Tacoma IFS Common Problem?

[mojave joe]

My 95 Tacoma was re geared a couple years ago by Yota Masters in Corona, CA. I haven't been out much at all to enjoy the truck, I doubt I have a 100 miles actually on the gear set. Last weekend on Cedar Cyn Rd. (a portion of the Mojave) which is a graded dirt road, while cruising along about 30 mph (hubs locked, in 2 wheel drive) the front end locked solid and I skidded to a stop. (Thank God I wasn't on pavement).
I was able to unlock the hubs and continue in 2 wheel drive, but we bailed out at Baker rather that deal with the soft sand further on.

Anyone experience problems like this? I did not install a locker as I was told, leave it open and it will be okay. I really hate to fix it again without making a improvement, but I don't know what to do.

 

[RememberTheFallen]

Have you drained the oil and looked for shavings or better yet pulled the diff?

 

[mtnkid85]

That's going to be the first step. Right now we really cant say what the problem is. Is there any oil in it at all? Was it making any noise before hand?
Just need to dig into it and see what happened.

 

[Stoffregen Motorsports]

100 miles only? Or 100 miles in 4wd?

If 100 miles only, take it back to the shop that set it up and have them warranty it. That's still in the zone where if it was set up improperly, it will have problems. You should always take it to the shop that set it up before you take it apart and inspect it yourself. There will be telltale signs that may be destroyed if you tear into it yourself. It's like forensic science.

Those diffs, often referred to as the "clamshell" style, are a pain in the butt to set up properly because you can't see inside them when your setting up the pre-load on the bearings, so a lot of shops take shortcuts while building them.

I hate building them...

If you do drain the oil, save it so you can show it to the mechanic.

 

[mojave joe]

I probably was in 4wheel drive several hundred feet. When it locked up I was driving in 2 wheel, with the hubs engaged at around 30mph. No apparent metal in the oil, no noise, no abuse.

He has offered to look at it, but he is moving his shop and will be closed for a few weeks. I am considering looking for a used replacement. Will a 4Runner unit swap in?

 

[troyboy162]

. Will a 4Runner unit swap in?

yes. The 4wheel drive actuators vary but you can bolt on your original one to what ever diff you buy and slap the unit in there. Enjoy...they are heavy and cumbersome to remove and install. Also locked 7.5" diffs are ok. The arb locker actually replaces the spider gears that are a weak point of our front diffs.

 

[Disturbed Industries]

ive seen once or twice where the oil level wasnt high enough, starved the pinion for oil, and locked up. the oil that came out was clean, but the pinion was destroyed from running dry. if thats not the case, i would hazard a guess that they may have not allowed enough backlash. theyre a pain in the *** to set up but with a little patience it should be fine. ive set up tons, including for a few guys on here without issues. they should cover it, good luck!

 

[Stoffregen Motorsports]

I've driven out of the trail before without any gear oil in the diff, because of a huge hole in the cover. If it was low on oil it still should not have grenaded like that with as few miles as you say.