Locker today about the V6 Aussie, and here is what he said:

Matt,

Can you send me any information or links on the patent issue with the 4
pinion locker?

Our engineers developed the V6 and through product testing it has gone
through a couple of revisions which is pretty normal for locker
development. The factory has been loaded with our orders for current
models and when they are developing a new model production equipment has
to be shut down to manufacture tooling and do preproduction runs. We
feel that they have been hesitant to shut down the production until they
see a lull in orders, but we have kept the pressure on them and the most
recent discussion with the factory this week identified the V6 as in
"various levels of manufacturing". So we know that they are putting
labor into the product and machining time. What we don't know is when
they will be at a point of pulling all the parts together and start
shipping them to us.

Your input on the patent issue will be appreciated. I am pretty sure
that the Australian company would be up on any patent issues as they
handle all of those details, but I would want to make sure that any
information that existed was available to them.

Regards,

Bill Cole
President