i am (hopefully) buying an e-locker here pretty soon and was wondering if i should buy the ECU from toyota and the switch or i should buy the cable actuater from downey. i know the electrical would be more expencive but my main concern is relibility and whichever will last the longest with the fewest problems. and whichever is easiest to set up. i would assume that the cable would be the route to go. that sounds like the no brainer way to go but maybe there is something known that i dont. who has the cable actuater and have you ever experienced problems? things you like and dont like etc. and electric guys (and ladies) ever had problems with fuses blowing anything go wrong. thanks for the help.

 

 

I think you're pretty safe with the wiring. I've not hear much about the downey cable. It's not that hard to manually engage/disengage it if you're in a spot and the wirings messed up.

Here's a kit for wiring it up...

http://www.inchwormgear.com/store/pr...products_id=36

John

 

thanks a lot for that link i might just buy it

 

I'll second the Inchworm kit.

 

go inch worm, wicked easy. I don't much care for my cable, although it has never let me down...

 

If you are worried about relibility, DO NOT under any circumstances but yhe Inchworm kit!!!!!! Wiring the locker the way the Inchworm kit does uses the limiting switches, in the actuator, to ground the motor when it's turning. These switches were NEVER designed to handle the amps needed to turn the motor. Besides for what they charge you can get the parts, at Home Depot, for a 1/4 of the price.

Price out 6, 20' strands of 16ga wire (black, blue, yellow, white, green, red)
2 or 3 "5 pin relays" (w/ 87 and 87a pin outs. you can get them at NAPA. you will need either 2 or 3 depending on the type of switch you use.)

Pick out a switch you like, ARB switches work great, as does the factory FJ 80 or Taco switch.

You DO NOT need the factory "pig tail" that plugs into the actuator. It can be used, if you like, but it's not needed.

Feel free to eMail me and we'll set up a time when to wire it up.

 

jake,

do you have a writeup for this? pics?

thanks,
bob

 

Nope, won't do one either. I usu. x-change wiring up the locker for work done on my truck. Doing a write-up would give away some of the tricks I've learned and then where would I be?

 

thanks for the info. where are you located at jake? ide love your help with the wiring. but that is a ways off. i took it to my shop and they estimated it would cost $2000 to modify my housing and set up the 4.88's. so it will be a while before i can afford that and im not comfottable with that mod myself.

 

I paid $250 canadian to get my housing modified. Setting up the gears at that point is easy, as the third is out anyway. Sound like way to much money to me.
I used the toyota relay on mine, got it for free from the yunkyard I bought my elocker off. Their attitude was, if you buy the locker you're free to search around for the switch, wiring, and the relay.
I agree with Jake about the inchworm kit. You should use the switches to turn on and off relays, which in turn run the motor. It is actually very simple and there are some diagrams floating around. I don't agree with Jakes attitude about exchanging info. That's not what Yotatech is about.
Here is a link for a diagram with relays: http://67.122.16.97/carterman/4runne...r/circuit3.gif
I would use 14 or 16 gauge wires to the motor, but the other wires to turn the relays and the light on and off can be 18 gauge.
Don't get to hung up on the type of relay. Any automotive relay will do the trick imo.

Hope this helps a bit.

 

when you paid $250 for the mod did you already have the rear axel out of the truck and just gave it to someone to modify or did they have to take the axel out and then modify it?

 

He left the axle in place, it was a little trickey but it worked out allright. This guy is a very good fabricator, and very experienced. I could not have done it that way.

 

Arjan,

I couldn't agree more.

Bob

 

so are yall using the inchworm kit in place of the factory ECU/harness/RR DIFF LOCK switch? or can you use the inchworm kit and still make it look factory? (including the RR DIFF LOCK light on the dashboard when engaged)

 

I didn't use the inchworm kit, like said above it is and overpriced set of easily available parts. The factory relay flashes the diff lock light until the locked switch on the diff closes. Then it is on solid.

 

can you make the inchwork kit, or your own kit work so you have some options the stock locker had? i want to hook it up to a stock switch and would like it to have most of the same functions ( cant engage it if going over 5 mph, flashing light so i know what its doing) but i dont feel like buying the ECu from toyota too much money.

 

I used the factory ECU and switch to keep everything as close to stock as possible.



My write up is located here:
http://home.off-road.com/~kemanuel/elocker/elocker.html

 

The 5Mph signal comes from the engine management ECU. If you don't have an '96 or newer 4Runner, likely you won't have that signal to tell the elocker ECU about the vehicle speed.