kennyyoung

Ohhhh no, I never stripped the screws on that cap, I only tried one, and never stripped it. After not getting any headway on the easiest screw to access.... I knew I would never get at the one right on top of the actuator,so I figured it was a lost cause. I could get vise grips on the bottom 2, but the top one is out of the question.

kennyyoung

Ok, I'll make another attempt at the 3 screws on your recommendation, you know your stuff.....If that don't work, I'm gonna have to open the actuator......please say it isnt so!!!! I fear the internal springs and windings!!! Hear is a link I found....it looks scary!!! http://www.worldpath.net/~thompson/tacoma/locker.htm Well, its gonna have to hold off until the weather lightens up a bit, we got 15cm of snow so far today.....

Just something completely out there..... when I changed the transmission cooling lines on my truck this summer.....the ones that run from the rad to the transmission...... I took both off at the same time and I may have swapped them by mistake (right to left, left to right)..... these lines put on incorrectly shouldnt have anything to do with the problems I am having should they.... they are completely unrelated ....right? lol

Beto

Well, that link looks familiar. I've done that twice. It's not scary at all, quite logical once you're in there. That's for the rear e-locker, you have a similar setup, but with different gearing. 15cm? Where the heck are you? And transmission oil cooling lines - I can't see how that could be related.

kennyyoung

LOL....well the 15cm is right here in good old Newfoundland Canada!!!! I guess if I can't get the screws out I'll tackle the internals of the actuator.....I hope that it is quite logical once I get it open... makes me nervous!!! And the cooling lines... that was a shot in the dark, with a blindfold on!!! Hope your a regular here on yotatech cause I think I'm gonna need ya here for awhile.... as soon as the darn snow lets up!!!!

kennyyoung

Hey Beto, still no luck..... I tried to get those screws out but as expected I could only get two out. The other one is on top of the actuator and needs to be taken out with visegrips....I even went as far today, to go out and buy a special needle nosed pair.... but still wasnt able to get at it. So, I figured I'd take out the three bolts holding the actuator to the transfer case and see if it would rotate enough to get at the screw..... it rotated, but not enough. I also tried to take the actuator off of the transfer case, but yes it is held there by that internal c-clip!!!! I though about taking a chisel and just cutting the head off of the screw, but I didnt know if the remaining two screws would be enough to hold the cap in place. I think I'm gonna do it anyway...nothing a little JB Weld or some kind of Epoxy wont fix.... I think!!! I asked someone from another post who had taken out the internals of their actuator and he recommended that I do NOT even attempt it....he said it was like a chinese puzzle!!! His is a Multi-mode system...I dont know if mine is multi mode or not or if it is even the same system.... any ideas???https://www.yotatech.com/forums/f2/t...timode-185278/ I think my only option is to take her to a garage..... after I cut the screw and get inside the motor that is....lol!!!!!

Beto

Have you/are you able to try the robertson screwdriver (square head) trick?

I think that the triangular shaped flange on the bottom of the cap has a dimple in it that mates to a hole in the actuator body to help align it. You could (and probably should) put some RTV silicone on that flange as it goes back together. There isn't any fluid (except the WD40 you sprayed) in there, and it is vented through that vent pipe, so no pressure either - two screws enough? Probably, especially if you get that dimple lined up. It sure would be better to get it out though. I just hope that the problem is evident inside that end of things after all this work.

Beto

Even the link you posted seems very similar to the attached pic (rear diff lock actuator) inside...It didn't seem that bad for me, but then again I had the luxury of taking it off the truck and working with it in a heated environment and playing with it till it made sense. Trying to reassemble the thing above your head, with limited clearance, in the snow, with limited visibility - that might be troublesome.

kennyyoung

I have tried every kind of screwdriver you can imagine.....even one of those easy outs that is suppose to remove screws with stripped heads....not a chance!!!! The space is so limited above the actuator you cant get much down pressure on the screwdriver bits....with the easy out, I had it in a socket, on a small ratchet, with another socket on the back of the ratchet, wedged to the floor of the truck to the point where it pushed up on the floor and still wouldnt budge. Its not coming out with any screwdriver bit whatsoever!!!! I'm gonna cut the screw head off tomorrow. When I replace it, do you think I could pour some fiberglass down around it to keep it, I guess somewhat clean or should i use some epoxy or JB Weld? What bonds best to white metal, do you know? I was so fustrated today after spending about 3 hours trying to get that screw out, I came in and decided to call a guy who is known for fixing Toyotas.....I was definitely ready to pay someone to fix it for me..... he never ever took one apart before and knew very little about them.....just my luck....on my own again....except for you, thanks again by the way!!! So, tomorrow I'm gonna cut the screw and if that dont help.....shes commin apart.....guts and all......I'm getting desperate!!! I know I could tackle this on a bench, but like you said, under the truck with all the elements , its very difficult!!! Thanks for the attached picture, any bit of visual help will at least give me some idea of what to expect!!! From the picture, it doesnt look that bad.....but once the 3 bolts come out.... back to the can of worms comment!!! Just thinking about it... when I cut that third screw and get the cap off, when I go to turn the stator, will the tires have to be off the ground so that I can rotate the driveshaft to allign the cogs and let the actuator shaft slide into the transfer case.... because if the cogs are not aligned it may stop me from rotating the stator??? Right or wrong???

Beto

You're kind of in uncharted territory here about rotating that stator, but a few things make me think that you are wrong about needing to jack the tires up:
1) that stator needs to turn many times to move the actuator a little bit, you should be able to turn it as much as you need to to see what might be wrong.
2) the actuator, when it works normally, seems to move (electrical whirring noise), and then stop, even if you need to roll the truck a little to get the transfer in 4WD, maybe that's the purpose of the bidirectional spring in there; once the stator turns, it either moves the shaft or loads up the spring if the shaft can't move, then the spring forces the shaft in when the transfer is lined up.
3) related to number 1, and knock on wood -- if you can't see what's wrong by that point, what is next? Take the whole darned thing apart?

It sure would be nice to have an exploded view of all this, the FSM doesn't give much of an idea, does it?

I can explain those metal half circles that are in your link (on the bottom of the large round gear), if you don't already know - they are what controls the power to the motor, there are contacts in the body (you can see it in the bottom of the Rear diff lock pics) that ride on those metal surfaces and when it turns to a certain point, the circuit is opened and the motor stops. There is one for each direction of travel. Thought if you get in that far, you might need that kind of info - once I understood that on my RR diff lock, everything else made sense.

And, I don't know what you are thinking about fiberglassing or gluing - If you bust the screw head off, I'd just clean everything and RTV the cap back on with two screws and leave the top one busted off. Am I missing something?

Beto

And, one more last ditch option -- Get the damned actuator into 4WD one way or another (turning the stator and driveshaft till the ball bearing pops down), then modify the wiring on the A.D.D. vacuum actuators so the you can supply them with 12V through a relay (one on the normally open and one on the normally closed) and power the relay by a toggle in the cab. Your front driveshaft will be spinning all the time, and you might get some extra vibration at about 120km/h to 140km/h, but you will have 4WD on demand. Actually, it also bypasses the no 4WD unless lower than 100km/h function. It is risky only in that if the driveshaft stops spinning (actuator backs out) there are no syncros on the front end, leading to possible really bad bang crunch. You could get around this by keeping the ball-bearing switch in series with your toggle switch, making sure you don't accidentially actuate the ADD system in this bad situation.

If you end up going this route, a little bit of digging through wiring diagrams is in order.

kennyyoung

Yeah, right you are on the stator loading up the spring until it eventually lines up the cogs and pop, it engages....so yes, I will be able to turn the stator without the tires off the ground...well done!!!

Those half metal circles is what I am nervous of.... I think it is critical about the positioning in the actuator housing when putting them back in. I think that is the problem that the other guy I was talking to had....back in the link in post #25!!!

Lol... yeah I was thinking of a way to keep the cap secured down where the 3rd screw will be missing...I know, I'm starting to lose my mind!!!

kennyyoung

Ok, the last ditch option.... I think this is what I was asking you about in an earlier post when I asked if I could bypass the position sensor switch and just use a toggle switch in the cab. You said, no, that I would still be in 2wd.....and you were right.... the difference in this senerio is that I need to get the transfer case actuator into 4wd, then bypass the position sensor switch.....then the toggle switch would basically activate the front actuator....right? Then, at this point I guess I could unplug the t-case actuator power...couldnt I..... therefore not making it possible for the t-case actuator to disengage!!! Sound right?

Beto

Exactly. Sorry if I missed that in an earlier post. This just dawned on me. I used to run my 98 Taco with the opposite setup. My actuator was fine (after getting the bearings freed up) but my syncro was fried in the transfer leading to a very unsettling grind-clunk if you actuated it at speed. I used to leave my A.D.D. locked pretty much all winter to keep the driveshaft spinning just in case I wanted 4WD on the fly.

kennyyoung

Sorry Beto, I never posted my theory on bypassing the position sensor switch here in this forum....I wish I had .... it was on another site. http://www.ttora.com/forum/showthrea...=144263&page=2 Post #37 Trying to get help from all over gets confusing!!!

I dont understand what you mean when you say it can get risky if the driveshaft stops spinning( you mean the stubby right?) Well, that problem is solved if I disconnect power to the t-case actuator after I get it engaged..... it cant come back out then.... right?

kennyyoung

So, my job for tomorrow is to cut the 3rd screw off, turn the stator until it engages the shaft into the transfer case, replace the cap to the motor, unplug the power to the actuator, bypass the position sensor switch with a toggle in the cab and presto 4wd on demand.....sound like a plan to you? Actually, when I unplug the power (connector) to the actuator, I can rob the power from that, wire it right into the position sensor switch connector and continue to use my 4wd button...sound good? Then the actuator can blow up for all I care as long as the shaft stays in the t-case....none of the actuator will be important to me after this is done, will it? If this is right.... can I still shift into 4wd on the fly or will I have to come to a complete stop?

Beto, I gotta say, this is a very informative thread of information here. This could sure help others having the same problems with their actuator!!!! Your knowledge with my questions..... we got a complete repair manual here.....lol!!! Well done!!! Just hope it solves my problems tomorrow!!!

kennyyoung

Hey Beto, I'm gonna have to use some of that RTV silicone you were talking about on the motor cap and on that triangular inspection plate I removed earlier.... when I go to the store to buy some, what exactly am I looking for?

kennyyoung

Lookie what I found.....post #16 http://www.ttora.com/forum/showthread.php?t=42460 ... I assume this is what I'm going to find under that cap!!!

Beto

That link is perfect. See that rusty old bearing in the bottom of the cap? I think that is your problem. If you get the cap off you'll probably be able to fix it so no need to bypass things. And, I remember in mine that little blue component by the brushes that you can see in there (it's a capacitor) was corroded off. If you can solder you can fix that too if it happens to be an issue.

As for RTV - Crappy tire (as you are in Canada) will have a good selection. You don't need to be too picky because there are no fluids to seal. I like the black but any kind of gasket maker should work. Just don't get household products like bathroom, window or kitchen silicone.

As for bypassing (if you go that route) I wouldn't disconnect the position sensor - I would put a toggle in series with the power from the position sensor to power the relay. If the actuator somehow backs out, it'll disable your toggle switch. If the front driveshaft is not spinning when the ADD system engages, and your tires are moving, it WILL engage, harshly. Sounded and felt very dangerous when I experimented with that at low speed (just rolling).

kennyyoung

Oh Beto, this is bad.... I got the cap off and the stator actually do come out and so do the darn brushes....2 brushes ....2 springs. Anyway, I might be able to get those back in if luck is on my side and I dont drop the springs down into the hole for the stator....everything is upside down and one little slip with the spring and it goes inside the actuator never to be seen again!!! Now the cap has 4 magnets and it looks like its missing one all together, is this possible???? I tried turning the stator with the worm gear and it does absolutely nothing....it feels like its just free wheeling, not meshed in with anything....I'm Lost.....take a look!!!

kennyyoung

And a few more...







Ok, I just noticed that all of the magnets in the cap have broken free and are not stuck to the sides...therefore it must be grabbing the stator and not allowing it to spin....more like a braking system!!! Gonna have to epoxy them back on.....that definitley would cause the problem wouldnt it.......do you know what kind of epoxy to use?

Now when I get them stuck back on.....should the stator just push back down in the hole and thats it...with the brushes in place of course? Oh god I am so nervous picking at those brushes and springs hanging over that hole of no return!!!!