I have been visiting yotatech frequently for about a year now, but only now have had a reason to register...now, the story.

I had a 98 4Runner Limited with an e-locker that, in the year or so that I owned it, liked to break the rear end loose in low traction situations. One such situation happened at about 55mph on a very windy, very icy Wyoming day in Eastern Wyoming (not that there is any other kind of day in November in Eastern WY...hah), on an uphill banking turn on I-90. I lost traction just going around a bend that numerous vehicles had gone over at the same speed, but I lost traction and fishtailed for almost a half mile before going backwards and sideways into the ditch.

Before you jump on my back and assume operator error, hear me out. I think that the e-locker was always locked --or-- would occasionally slip in and cause the rear tires to not differentiate and, therefore, go all wacky on corners in icy/snowy conditions. The instance in Wyoming where I flipped into the median was the last time this car would ever go backwards on me, but was certainly not the first.

The more I think about it the more doubts I have, but I think that it is an interesting idea. I think that I would have noticed it any other time I was driving it, but it really only started happening over the last month that I had the vehicle.

 

Hmmm... I don't know man... I want to give you the benefit of the doubt, but that seems like you are reaching. Possible? Yes, but unlikely. If the locker were always locked, you would KNOW it during hard cornering, like making a 90* turn in a parking lot. The back end would bark and complain and bind up, skipping it's way around the corner.

It seems even less likely that it was spontaneously locking and unlocking. Possible yes, but that seems like even more of a reach.

With that said, in the conditions you describe, having the locker lock unexpectedly could EASILY put you in the ditch...

Did you happen to check to see if it was still locked on the wreckage?

Oh yes, WELCOME!

 

glad everyones ok...and Welcome!

 

Too many variables to say what happened. Any number of things could cause a vehicle to fishtail, but for a half-mile on ice? It wouldn't take an accident investigator long to figure it out, but you can already guess what they'd say (you wouldn't like it). BTW, what did the accident report say was the cause?

 

Yes, I agree that it is a reach. And, yes, I agree that I would have noticed if it were locked full time. No, I did not check to see if it was locked...I left it dead, crunched, and sideways on the highway. I only saw it in the tow yard after that full of snow and broken glass, but completely dead. I simply cannot explain why in this particular vehicle I did full 360+ degree rotations on different occasions, never having done one ever before.

I drove an AWD Subaru before the 'Runner and an RWD 1970 Volvo prior to that. Perhaps it was all situational, but the rear locker idea just came to me a couple of days ago and I thought I would try it out here for several reasons: 1) justify the fact that I totalled my vehicle (yes, we are talking ego here).
2) to see if the e locker has a history of malfunction.
3) Find other explanations/theories of why that particular 4runner decided to go upside-down (once again ignoring driver error for the sake of arguement).

 

For starters, there is no way the e-locker can engage/disengage on it's own, even if the gear to the shift fork was stripped. Besides, the only way you can engage the e-locker is in 4WD low range, below 5 mph.

The only possible situation is the e-locker never disengaged when it was locked in, but you would definately notice it driving on the streets.

 

I guess my question would have to do with your reaction when your first lost traction... Would you say half a mile is an accurate estimate of the distance you fought to maintain control before you rolled? It just seems like an awfully long distance to continue to have troubles. We have some serious ice and wind here right now, and I've had a couple close calls as I drove down an ice covered quarry haul road at 20 mph. By taking my foot off the gas peddle the vehicle settles right down.

I only suggest this idea because if you look for the factor that has the largest room for error, the human aspect controls the situation 9 times out of 10.

I'll be the first to admit that I don't know the specific wiring and engagement features of the E-locker, but there are far fewer ways it can malfunction when compared to operator error while driving in bad weather.

Erich

 

I am no expert with the e-locker but have done quite a bit of experimenting with it. I have done the grey wire mod that enables me to engage the locker in 2 wheel high. I have run the locker several times at the drag strip and sometimes on the street when some ricer wants to be a dumb ass.

When it is locked at higher speed---you will definately know it. If you locker was locked all the time you would have known it for sure and had it fixed. A locker has some bad habits on the street not to be ignored.

In an experiment, I have tried to purposely lock the locker at higher speeds and it simply will not engage no matter what I do until I get the speed down to a crawl. I doubt yours would lock on you all of a sudden going down the highway.

I'm not saying yours for sure didn't do it because anything is possible but mechanically it is not the nature of the beast.

Sorry about your accident

Dave

 

Two words: Black Ice

Locked or unlocked, you're going for a "spin"...

 

That's pretty fast for ice isn't it?

 

Yep, and even worse is it was very windy......that is a recipe for disaster for sure.
I have to agree with people here, the locker won't just lock spontaneously at highway speed.

 

The E-locker has no history of popping in/out. But I have noticed alot of SUV's have been flipping all over the place and youth had alot to do with it ZUK

 

If it engaged at 50 miles an hour it would have vaporized.It would have tore up the forks before it ever engaged.

 

I don't see why, if you're going straight and there is no differentiation, it will slide right in and you won't notice until you start turning.

 

1. Were you using 4H? 2. Automatic or manual? 3. What gear were you in? 4. Did you let up on the throttle even a small amount for engine braking as you approached the curve at 55 mph, even though the curve was uphill and banked? If your answers to the first and fourth questions are 'yes,' post it and I will post back with a new and different theory for how you lost the rear end.

 

was the rear bumpstop recall performed? there was a recall due to the harshness of the bumpstops causing the rear to break loose instantly, vs. the fix that is softer at first and progressively gets harder to limit the suspension uptravel. When i was on stock suspension, i could feel the bumpstops in the corners (i even had the recall performed)
just a thought.