e-locker wiring

[corax]

I've read a bunch of the write-ups and seen several ways to wire an elocker up without using the ECU. For those that have one, what are you doing and how do you like it? I've narrowed it down to 2 basic methods:

1) from http://carterswebsite.com/4runner/mods/locker/ - simple to wire, 2 relays, uses a momentary switch that gets pushed in one direction to lock & the other to unlock

http://carterswebsite.com/4runner/mods/locker/circuit3.gif


2) I also found this one over on Mud - it looks like the momentary switch only needs to be a single pole (if it&#39;s unlocked it&#39;ll "know" to lock and vice versa <- I like that idea because it means I can use a rocker guard to prevent accidental engagement, is that the way this cicuit works?

http://www.yankeetoys.org/black900rr/FJ80/fox-fj80-rear.gif

[mastacox]

I would do the simpler (first) method with a switch like this:

http://www.jamestowndistributors.com/userportal/woeimages/Engine/11937.jpg
http://www.jamestowndistributors.com/userportal/show_product.do?pid=11937&BASE

I personally don&#39;t think you have to worry about "accidentally" actuating the locker when driving down the highway, unless you have itchy fingers. You would have the same problem with ARB lockers...

[corax]

Thanks for the link, that's a nice switch



I personally don't think you have to worry about "accidentally" actuating the locker when driving down the highway, unless you have itchy fingers. You would have the same problem with ARB lockers...


Occasionally other people drive the truck and I really don't want anyone playing with the switch while they're cruising(my understanding is that it's bad to lock the rear at speed) - I might hide a simple master switch to disable it completely

[4x4mike]

Occasionally other people drive the truck and I really don't want anyone playing with the switch while they're cruising(my understanding is that it's bad to lock the rear at speed) - I might hide a simple master switch to disable it completely


I put a safety switch on mine for the same reason. 99% of the other person driving is my wife and 99.9% of the time she won't need the locker but I don't want it turned on if she's flipping switches for fog lights, wipers, etc.


The first wiring method you have seems to be the most popular. I believe it's the same as Sean and 12 volt guy. I used the ecu because I could, it was available and my setup looks mostly stock for something that would have come in my year 4Runner.

[slosurfer]

Sean did mine, so I&#39;m not exactly sure how he did it. I supplied the short harness (from the diff to main harness) and the switch and he made the rest.

Hopefully he&#39;ll chime in on which method he used. Mine has worked perfect since I installed it. I used a toggle switch with a cover. The toggle switch has a led tip that lets me know if the locker is really engaged. When you flip the switch on, the led won&#39;t actually light up till the locker engages, same goes for when I turn it off.

I always have kids in and around my 4runner when I&#39;m out, hence why I wanted a safety cover on mine. Also, it&#39;s labeled and with the cover, much less likely that someone else driving the 4runner would mess with it.

I&#39;m not too concerned with the one in the tacoma with the stock setup because I haven&#39;t modded it yet, so it only engages in 4lo and under 5mph.

http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e113/slosurfer27/4runner/elocker/IMG_8062.jpg

[Robinhood4x4]

I used the first one and it works fine. Prior to going with an elocker in the front I had front and rear ARBs in my IFS and had it wired per the ARB instructions. When I went to solid axle and the front elocker I just wired it using the first diagram but also wired it into the ARB wiring. So that means the front won't lock unless the rear is locked.

My compressor switch, rear locker switch and front locker switch are all near the center console, rear of the shifters. With my little dogs running around, they have occasionally hit those buttons.

[corax]

Hopefully he'll chime in on which method he used. Mine has worked perfect since I installed it. I used a toggle switch with a cover. The toggle switch has a led tip that lets me know if the locker is really engaged. When you flip the switch on, the led won't actually light up till the locker engages, same goes for when I turn it off.

I like that. So when you close the cover and the switch flips off it unlocks, correct? That'd be nice as it eliminates the need for a single pole double throw momentary switch (which kills the possibility of a cover) and seems like it'd be simpler.

[slosurfer]

.... So that means the front won't lock unless the rear is locked.


Don't you run into times where you wish you could just have the front locked and the rear unlocked?





I like that. So when you close the cover and the switch flips off it unlocks, correct? That'd be nice as it eliminates the need for a single pole double throw momentary switch (which kills the possibility of a cover) and seems like it'd be simpler.


Yep, just close the cover and it unlocks it. Sometimes, I'll flip the switch to make sure the led light goes off and then I'll close the cover. Most the time I just flip the cover down though to turn it off.

[Robinhood4x4]

Not really, especially since I have stock birfields.

[Obi..]

x2 or x3 for the Carter version and a carling switch. Never had any problems with the two i've done and IIRC the two shops I associate with have also been using the same basic deal for a while.

As for accidental activation, who else is driving it besides you and your lady?

[Seanz0rz]

i use a version of the second schematic for my control systems that i sell. im working on a more robust, feature rich, maybe solid state version.

[Marc P]

I had mine made by 12VGuy...he hooked it up and it works great

http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b251/MarcP1971/e-lock021.jpg

http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b251/MarcP1971/e-lock024.jpg

[corax]

I decided to go with option #1 for now just because it&#39;s simpler and the relays are 1/2 the price of the double pole versions needed for option #2. Instead of a momentary on-off-on toggle, I picked up a regular single pole double throw toggle - it doesn&#39;t have a middle "off" position, will let me use a toggle guard, and unless I&#39;m missing something in the diagram, should work just as well as the momentary (once the limit switch goes open, the relay turns off and everything stops anyway)

relay & project box I used (not pictured is the 9 pin connector, only needed 8 pins)
http://i280.photobucket.com/albums/kk171/batardsalamano/axle%20stuff/100_6120.jpg

soldered, assembled and bench tested with a test light instead of the locker actuator as load - just enough wire to pull both relay boards out of the box
http://i280.photobucket.com/albums/kk171/batardsalamano/axle%20stuff/100_6162.jpg

ready to go - just have to JBWeld the connector to the box once I&#39;m sure there are no glitches - I used my trusty dremel to scribe the connector pin-out onto the lid for future reference
http://i280.photobucket.com/albums/kk171/batardsalamano/axle%20stuff/100_6164.jpg

[corax]

I finally finished the rest of this - the original controller bench tested fine, but after I ran the wire in the truck and plugged it in, it buzzed for a few seconds and died. I&#39;ve run into that before on board mount relays and I&#39;m not really sure why they do this occasionally, so I threw together another controller - all the terminals are marked so if the relays die I can still actuate the elocker using jumper wires
http://i280.photobucket.com/albums/kk171/batardsalamano/axle%20stuff/09diffcontrolv2.jpg

the rear harness mounted up nicely using pre-existing holes in the tank bracket
http://i280.photobucket.com/albums/kk171/batardsalamano/axle%20stuff/06diffharness.jpg

I used the step drill to make a huge hole for the e-locker connector to go through and used a spare grommet I had to seal it all up
http://i280.photobucket.com/albums/kk171/batardsalamano/axle%20stuff/07bodygrommet.jpg

wiring run and the controller just about ready to be mounted
http://i280.photobucket.com/albums/kk171/batardsalamano/axle%20stuff/08controlconnector.jpg

The only problem I ran into is that the rear diff locked but now it won&#39;t unlock electrically - the voltage is switching the way it&#39;s supposed to, so I&#39;m thinking the actuator is either jammed or stuck on a "dead spot"

*edit* took the actuator off and found out the 3 "fingers" for the lock and unlock limit switches weren&#39;t making contact well enough, bent them out a bit and everything works perfect (even the original controller with the board mount relays) :D