1993 FXJ80 center differential lock not engaging.

[Aaron93LC]

Well, there you go. As soon as I shorted the contacts and turned the key to on, the lights came on. I don't have the proper size wrench to remove the switch at the moment. When I do I'll give it a quick look and see if it's just gummed up or if it needs replacing.

Thanks again for the help everyone!

 

[Aaron93LC]

Success!!

I must be honest, I could not wait until morning. I climbed back under the truck at 8:30pm and used a crescent wrench to get the switch off, took it in the house and cleaned it up well, and worked the action several times. Popped my 11 year old son in the truck to watch the indicator lamps and found that they were working when the diff lock was engaged. Once everything was put back together I took the truck to a local parking lot and tried the front and rear lockers. With some gentle sweeping turns they locked right up and unlocked with ease. Everything is as it should be again!

 

[clivehorridge]

Success!!

I must be honest, I could not wait until morning. I climbed back under the truck at 8:30pm and used a crescent wrench to get the switch off, took it in the house and cleaned it up well, and worked the action several times. Popped my 11 year old son in the truck to watch the indicator lamps and found that they were working when the diff lock was engaged. Once everything was put back together I took the truck to a local parking lot and tried the front and rear lockers. With some gentle sweeping turns they locked right up and unlocked with ease. Everything is as it should be again!

Well, apart from my comments being misguided to the extent that I realized it was best to just shut up, I'm really glad you have it sorted Aaron!

Chris is one of the experts in this field and once he'd started commenting I left it to him.

The 80 is awesome once it gets to know you!

You're going to enjoy having fun with it. Just take a little care when the front I locked up, steering becomes heavy and unresponsive as you may imagine and on soft sand steering will probably become impossible!

Enjoy!

 

[Chris]

Thanks Clive - but there is a difference between just knowing stuff and being an expert. I'm definitely in the former category.

The 80 is very good in standard form as you have discovered. All thngs being equal, your 80 should have a centre viscous coupling. So even without the centre locker, the wheels get some drive in slippery or soft conditions. In other words, if you remove the front prop, the vehicle will still drive some. Without this feature and a completely open diff the front drive flange will just spin and you get no drive at all. When all the wheels have grip, then all the wheels get drive, obviously. But on sand you have the potential for weight transfer to bog the rears and let the fronts spin out. I'm not going to try and define which is which, but the 80 VC makes the difference between full time 4x4 and permanent 4x4. I have a VX and a GS and the GS doesn't get the VC in the transfer box. I think I can feel a difference. I have a spare T box and one of my plans is to see if the front housing with the VC in it will fit the GS. Not necessary, but I like to mess about with stuff.

Keep us posted

 

[Aaron93LC]

Hey Chris, I have a question for you regarding that pin 7 mod. I was under the impression (perhaps falsely) that what it did was to allow me to unlock the center diff while in 4L, but you mentioned something about the gear changes. What was that about? BTW, I still have not done that mod, so take heart!

 

[Chris]

Hi Aaron, glad it's fixed. Great news.

OK pin 7. We are still not completely clear on that mod. We don't do it you see. But as we understand it, it affects the auto box gear change intervals when in low range. Nothing to do with the locker. Now that you working properly, you can fit the dashboard switch. This allows full control over the centre diff. Low or high range. But if you fit the switch and then go into low, when you drive, the box will scream it's nuts off and then change gear really aggressively which off road isn't very helpful. We then unplug one of the connectors on the auto box underneath and miraculously, the gear change intervals then mirror the high range change intervals. Put yours in low and go drive it. Even without the dash switch mod, you should find the change intervals are hideous. A really long 1st gear before it changes. Our understanding of the pin 7 mod (well MY understandiing) is that it is something to do with KEEPING those long intervals. There are loads of us here who have unplugged the plug ans stuck in a dash switch. We now have total control over the diffs and ratios. It couldn't be any better. Even if I am wrong about the pin 7 mod, whatever it does do, we don't need it.

It could be that cutting pin 7 is the same as unplugging the plug on the box and in fact it is about achiveing the same thing in a different way. But that is counter to what we believe it to be.

 

[Gary820]

Which plug Chris?

 

[Chris]

I knew someone would ask me that. Grrr. Well, feet under the engine, looking back at the rear output side of the transfer box, there is a plug up on the top at about 13.00 O'clock. That changes the ratios. Ask Gav. We did his on Strata when Keith broke his leg. He was so giddy, I thought he'd grown another c***. if that doesn't work, just unplug another one until it does. They are all very similar.

 

[clivehorridge]

You do make me laugh Chris

 

[Chris]

I know, I know. There aren't actually any plugs under there at all Clive. Busted. Yep I made the whole thing up. I don't even have a Landcruiser

 

[Gary820]

Cheers Chris will have a look tomorrow eve.

 

[Aaron93LC]

Well Chris, like I said, I believe in the voice of experience. I do believe that when it stops raining in a week or so I shall go under the truck and take a look. No sense in messing with a system that's not broken. Thanks!