Rear locker oddness

[Dan W]

Hello, I've a question about my rear locker. I recently replaced the actuator as the old one had turned to dust, with a new Toyota one (and yes my butt still hurts).

Anyhow, it was locking and unlocking ok (albeit with a little wiggle of the steering wheel).

However when there was snow on the floor on Monday I drove home and parked up. When I left garage again the diff lock light was solid on even though I'd not used the locker and was in high range. It refused to dissengage (could hear actuator going though) After many attempts it went off. Later that day after starting car the diff lock light was flickering (not the flashing you get when it's trying to engage). After a little way it stopped doing it so I thought maybe it was just water getting in somewhere and making it look as if the locker was engaged.

However now the rear locker won't engage at all and the light keeps flashing instead.

Please help as my patience is rapidly running out with this car.
Thanks very much.
Dan

 

[Dan W]

Also forgot to mention that the front locker works fine web when the rear os flashing.

 

[Chris]

Dan that's a new one on me. Perhaps it's because you still haven't been over the M1 to Chesterfield to let me have a look at it!

It might be the lock indicator. You know the spring loaded tit that sits on the top of the diff detecting when it is locked. They do fault sometimes and flickering sounds more of a rogue signal than it does actually locking. I'd pull than and give it a look see. I know that you say you can hear the motor firing, that's good, but is it ACTUALLY locked when the light is flickering or even steady. Really the only way that a signal could be sent when you in high (without the dashboard switch mod) would be if there was a fault in the 4x4 ECU which is virtually unheard of.

Chris

 

[Dan W]

It could well be that it's simply cursed, my best guess is that it was involved in the plundering of a pharaohs tomb. It's the most rational explanation for its luck
But I'll make an effort to get over to let you have a peek.
It sounds a bit like that sensor thingie, I'll have to find out what it looks like. The first time the light came on it was solid, bit it was very wet so could be that.
This afternoon I found a patch of snow and did about a 100 circles, whilst the light didn't go solid, I'm sure I heard it disengage when I turned it off.

 

[Chris]

Dan, it's the thingy with the two wire electrical plug. 27mm socket oddly (from memory) and it has a whatsit like an roll on deodorant ball on the end inside.

Chris

 

[Dan W]

I think you're right about it being the sensor. I'm sure I can hear the diff clicking when locking and unlocking the diff. I'll take a picture of it to double check I'm looking at the right bit later.
Thanks.

 

[Chris]

You can't really go wrong Dan. It's the only bit that unscrews. Looks like a great big nut with a small grey connector on top. It's just a 'press to make' switch. All it does if fire the light on the dash. I don't think that it involves the rest of the locking system. As long as the motor fires, then the front locker will fire too. Many's the time that I have had front locked and rear still flashing. Should be simple to remove, examine, clean and test.

Chris

 

[Dan W]

The sensor is on the side of the diff next to the actuator is it? If so I'll give it a whirl tonight (if we don't get any response call outs).
However, since we're talking about my landcruiser for a job to go smoothly I'll need to sacrifice a virgin goat (covers all bases) and recite several incantations in Aramaic in order to appease the evil mechanic spirits that reside within it

 

[Graham]

Don't forget the magic carpet pointing the right way.

Gra.

 

[Chris]

Dan, call outs looking very likely I'm afraid. There is almost enough snow here to leave a footprint and they're closing the school early. Lord know what we're going to do if it gets much deeper than that. I mean what if I run out of mango chutney, how am I going to get to the shops without a sled dog team!

Sorry but we are breeding a nation of PUSSIES here. My kids have never seen real snow. Not real proper cave digging road closing drifts. They wanted to sledging once - because there had been a frost!

Grrrrrrrr.

Chris

 

[TonyP]

Totally agree with you Chris. Such a big hoo haa over the last few days, and it's 'just' about settling in London.

 

[Chris]

A 'hoo haaa?' Strewth Tony, I hadn't realised it had got that bad! I mean that's nearly 4 flakes deep according to the international snow depth scale.


Right. Off to buy things I don't need. I may be some time.

C

 

[Chas]

Totally agree with you Chris. Such a big hoo haa over the last few days, and it's 'just' about settling in London.

 

[BobMurphy]

A 'hoo haaa?' Strewth Tony, I hadn't realised it had got that bad! I mean that's nearly 4 flakes deep according to the international snow depth scale.

Hmmmmm, I remember struggling to get to boarding school in 1963 . . . Shoved on a train in Nottingham, cross London, train to Taunton, bus to Wellington then walk to the school with my case. The snow was five ft deep at the sides of the road and they were still finding bodies in cars in the back roads.

Not much heating in the school either - "Tom Brown's Schooldays" didn't know the half of it


I'm from a different generation I guess.

Bob.

 

[ram]

yup i remember arriving to sunny england at the end of sep 72 as 15 yr old on my own and was put in a refugee camp @ stradishall air base (closed down after ww2)cambridgeshire.

To say it was a shock to the system was an understatement, i and all the others had arrived in tropical clothes ie. short sleeve cotton shirts and light cotton trousers which were totally unsuitable for 3ft of snow everywhere, the hardest bit was walking to the nearest shop/pub which was about a mile away for 10 cigs and a box of matches(19p for both) out of £2.10 we used to get every week.

Ahhhh them were the days very hard but memorable to say the least,the snow,the cold, food (if you have grown up eating spicy food all your life you'll know what i mean) the snow is the thing i remamber most.

 

[Dan W]

Well I think it's sorted. Took out the sensor and cleaned it, but still didn't work, so checking wiring and inside the sleeve that protects the wires, they had melted. I'm guessing from the heat that was needed to free the bolts on the actuator. So put new ones on and all is good.
Also fitted the CDL switch and that works great so all was good (Yay!).
Then it started to leak coolant out the front somewhere (FML!).