1999 Toyota 4Runner E-Locker Swap

    Here is a how to on my recent E-Locker swap on my 1999 4Runner that hopefully could help out someone.

    First I found two E-Locker third members on Facebook Marketplace for 400$. I sold one to East Coast Gear to help fund the project. The locker I kept, I completely disassembled and thoroughly cleaned it. I used a bearing puller to help the job along (YGA-56072). I then removed my rear axle assembly and rolled it into my shop. I decided to reuse my old ring and pinion gears as I did not want to regear. I used the Yukon kit YGA-10309, that I borrowed from a friend, to measure the pinion depth and measured the backlash before disassembling my open differential. My backlash was .008 in. I ordered new bearings and a E-Locker retrofit kit from YotaMasters. Next I installed my old ring gear and new carrier bearings on the locker carrier housing. Next using the Yukon YGA-10309 Kit I set my pinion depth. Then I set my pinion preload. I was using the solid spacer that came in the Yotamasters kit so I had to play around with the shim spacing until I got the pinion preload set. Mine was around 10inlb. Once my pinion depth and preload was good I was able to install the pinion seal and perform the final assembly. I set my backlash to .008in. Next I used the gasket that comes in the retrofit kit to mark out the window I needed to cut to clear the locker shift fork. I used a cutoff wheel and jigsaw to cut it out. Last I set the locker housing in the axle housing to drill out the new holes so I could tap and install the new studs.

    Second was to make a wiring harness. I used the wiring schematic as pictured below. I ordered two relays and a indicator light from summit. For a switch I had a On-Off-On momentary switch laying around. I had trouble finding the connector for the actuator plug so I had to use the actuator connectors from a 1997 4Runner transfer case actuator that I got at LKQ. The lock status switch connector is the same as the one on the transfer case so I grabbed one of them as well. Far as wire I cut a long section of harness out of the donor 4Runner at LKQ. Once I had my components I used seven wires from the donor harness, two were around 14awg to run the motor in the actuator, to make the main harness. Next I solder on my new connector to the existing locker actuator and then soldered on the lock switch and actuator connector to my harness. To protect to wire i just wrapped it in some plastic loom. Once my harness was built I routed it up through the floor above the rear drivers spring, under the back seat, then along the factor harnesses by the door jams up to the front dash. Once routed i soldered on my relay connectors so i could assemble my relay bases. Once done I plugged in the relays and ziptied them under the dash. For the switch and lock status light I mounted them in one of the provided blanks in the dash.

    Lastly I reinstalled the third member, rolled the axle back under my 4runner, plugged in the harness and checked everything out

Tools:

Puller: https://www.summitracing.com/parts/yga-56072

Pinion Depth: https://www.summitracing.com/parts/yga-10309

Dial Indicator: https://www.summitracing.com/parts/sum-900016-1

Parts:

Retrofit Kit: https://www.yotamasters.com/shop/differential/e-locker-control-retrofit-parts/toyota-e-locker-differential-gasket-2/

Bearing Kit: https://www.yotamasters.com/shop/differential/master-setup-kits/yotamasters-setup-kits/yotamasters-toyota-8-master-setup-kits-includes-solid-spacer/

Relays: https://www.summitracing.com/parts/prf-80129

Indicator light: https://www.summitracing.com/parts/prf-80204

LKQ: https://www.lkqpickyourpart.com/

How to resource:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W-GN-1bgZwU