Was crusin thrugh some muck in my newly acquired Taco (99 TRD automatic) and used the rear diff lock a couple times. All seemed well. On the way out of our local pits, i got stuck on a steep incline and decided to try the lockers again.

(might be important to know i DONT have an extended breather on my tranny case and was going through some DEEP water) I wasnt a retard and i DIDNT try turning the RR DIFF lock while the wheels were turning. i made sure the truck was in neutral to turn it on and off.

anyways, i needed a tug to get out. once out i noticed my diff lock light was still on after turning the switch off. my friend suggested a fuze may have got wet, and i agreed. however once out of the pits it was QUITE obvious that My rear diff locker is now stuck ON.

it doesnt disengage either by using the switch or by shifting out of 4L. i now have my rear lockers on all the time ( in 2H, 4H, 4L ). Im guessing the solonoid is seized. i let the thing sit for a couple hours afterwards to see if maybe it was water that had got in and either shorted the electrical, or into the solonoid and hoped it would drain out.

Now when i shift into 4H to N to 4L it grinds a little. (however it DIDNT do that at all before letting it sit)

My truck is now sitting at the dealership who hasnt contacted me yet.

Whats my biggest concern here?
Any speculations as to what happened and whats broken?


oh yeah .. 1st post by the way
*sigh*

 

welcome, and bummer about your rear locker.

I'm thinking you have water and muck (mud) in there. Which means, they (Stealership) will want to replace the bearings, maybe the ring and pinion gear, thrust washers, etc. This could an expensive fix. Better spend a few bucks and make an extended breather for your diff, especially if you are going to be playing in mud.

This is the very reason I don't like crossing rivers or getting into water. I used to think crossing rivers was cool. But, seals get old and cracked, water gets in, and then its just a mess, which can be very expensive to fix. Ergo, your situation.

 

If the diff breather was below water it probably got sucked in. If it were me, I'd drain the gear oil into something and check to see how much (if any) water/dirt got in there (catch the oil in something clean and inspect for water). If any got in, flush it out real good and refill with new oil and try it. While dirty water won't be good for the bearings and gears I don't think I'd replace them until they started making a lot of noise or leaking, unless the locker needed repair or for some other reason you had the diff apart anyway. Maybe its just the actuator or something simple. Good luck and welcome.