Yes, I was planning on an EZ locker, but Detroit doesn't make one for the Tacoma 4x4 rear end.
I ended up getting the Lockright instead, and installed it today in about 4 hours with a buddy of mine.
All I have to say is WOW. I took it to a local offroading park and climbed up hills my helpless 2wd arse could only look at before installing this thing! I expected a difference but not THIS big of one. It's awesome offroad, I absolutley love it.
On-road, I'm a little torn. If I let off the gas and then press it again I get this "clunk" that shakes the truck a little, depending on how hard I press on the gas. I've done some reading but am unsure of whether or not this is normal....any ideas?
Also, my truck seems to shift into Park, Drive, and Reverse really roughly now. Twice as bad as it used to. Might be a driveshaft lubrication issue but again I'm unsure.
I know the locker works correctly because I've used it offroad and it does the infamous "clicking" while cornering (actually sounds really cool )
Can anyone with any experience with a Lockright or other auto-locker shine some light on these issues for me? Any help would be great, thanks!

 

cool beans!

You will be amazed at what you can actually do w/ a locked 2x4. I started out w/ a full Detroit in my truck, still use one in the front diff.

The shifting sounds normal for an auto locker- there is more play/slack to be taken up than in a stock diff.

The on/off the gas pedal is typical auto-locker wiggle. Usually it's less noticable w/ an auto tranny. With a 5 speed, it drove me nuts, so I went to a full spool.

later

 

Thanks for the reply! Its good to know that it's normal...I was worried I re-attatched my drive-shaft wrong or something. (Had to take half of it off to remove the 3rd member...damn bolts wouldn't come off where it connected to the thing.) It's slightly annoying, but it'll be easier to get used to now that I know its not a problem. Is there any way of making it less noticeable though?
Thanks again for the info!

 

Yup thats exactly what a Lock-Right does. I have over 30k miles on mine and love it. I drive around 100 miles per day and hardly notice it. You will get used to the qirks of it. And it is worth it offroad. You can not do a single greater offroad mod than a locker. Enjoy.

Andrew


P.S. I hope you dont tow much cause its not fun with a locker but I do it all of the time. So dont worry about hurting the locker. I have the same diff in my T100 and have towed over 6000lbs. Its a strong unit.

 

You're not supposed to tow with a locker? What happens?

What is Locker Wiggle? It sounds annoying.

 

i had a lockright for a couple months, the "wiggling" they are referring to is the stress that builds up in the tires when they are locked roation for rotation, and one wheel is trying to turn more revolutions than the other, such as taking a turn. The lock-right only locks the wheels together when power is applied, so if you are going PERFECTLY straight you wont feel anything at all. If you are turning and give it power the automatic mechanism locks the two tires together, if you arent giving it power around a turn it will ratchet in much the same way as the ratchet you use to torque bolts does, and makes the same sort of sound if you have your windows down. I rarely ever had the "bang" or "clunk" noise come from my lockright, but it really depends on your driving style.


one interesting way to show someone the mechanism at work is on a long sweeping on-ramp for a highway where you are only mildly turned. as you cycle on and off the gas you can feel the locker engaging and releasing.

 

lol, yeah, I wanted to show my dad the cool "clicking" noise it makes (like an empty gun sorta) so I drove circles around a parking lot....bad idea It clicks for awhile and then starts clunking....guess I'm not supposed to do that.
Took it off-road again tonight and finally found a hill I couldn't climb with it....too steep and too much soft sand (I'm only 2wd). Oh well....its still 10 times better than my open diff. Can't wait to use it in Big Bear tomorrow!

 

Ryan,
That locker performed AWESOME! I keep having to remind myself that my 1st gen is the trail rig and that I don't need the locker in my Tacoma

 

Well, you know what that means...time to lock the trail rig! It's definitley a worthwhile investment, if it can help my 2wd as much as it did I can only imagine what it'll do for a 4x4.
By the way, you and your truck did great on the trails! Only stalled a couple times Looks sweet too, those 1st gens have a nice aggressive look to them...I'd like to pick one up someday. Someday....

 

Ryan you are da man!!! Man you really did really really well with that locked taco! I gotta give ya mad props for being able to do those trails

 

Thanks Lance! It was a lot of fun. Thanks for leading our pack on Sat., I hope you got to hit some good trails on Sunday with the harder group!