hilux adjustable diff locator

Post by **diesel028** » Sat Dec 11, 2004 8:50 pm

Just wondering if these things are a 100% necessary item on a lux as mine has just snapped at the top weld (where the threaded rod meets the mount) whilst driving home from work. Cant think why it would have snapped. So i was gonna leave it off til its fixed, anyone else had this happen to them?

Craig

Post by **spazbot** » Sat Dec 11, 2004 9:00 pm

you will def notice thats its not there
try driving along and juping on the brakes and watch it change lanes

Post by **diesel028** » Sat Dec 11, 2004 9:32 pm

yeah thats what made me realise there was sumthing wrong. the guy in the lane next to me shit himself too.

so is that all i should be worried about, just some brake steer or is it gonna damage sumthing if i drive round for a while without it on?

Post by **spazbot** » Sat Dec 11, 2004 9:46 pm

brake steer will be your main concern, i found i could predict it when i had it and just let the steerign wheel move within reason cuase if ya fight it its when it turns

Post by **objet** » Sun Dec 12, 2004 1:40 am

I'm thinking of moving my front axle forward (maybe 30mm?) to fit bigger tyres and no rubbing and one of the things that looks like its gotta change length also is the diff locator. Are adjustable ones available or is it a case of welding one up at the right length?

Post by **Hybrid** » Sun Dec 12, 2004 2:55 pm

objet wrote:I'm thinking of moving my front axle forward (maybe 30mm?) to fit bigger tyres and no rubbing and one of the things that looks like its gotta change length also is the diff locator. Are adjustable ones available or is it a case of welding one up at the right length?

Dunno about adjustable but it would be a piece of piss to cut it halfway then sleeve it with the right length tight fitting tube then reweld. Would practically look stock too.

Post by **pulux** » Sun Dec 12, 2004 2:59 pm

Are adjustable ones available

Me thinks you should maybe read the thread title..

Post by **high n mighty** » Sun Dec 12, 2004 4:30 pm

I took mine for a quick belt last week with only the front shaft in and obviously in 4wd. It also pulled the oppisite way when giving it some in first gear...

Post by **My Lil Lux** » Sun Dec 12, 2004 9:55 pm

As Stumped will testify, the bracket for the locator, pulled out of the chassis on way to Rover Park from Sydney, and it was a wild ride, almost rolled outside of Muswelbrook trying to steer right and lux trying to go left, I had a Snake adjustable rod which bent like a Banana, since then I put my original back on and cut & shut, wasn't a prob till the bracket got reefed out of the chassis, If I don't do my Hi-steer soon, I'm gonna try and make one so it can be removed when out in the bush, with a pin or something, but yeah you need it if your not running X-over.

Post by **Gribble** » Mon Dec 13, 2004 11:02 am

Yeh the same thing happened to mine, went up to lithgow for a 4b and on the way home noticed that the brakes were causing the truck to steer off the road (scary at 100km/h). Pulled up at bilpin and saw the control rod hanging in front of the diff with the mount and half the chassis still attached to it! :shock:

So, then I got the mount put back on the chassis and re-inforced so that it wouldn't break. Next trip i ripped off the front drivers side spring hanger. :roll:

It was my motivitation to get X-over steering fitted. Now it never plays up and the POS steers like it should have from factory! I recomend it.

But to answer your question, It may perform good offroad, but it will be a pig on the road. Its the braking drama thats the biggest worry, it may not break anything as a direct cause of leaving it out, but if you brake and steer into a rather large immovable object (tree, pole, cliff etc.) then yes its not a good idea to have it out.

Post by **high n mighty** » Mon Dec 13, 2004 1:38 pm

Mine ripped off the diff housing, not the chassis. A little weird that everyones went the other way

Post by **spazbot** » Mon Dec 13, 2004 3:48 pm

ripped mine out of the chassis aswell

Post by **Gribble** » Mon Dec 13, 2004 5:24 pm

spazbot wrote:ripped mine out of the chassis aswell

That looks familiar

Post by **My Lil Lux** » Mon Dec 13, 2004 8:21 pm

Yeh same, and I snapped my drivers side spring hanger 3 weeks ago, 3 trips after locator ripped out.

Post by **Gribble** » Mon Dec 13, 2004 8:59 pm

Its because they are fighting one another when the supension travels, kinda hard to explain in text, but if you look hard enough at your front suspension and picture it travelling you will notice what i mean. Its because the lengths of the locator rod compared tp the centre bolt in the spring to its front eye are different.

There are 3 outcomes from this (which i have had ALL 3 happen!!!!!

)
1. Locator rod breaks at the chassis mount (or in HnM's case the diff, and no ive never heard of that either)
2. The drivers spring sags prematurely,
3. The drivers side front hanger breaks around the weld.

Its not really a design flaw on Toyota's behalf. The engineers never intended to have their suspension system modified. But these things happen when you go screwing around changing stuff from factory trying to get extra travel.

Post by **Da Lux** » Mon Dec 13, 2004 10:33 pm

if its not in while 4bin can the front get axle wrap, coz i thought that woz half its job :?:

Post by **diesel028** » Tue Dec 14, 2004 7:10 am

Gribble wrote:But to answer your question, It may perform good offroad, but it will be a pig on the road. Its the braking drama thats the biggest worry, it may not break anything as a direct cause of leaving it out, but if you brake and steer into a rather large immovable object (tree, pole, cliff etc.) then yes its not a good idea to have it out.

While its out I will be only using the truck to get to work and back, will not be doing any wheeling with it out.

Post by **Gribble** » Tue Dec 14, 2004 7:28 am

diesel028 wrote:
Gribble wrote:But to answer your question, It may perform good offroad, but it will be a pig on the road. Its the braking drama thats the biggest worry, it may not break anything as a direct cause of leaving it out, but if you brake and steer into a rather large immovable object (tree, pole, cliff etc.) then yes its not a good idea to have it out.

While its out I will be only using the truck to get to work and back, will not be doing any wheeling with it out.

Just be careful.

Post by **tufflux** » Tue Dec 14, 2004 9:06 am

yeah mines out too broke the bracket off the housing first, had it repaired, then broke chassis end 2 months later. left it out only time i really notice it on road is when i jump on the brakes a high speed.

Post by **slosh** » Tue Dec 14, 2004 9:45 am

There is one other thing you can do to put off the Xover for a while and that is use parabolic springs. There is a few unwanted sets around the place I would think. I didn't use the diff locater with these springs and while braking was a little more nervous than b4 I don't think many people could tell that it was any different.

Post by **high n mighty** » Tue Dec 14, 2004 9:57 am

why would parabolics make it any different?

Post by **slosh** » Tue Dec 14, 2004 10:12 am

high n mighty wrote:why would parabolics make it any different?

The thick leaves resist twisting much more than stockies when braking/ cornering. If you haven't seen a pair, they consist of two very thick leaves that taper toward the ends. If you really jump on the brakes they squirm a bit, but nuthin dramatic.

I just remembered diesel028 is running extended shackles at the front- I don't know what effect that would have with what I said above.

Post by **high n mighty** » Tue Dec 14, 2004 11:16 am

I am also running extended shackles with no bracing, braking is bad without the bar in.

I just don't see parabolics making any difference (yes I know what they are), the spaces between the leaves would allow for more twist/movement

Post by **diesel028** » Tue Dec 14, 2004 10:20 pm

Once its fixed, its going back in until I go X/Over.

Post by **Da Lux** » Thu Dec 16, 2004 7:03 pm

wat difference does it make gettin Xover steerin. how does that affect havin the rod in/out. and with it out can u get front axle wrap

Post by **ausyota** » Thu Dec 16, 2004 8:36 pm

Because the standard steering works by the steering box pushing foward or back to steer via the J arm, when the rod is removed any movement of the diff foward or back ie hard braking causes the axle to steer!
When crossover steering is fitted the steering box used is a side to side action and doesnt get affected by diff movement.
Yes you may get a bit of axle wrap in the front without it but that can be solved with properly set up leafs.
Paul.

Post by **Da Lux** » Sat Dec 18, 2004 12:57 pm

wen u do yr SAS are u gonna put dropped spring hangers in to fit Xover, coz the reason i aint got it is because of the hangers and i dont want to go any higher

Post by **Da Lux** » Sun Dec 19, 2004 12:44 pm

[quote="Gribble"]2. The drivers spring sags prematurely,

How does that work? when yr 4b sits on the road flat there shouldnt be any presure on the diff locator

Post by **eliteforce32** » Sun Dec 19, 2004 8:59 pm

first off, im running para's in my lux and its just as bad as normal leaves with the diff locator out, not saying the lux is a sports car anyway

secoundly a non adjustable rod on a lifted lux pulls the drivers side spring down becuase the axisis the spring moves in is different to the original hieght rod but with the adjustable u put springs in make sure it level and put and adjut the new tor rod!

just my 2c
sims.

Post by **Gribble** » Mon Dec 20, 2004 11:47 am

Da Lux wrote:
Gribble wrote:2. The drivers spring sags prematurely,

How does that work? when yr 4b sits on the road flat there shouldnt be any presure on the diff locator

True, but when the spring moves up and down there is, especially if its lifted and you got flexxy springs.

Like elite said, different lengths between rod and spring means different radius's they try to travel. The will result in any of the 3 things happening that i mentioned before.

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