switching auto hubs for manual

[thmastr]

I have been searching this forum, as well as others and the internet and I have gotten conflicting information. Hopefully yall can help me sort it out.

I am in the research stage of this project.

What I have understood so far is that my 98 4-runner has ADD (automatic differential disconnect) which I would like to know more about, one of my wheels not spin when in 4wd. This means that the hub is not working correctly. In a working stock 4-runner the hubs are locked all the time and are driven whenever the 4wd is selected, the rest of the time they are still engaged but are not being powered.

I have searched for the warn locking hubs, and kits, but don't seem to find a place that sells the kits. I only find tacoma kits which are the same from 96 to 2000 taco year models.

Assuming all this is correct here are my questions.

If I am to go through with this, do I need to change the front half-axles? Wheel bearings? Any seals that are not included in the kit?


I am doing all the research cause I am in a tight budget so I cant really deal with surprise expenses. Also this is my secondary vehicle and it does see most of its milage still on road but I bought it with the intention of getting off of paved roads every weekend

 

[Aznwolf118]

http://www.sonoransteel.com/includes/templates/SonoranSteel/TechArticles/TacomaManualHubs.pdf

All you need to know.
There are a couple of other threads that put me on the fence of doing the swap myself.

 

[Kurtis]

I have been searching this forum, as well as others and the internet and I have gotten conflicting information. Hopefully yall can help me sort it out.

I am in the research stage of this project.

What I have understood so far is that my 98 4-runner has ADD (automatic differential disconnect) which I would like to know more about, one of my wheels not spin when in 4wd. This means that the hub is not working correctly. In a working stock 4-runner the hubs are locked all the time and are driven whenever the 4wd is selected, the rest of the time they are still engaged but are not being powered.

I have searched for the warn locking hubs, and kits, but don't seem to find a place that sells the kits. I only find tacoma kits which are the same from 96 to 2000 taco year models.

Assuming all this is correct here are my questions.

If I am to go through with this, do I need to change the front half-axles? Wheel bearings? Any seals that are not included in the kit?


I am doing all the research cause I am in a tight budget so I cant really deal with surprise expenses. Also this is my secondary vehicle and it does see most of its milage still on road but I bought it with the intention of getting off of paved roads every weekend

This seems like normal operation to me. This is how a differential works unless you have a locker or an LSD. With the ADD system you don't have HUB that lock/unlock. Your front wheels are always moving with your CV Axles.

99.99999% of the time when a problem exist with your differential/transmission/Axles it's fairly obvious and noisy.

Below is a video that can explain how a differential works.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K4JhruinbWc

 

[Mr. B]

I have been doing research on this too (since Feb when I grenaded a CV on the biggest mountain in the ****n world, Mauna Kea)

A couple of guys on the forums have made the swap successfully and I hope from what I've read I'm correct to a certain point.

The members on here that I've read have not used WARN, but AISIN hubs (the factory hubs that came off of base model tacomas). The easiest way to get manual locks on our runners is to swap the spindles and everything, HOWEVER, you WILL NOT keep your ABS this way.

But if you want ABS, you'll need to press them out of the tacoma spindles, then press them into the 4runner spindles.

Yes, you'll need different CV shafts due to different sizes. I was surprised to learn that manual locking hub CV's are actually weaker according to my research...but whats persuading me to convert is if I do snap a shaft, at least I can unlock whatever side is broken and continue on till I am in a safe environment to fix it (fishing trails here require to drive on lava).

Hope this helps and I hope others will chime in, cause I'm about ready to do this too!