Front Eaton E-Locker Fitment Confirmed For 4G Tacoma!

[Kristian@74w]

Hey, guys!

Been in Rubicon prep mode for the past few weeks...

One upgrade that was high on the list was a front locker. I have an Off-Road, so the rear came with the factory locker. For more technical trail rides, I wanted to add something in the front. I looked into a few options, but the Eaton was available the fastest and didn't require additional mods (like an air locker, for example).

We dropped the diff in the driveway (definitely harder to do on the ground) and took it to Bent Motorsports to have them install the actual e-locker inside. They got it done quick and we got the diff back home and reinstalled everything. Currently figuring out how to best run the leads and connect power to the locker. I'm thinking we go straight to my switch panel, but we'll see how that goes.

Quick FYI... to the best of my knowledge, the new gen Toyotas all use the same 8.0 IFS front diff seen on previous generations. This is great news, because they didn't have to develop an entirely new setup. So if you're looking for lockers... check out Eaton.

https://www.eaton.com/us/en-us/catalog/differentials/eaton-elocker-differential.html

 

[rustytaco]

Good to know! I'll be doing gears soon enough, and was looking into front lockers. I also have the OR trim with factory rear. Would prefer not to have to run air lines or anything this time around. I hear good things about Eaton, too. I believe they have some relationship with Toyota and OEM lockers, etc. But I could be wrong. Don't quote me!

I've had to drop a diff in the driveway before... super annoying lol. It was on my 3G after I dropped something inside while doing the solid clamshell bushing swap. What a mess. Not the hardest thing to remove, it's just heavy and awkward. Then I had a bear of a time reconnecting everything on top of the diff, like the breather tubes. Seems like it might be a little easier with the 4G.

You'll have to let us know how it all performs, especially with the portals.

 

[BG]

I went with Eaton as well on my 6th Gen 4Runner. Dropped my diff and took it into StellarBuilt for them to install the locker. You save quite a bit of money by dropping the differential yourself at home. I still need to wire in my locker to the factory Aux switches tomorrow. We'll see how that goes. Killer post though. Glad to see you went with Eaton. Just makes sense having e-locker front and rear. No need for air lines and a manifold that go into an air locker.

 

[bdigital00]

I went with Eaton as well on my 6th Gen 4Runner. Dropped my diff and took it into StellarBuilt for them to install the locker. You save quite a bit of money by dropping the differential yourself at home. I still need to wire in my locker to the factory Aux switches tomorrow. We'll see how that goes. Killer post though. Glad to see you went with Eaton. Just makes sense having e-locker front and rear. No need for air lines and a manifold that go into an air locker.

Curious how this went. We’re got able to get enough power from the OEM AUX switch to trigger the locker?

 

[BG]

Curious how this went. We’re got able to get enough power from the OEM AUX switch to trigger the locker?

I ended up wiring the locker to the factory switch provided by Eaton. There seems to be a voltage difference from the relay on the Eaton switch vs. Auxbeam/SPOD/Switchpros. A few guys were having problems with the locker engaging when wiring the locker to a Auxbeam/SPOD/Switchpros. When wired to Auxbeam/SPOD/Switchpros, It was as if you had to turn the switch on but there was a delay in the locker engaging. You almost had to switch gear from drive to reverse and then back to drive for the locker to engage? Because we were short on time before a trip, I just wired it to the provided Eaton switch and haven't had any problems.