Factory E-Locker Vs. Aftermarket

K

kiehen

New member
Hey all,

New to the forum and the T4R world. I've been reading through the many threads regarding lockers, and I'm not finding quite the info I'm looking for.

Background: In my search for my 4Runner, I had originally decided I had to find one with the E-Locker and 5spd, and low mileage. That proved to be...well...impossible. So I compromised and found one with literally everything I was looking for except the locker. Luckily for me, that's correctable.

My question is this: is it worth the effort of tracking down an e-locker to pull and install, or should I save myself the headache and just buy something along the lines of an Aussie locker?

Thanks in advance!
 
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kiehen said:
Hey all,

New to the forum and the T4R world. I've been reading through the many threads regarding lockers, and I'm not finding quite the info I'm looking for.

Background: In my search for my 4Runner, I had originally decided I had to find one with the E-Locker and 5spd, and low mileage. That proved to be...well...impossible. So I compromised and found one with literally everything I was looking for except the locker. Luckily for me, that's correctable.

My question is this: is it worth the effort of tracking down an e-locker to pull and install, or should I save myself the headache and just buy something along the lines of an Aussie locker?

Thanks in advance!
Click to expand...

Elocker are known to have some problems.
-If they break, no one is standing behind it with a free replacement.
-Some take 30 seconds to engage
-The gearing code is 4.30 vs. your 4.10.

Aftermarket
-Someone is standing behind them
-Air lockers engage under 10 seconds all day long
-Gears don't matter

If it isn't your daily driver then an automatic or lunchbox locker, such as an aussie, would work great.

If it does see some street use, I suggest you hold off until you can afford a yukon zip air locker or an ARB air locker.
 
All personal preference man. Personally, I would go with a selectable locker like a ARB. (Actually, I did). I love the fact that they can be turned on and off, and, the air compressor that powers the lockers doubles as a air pump so you can air your tires back up after you air them down. But, like I said, all personal preference. I just wouldn't go with anything electrical that close to the ground. I know these things are sealed and yadda yadda, but a stray rock or big stick hitting that e-locker would end it.

I'm kinda biased thought. I hate electrical ****. Hence why I got rid of ALL my ADD stuff and went manual. Lesst stuff to go wrong with on the trail.....
 
Doc2012 said:
All personal preference man. Personally, I would go with a selectable locker like a ARB. (Actually, I did). I love the fact that they can be turned on and off, and, the air compressor that powers the lockers doubles as a air pump so you can air your tires back up after you air them down. But, like I said, all personal preference. I just wouldn't go with anything electrical that close to the ground. I know these things are sealed and yadda yadda, but a stray rock or big stick hitting that e-locker would end it.

I'm kinda biased thought. I hate electrical ****. Hence why I got rid of ALL my ADD stuff and went manual. Lesst stuff to go wrong with on the trail.....
Click to expand...

isnt your arb pump electric?
also, with an air locker you have air lines to worry about.
atleast with an e locker, you can repair damaged wires with speaker wire, or just about anything that will carry a current.
 
Both are very good. I haven't read or seen many failed e lockers or arb's. For some reason the e lockers on fzj80s seem to be problematic.

The only real downside is the external actuator for the elocker for sure. I've never hit it but if your really concerned just Fab up a thick metal plate for it .. or I'm sure they are already made by some company
 
This is my daily driver, so whatever I end up with definitely needs to be selectable. I've had several people in the last couple weeks bring up ARB, including a tech at the local Toyota dealer when we got talking about it. That's a good point about electronics and the warranty. Obviously more research and thought needs to be done. Luckily, I'm not in a hurry.

Thanks for the input so far!
 
Baja Runner said:
Both are very good. I haven't read or seen many failed e lockers or arb's. For some reason the e lockers on fzj80s seem to be problematic.

The only real downside is the external actuator for the elocker for sure. I've never hit it but if your really concerned just Fab up a thick metal plate for it .. or I'm sure they are already made by some company
Click to expand...

x2... The external locker is a disadvantage, but you won't see too many that have failed because of this (i.e. got hit on the trail), especially with cheap skid plates available. The #1, #2, and 3rd-8th reasons the e-lockers have problems is because they have been neglected. People buy a 4runner used, and the PO never engaged or cleaned around the e-locker over it's 10 year life, so it is rusted, corroded, frozen etc... Clean it up, lube it up properly, and I think it is just as reliable as all the stuff that goes into an aftermarket air system. Leave an ARB compressor under the vehicle for 10 years and it probably won't work either the first time you fire it up.

And yeah, an aftermarket system will have a warranty (for a couple years at most, then it's all on you too), but seriously, has anyone been excited to exercise a warranty? You have to ship it back, often pay the shipping, wait while the fix in being made, then re-install it again.

I won't bash something like the ARB system, because it is a great system, but I won't say that it has fewer things to go wrong than the stock e-locker system. Both are very well established, work great if taken care of, and have their own advantages/disadvantages.

If you are a hardcore rock crawler, then yeah, the ARB is better, it's stronger and you'd want the on-board air anyway, but if you are just periodically hitting the trail, and DD'ing her, then I'd probably rather have the e-locker. I think the e-locker has more potential to be picked up for cheap too, just have to find one at a junk yard.
 
Nelsonmd said:
The #1, #2, and 3rd-8th reasons the e-lockers have problems is because they have been neglected. People buy a 4runner used, and the PO never engaged or cleaned around the e-locker over it's 10 year life, so it is rusted, corroded, frozen etc... Clean it up, lube it up properly, and I think it is just as reliable as all the stuff that goes into an aftermarket air system. Leave an ARB compressor under the vehicle for 10 years and it probably won't work either the first time you fire it up.
Click to expand...

I had this exact problem w/my 4runner when I bought it, e-locker light would just blink(I believe it had never been used since new). So, blue wire mod, drove around slow making sharp turns for a minute or so and the e-locker locked in. Now, it engages almost instantly, every time. I vote E-locker.
 
I vote for arb at this point , you dont have to regear , its stronger and on board air has a ton of uses, plus its brand spanking new , though i agree with nelson onthe warranty thing , possibly paying for a install twice isn't fun, but could also be better than a junk yard find which could blow out 30 days later and then your sol , so eithercould suck, take your pick but if it wasn't stock might as well go aftermarket as opposed to retrofit in this case and i love my stock parts lol

That said there maybe an slightly used clean e locker coming up for Seattlearea soon lol still got to check the condition first though as it was treed at one point .....
 
my vote for the e-locker. cheap, and easy to fix.

I would love to figure out how to put one in the front diff.

Maybe take an rear axle housing, cut it down, and weld brackets to bolt it to the frame. Weld bearing hubs to the cut housing and install the half shafts to it.
 
nevada said:
isnt your arb pump electric?
also, with an air locker you have air lines to worry about.
atleast with an e locker, you can repair damaged wires with speaker wire, or just about anything that will carry a current.
Click to expand...

It is, but the pump is mounted high in the engine compartment, next to the battery. When I take my ABS out, I'm going to mount it there instead. The ARB Lines run high against the frame, and mount to the top of the 3rd, so there's very little chance of any rock hitting them when I'm crawling.

Plus, If the pump goes out, I can still charge the line to keep the locker engaged.

If one of the lines for some reason does break or get a hole in it, I have some Micro line from a local paintball shop that is the exact same thing. Not a hard fix at all.
 
Singtoe said:
my vote for the e-locker. cheap, and easy to fix.

I would love to figure out how to put one in the front diff.

Maybe take an rear axle housing, cut it down, and weld brackets to bolt it to the frame. Weld bearing hubs to the cut housing and install the half shafts to it.
Click to expand...

DO IT.


But yes, elocker has my vote as well. Couple hundred bucks and some elbow grease. Although OBA would be nice..
 
4-Ripcord said:
elockers came with 4.30s and 4.10s. 4.10s are very rare on 4runners, but almost ALL 1st gen tacos had 4.10 elockers.
Click to expand...

And in 4.56, in 4-cyl 4Runners equipped with the factory E-locker.

I have 4.10's W/ E-locker in my V6 5speed.

Looking at them when they were new on the Dealer lots, this is how they seemed to be invariably equipped.

V6, auto trans had 4.30 gearing when equipped with E-locker

V6 manual trans had 4.10 gearing when equipped with E-locker

I4 had 4.56 gearing when equipped with E-locker.
 
Singtoe said:
my vote for the e-locker. cheap, and easy to fix.

I would love to figure out how to put one in the front diff.

Maybe take an rear axle housing, cut it down, and weld brackets to bolt it to the frame. Weld bearing hubs to the cut housing and install the half shafts to it.
Click to expand...

ii think thats the first time ive ever heard of someone trying to keep, or fit IFS suspension under a toyota.
 
02SE said:
And in 4.56, in 4-cyl 4Runners equipped with the factory E-locker.

I have 4.10's W/ E-locker in my V6 5speed.

Looking at them when they were new on the Dealer lots, this is how they seemed to be invariably equipped.

V6, auto trans had 4.30 gearing when equipped with E-locker

V6 manual trans had 4.10 gearing when equipped with E-locker

I4 had 4.56 gearing when equipped with E-locker.
Click to expand...


Ahhhh...That makes more sense now.

I have the e-locker and love it. It gets my vote. (just get the right gearing :fro: )
 
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