ARB AirLocker Problem

[AlexJet]

I have 2005 Toyota 4Runner which is outfitted with ARB RD132 locker. Locker was installed by professional mechanic in 2009.

A few month back I've mentioned that I'm having differential oil in my air line to compressor. After bringing the truck to the mechanic he changed the seal on the locker 2 weeks ago.

The truck has only 1'000km (600mi) and was used for daily work commute in city driving condition since the seal change. Truck was not off-roading or high speed driven for that time. Meanwhile I mentioned that it has oil in the air line again.

What can it be? Its a new seal and less the 1'000km (600mi) on it. Breather is removed from the axle for break-in period purpose. Any ideas or suggestions where the problem can be?

 

[01tundra]

Could be not enough preload on the carrier bearings, allowing enough deflection for some oil to get past the air collar seals.

The ARB in my 14-bolt used to get some fluid in the air line from time to time, but mine ended up being a blocked vent causing over pressurization.

ARB's have always been a little touchy in Toyota rear axles. The 8.4" that came in the early Tundras and Tacomas were plaqued with housing deflection issues that would cause the ARB's to leak and act up......thought they had that all resolved though.

I would recommend calling ARB and speaking to one of their techs, they're usually really helpful and can offer up some things to look for.

 

[teotwaki]

I think that there is a thread or two on this topic somewhere here in the forum. I agree about the breather valve. I don't know what amount of pressure it takes to open them up. The Toyota breather valve on the rear axle is normally closed until enough pressure builds up for it to vent to the outside. I think that axle air pressure is what forces the oil through the ARB diff and up the air line. If you have a remote diff breather try replacing it with a small air filter

 

[97kurt]

Those seals are easy to mess up when replacing. A friend of mine with an 80 series had to have his torn apart 3 times before it was fixed. If you rule out a clogged breather then its either the seal again or the diff is possibly overfilled.

 

[AlexJet]

Breather is removed, so its open line there. This rules out the breather.
I have 2 plugs, one on the bottom for draining and another on the side for filling. I filled 3L there (capacity by manual is 3.2) up to the plug, may be 1/4" below the plug.

Seal again????

What about that deflection? Do you mean that something has enough play there?

 

[97kurt]

Was the truck on stands when you filled it?

 

[cruiseroutfit]

A few of my experiences here:
http://www.cruiseroutfitters.com/tech_ARB_troubleshoot.html

 

[ldivinag]

early on, i had a massive problem with mine.

originally, 4 wheel parts who did the install said some oil is normal i mean small amount. so when the manager was looking at the top of solenoid i release the locker and a big amount of gear oil shot up and hit him in the face. while he didnt suffer from anything (like getting burned) we had a laugh.

turns out, one side of carrier was tighten down a wee bit much, so the other side had some gap. this allowed the gear oil to get in and exit through the blue line.

after they took it apart and fixed it, i have small amount. say if you put a napkin on top of the solenoid vent hole, maybe 1-2 drops...

 

[AlexJet]

Was the truck on stands when you filled it?

On the ground.

 

[AlexJet]

A few of my experiences here:
http://www.cruiseroutfitters.com/tech_ARB_troubleshoot.html

Wow, this was an interesting reading. Summarizing the article it seams that only re-doing the locker parts solve the issue: "We replaced the cylinder cap, u-ring/bonded seal, and used the newly introduced "square" cross-section o-rings". This seams like similar issue I'm experiencing with. My locker is engaging after 1.5 minutes (time to push all oil out of the line back to the diff) and about the same time to disengage it.
BTW, was this procedure fully suggested by ARB specialist or he just asked to clean the locker internals out of oil?

 

[taco chaser]

Any photos of the location of your air line ?? If the 7/16" npt air fitting was tapped to close to or above the ring gear then there is a good amount of pressure from the oil being slung off the ring gear at road speeds. That could cause the oil to blow bye that little O ring, and that could also be why the seal failed again after being replaced. A good rule of thumb is to always try and locate the vent or ARB fitting as far from the ring gear side of the housing as possibile. Axle vents will also fill up with oil if not located right.

 

[cruiseroutfit]

...BTW, was this procedure fully suggested by ARB specialist or he just asked to clean the locker internals out of oil?

Not fully understanding your question but I think you are asking why we decided to replace the cylinder cap? After an unsuccessful attempt at new o-rings we had to look deeper at the cause, turned out the marks in the cylinder cap were the culprit. We did in fact pressure test the locker after the new o-rings, something we do on all ARB setups. We'll test them at a high pressure (120psi), spin them, rock them back and forth and record any leak down. My only guess is that the actual load on the locker was causing the leak down through the cylinder cap flaws. I've been through this on a handful of other lockers and in every other case it has been improperly installed o-rings or seal housings. Seal housings that were being deflected when installed in the housing, the line being pulled tight to the bulkhead, etc.

 

[AlexJet]

Could you specify what parts have you changed in general and cap in particular?

I changed only the O-rongs (13).
Are you talking about flange cup (1)?

1 - ARB-027309 Flange Cap Assembly - 1
2 - ARB-160702 Bonded Seal - 1
3 - ARB-050806 Clutch Gear - 1
4 - ARB-060403 Short Cross Shaft - 2
5 - ARB-060204 Long Cross Shaft - 1
6 - See Note Side Gear - 1 (note 3)
7 - ARB-151010 Side Gear Thrust Washer - 2
8 - ARB-200213 Countersunk Screw - 2
9 - ARB-120601 Retaining Pin - 3
10 - Not Supplied Tapered Roller Bearing (note 2)
11 - ARB-150601 Seal Housing Retaining Clip - 1
12 - ARB-081901 Seal Housing Assembly - 1
13 - ARB-160207 Seal Housing O-Rings - 2 (note 1)
14 - ARB-100101 Adjuster Nut - 1
15 - ARB-150113 Return Springs - 8
16 - See Note Splined Side Gear - 1 (note 3)
17 - See Note Pinion Gear - 4 (note 3)
18 - ARB-151110 Pinion Thrust Washer - 4
19 - ARB-070201 Spider Block - 1
20 - ARB-013009 Differential Case - 1
ARB-100103 - Adjuster Nut - 1
ARB-170111 - Bulkhead Fitting Kit (O-Ring Type) - 1
ARB-170201 - Push-in Fitting (5mm to 1/8" BSPP) - 1
ARB-170501 - Nipple (1/8" to 1/8" BSPT) - 1
ARB-170301 - Air Line (5mm Dia X 6m Long) - 1
ARB-180103 - Solenoid Valve (12v) - 1
ARB-180209 - Switch - 1
ARB-180210 - Switch Cover (Front) - 1
ARB-180211 - Switch Cover (Rear) - 1
ARB-180301 - Cable Tie - 10
ARB-210101 - Warning Label - 1

Notes:
1 For replacement O-rings use only BS136 Viton 75
2 For 80mm Bearing OD use Timken Bearing #32010X (ARB# 160116)
2 For 83mm Bearing OD use Koyo or SKF bearing TR100802-2 (ARB# 160118)
3 Available only as complete 6 gear set # 728H111

 

[cruiseroutfit]

Correct, our 'Flange Cap Assembly' had some damage/flaws to the bearing/seal surface that was causing a pumping of oil.

Fwiw on some models part (1) is called the 'Cylinder Cap' hence my verbage.

 

[AlexJet]

I talked to ARB and explained my case. The Head Tech manager override the payment and sent me one as warranty to my locker. GREAT CUSTOMER SERVICE!

Here is the box:

Inside the box:

Purge Valve installed:

Purge Valve connected: