nomaddream
New member
Hi everyone! I've done a good bit of research and can't seem to find anything regarding the issue I'm having with my ARB air locker on my 2006 4runner. Had it installed about 9 months ago at a reputable off road shop in WA state. I began hearing a whirring sound from the rear end about a month ago that got progressively louder. I took it to on off road shop in CO yesterday to have the diff fluid drained and cleaned. I thought the noise may be the wheel bearings or something. When they drained the fluid, they said there was an excessive amount of metal shavings, making the fluid a very shiny color. The copper air line had a few nice chunks out of it, presuming from it being too close the the pinion gear. They also found that the carrier bearings (I think) were all scored and not smooth. That's where they think the noise I was hearing was coming from, since the wheel bearings looked good, and when they spun the diff, that's when they heard the noise I was describing. The mechanic thinks the locker backlash was too tight, but after speaking with the first off road shop, I was told if this was the case, then the pinion gear would have failed shortly after use, just as an open diff daily driving. I've heard some horror stories of folks who have had problems with their air lockers after a faulty install, and others say they have had no problems at all when installed correctly. I'm trying to figure out what happened, as I don't want to have continual problems with something so expensive to repair. Any help is appreciated!
