Engaging E-Lockers in motion?

[thecriscokid]

I have gotten to know the lockers on my 94 80 series and how they operate. Everything says lock them while stopped but then most times you need to move or slip a tire for everything to align. Can they be engages while moving but not under load? I don't see why the stress would be any greater or it might be less if you were say: driving in sand, let off gas, Turn dial,slight turn to help engage and then get back on the gas.
I was randomly watching a video about Oztents and got onto this video. right near the end the driver is flipping on and off his ARBs while he is going. It got me thinking

http://youtu.be/FCn3PNU27fQ

 

[Airmonger]

From what I understand, which is limited to be honest, you can engage the lockers under five mph. Once they are engaged you can go faster than 5 mph but not before. also if they wont engage you can try driving in circles on hard surfaces or let your tires spin a little bit on loose surfaces.

 

[Toy-Roverlander]

I can actuate the E-lockers at any speed on mine if I want to. I try to look ahead and see if I need one or both lockers and try to engage them before making a turn. That will help the rear locker to engage. The front locks easily.
When I'm in a sticky situation and need the locker I engage it and very slowly create a little wheelspin. Trying to use as little power possible to help engage the locker. When locked I don't mind giving it hell..
Engaging the locker with a heavy load on them is a very bad idea.
Speed shouldn't matter, whether you're doing 5mph or 50mph, the locking collar and the side gear spin at practically the same speed. I reckon it's just a safety feature.

 

[Desert Dan]

It is best to engage them before you need them.

Don't try to engage the locker whilst the wheels are spinning especially if one side is spinning and the other is not.

If you are going in a straight line with no wheel spin/slippage you should be good to enagage. Probably best at lower speed though.

 

[Toy-Roverlander]

..

It is best to engage them before you need them.
Agreed, but unfortunately sometimes you misjudge and have to.

Don't try to engage the locker whilst the wheels are spinning especially if one side is spinning and the other is not.

If you are going in a straight line with no wheel spin/slippage you should be good to enagage. Probably best at lower speed though.


Sometimes you have too. The front locker, and ARB's have very fine splines on the locking collar so they engage real quick with only minimal wheel speed difference between left and right. The rear E-locker of the 80Series has like 6big lugs on the locking collar so there's, in the worst case, 60degrees of difference needed between the left and right wheel before it engages. That's why it doesn't engage quickly and the reason you have to do a turn or have to create some slow wheelspin to line it all up for it to engage. As long as you do this with a bit of mechanical sympathy it shouldn't cause much of a problem.

 

[Buckru]

I take a little different approach to locking up. If I think I need to lock the rear, I click the nob and the light blinks away. Move forward into obstacle and if I don't need the locker it probably won't engage and keep blinking. If I do need it, enough slip has been created for it to engage. All done at slow crawl speed. If you have the centeer diff switch, you can lock the center and rear, then unlock both with the diff switch. Press the diff switch again and both lock up. Great for high traction areas between obstacles (Moab).


Buck

 

[Mr. Leary]

Lock while moving. Not a problem if you are going slow. I usually lock up the rear when I shift to 4LO, so I'm stopped anyways, but if I'm in my cruiser I usually like to make sure that they are all fully engaged before I start to put load on the diffs.

 

[adventureduo]

I've always locked my e-lockers while moving. Usually like the above said, before i get to the obstacle where i may need them. Pulling a trailer i usually only get one chance to make it thought something.. and actually, come to think of it i don't think mine will lock sitting still. They almost always need movement to engage and disengage. Same with my ARB air lockers i've ran.

 

[Mr. Leary]

I've always locked my e-lockers while moving. Usually like the above said, before i get to the obstacle where i may need them. Pulling a trailer i usually only get one chance to make it thought something.. and actually, come to think of it i don't think mine will lock sitting still. They almost always need movement to engage and disengage. Same with my ARB air lockers i've ran.

Yep. My e lockers usually require a little back and forth in order to lock up, but they will not lock up if you just hammer down outta there!

 

[adi]

If I engage my lockers above 5 mph, the light will just blink. Its only after I drop below 5mph that I hear the relay click and the light goes solid as they engage.

ARB is more lenient with vehicle speed and engaging the lockers (and more aggressive in their locking) , but Toyota OEM (early 80 LC at least) only allows them to lock under 5mph.

Depending on terrain, it might take some movement or sawing the wheel to get the wheel speed different to get them to engage, so I always lock them before they are needed.

 

[Toy-Roverlander]

Disconnect the number 4 wire on the computer, where the speed sensor connects to and you can engage them at any speed.

This is my revised version of the wiring diagram for the lockers. No need to have the centre diff locked (don't have CDL) and abel to engage at any speed.

 

[ShottsCruisers]

Don't try to engage the locker whilst the wheels are spinning especially if one side is spinning and the other is not.

BEST advice I've read on this thread! If you're stuck and one wheel is in the air and the other spinning....even at IDLE....don't lock! Use your brake first to stop the spinning wheel, then lock and proceeed from there. Imagine the stress on the components when the spinning wheel (100+ pounds) suddenly goes STOP when that locker kicks in. NOT GOOD and folks have experienced breakage.