Arb lockers

So I’m kinda pissed about my front and rear arb lockers leaking. I just got my 5.29s installed and changed out all the seals on both sets of lockers. When I got the truck back and tried the rear locker it held air for 5 minutes without the compressor cycling. I didn’t check the front till I got home in the driveway. Turned out the front still leaks. It’s less time between the compressor cycling(15 seconds now before 5 seconds). I finally broke in the gears and went to get the diffs gear oil changed and sure enough I tried my rear locker in the driveway and bam! 10 seconds later the rear is fucken leaking and cycling every 10 seconds. The shop is busy and will have to reschedule another time to service both lockers again. How does a lockers seal go bad without even using it? When I got the gears installed the shop used their own gear oil (not full synthetic) even though I asked them to use the oil that was provided by the company that supplied my gears which I told them I had lockers that go with the gears so I needed oil to work with the lockers. They gave me Lucas SAE 75w-140 gear oil. Full synthetic trans and gear oil. Could the full synthetic make them leak? I only ask cause the rear was fine until I changed the oil to the full synthetic. The front hasn’t changed since the “fix”.

 

Oh. And I know it’s the lockers cause I put my finger on either line and the compressor never cycles till I let go and plug back into the diffs. I use a tube cutter to make sure it was perfect cuts as well so it’s not the lines. I also sprayed the fittings with soap and water and no bubbles.

 

Only way they would leak that fast is a botched install.

The gear oil they used is imo the best of the best.
Lucas is great stuff. I use full synthetic on everything I own. No, it would not cause a leak.

 

When considering ARB vs Auburn, I stumbled across this video. No actual experience because I decided against the ARB due to the number of reported problems with them. Lots of leaking ARB locker videos on YT.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t57JgHUMet4

 

Cool on the oil. Thanks. As for the install. The place I took it to is a reputable shop. But it could be like the video Justin case just posted. Now to find out how much those parts cost. I replaced all the seals and that cost like $194 for the parts. This time I’ll order both end pieces and pistons and change them just to change them I guess. Good times.

 

Bummer...... How do the new 5.29 gears feel. Does the truck rev a lot higher? Did you change gears for improved towing or larger tires?

 

ARB specifically states NOT to use synthetic diff oil. There's an additive in some synthetic oils that ruins the seals. I don't know if Lucas has it or not. @osidepunker knows what the additive is, I can't remember.
I believe I used regular 75-140 Lucas (non synthetic) in the rear with the locker and Amsoil (similar weight) full syn in the front, no locker.

 

I did it for the 37s I put on. The gears feel awesome. When I finally tried to step on it after the break in and oil change, it felt like it takes off better than stock tires and stock gearing. But then again, I only had the truck on stock tires when I left the dealership for like a month, so not much I can remember from 4 years ago about how the truck felt to be honest. I do remember me hauling ass when I first got it. I like to see what my vehicles can do after initial break in, then I stop abusing it. Just good to know what it’s capable of. The pros stock tires looked too much like a street tire and went immediately to 33 inch ridge grapplers. Then to 35 ridge grapplers and after gears installed 37” BFG KM3s. But it hauls ass again compared to 35s and stock gears. Going up hills in the Bay Area the truck just cruises up hill without hunting for gears or revving high, unless I want to bomb up the hill at 80 plus.

 

Well that blows on the full synthetic.

 

So if I change the oil from full synthetic to non synthetic now I wonder if that will help or is it too late.

 

Not necessarily, Lucas might not have "that" additive. Yes, it's too late IMO and a simple oil change won't fix it. Fingers crossed, I haven't had any issues with locker. Hopefully you'll get this sorted out and be trouble free.

 

Me too. Now to find out if that oil I used has this additive. But need to know what that additive is first.

 

This note in the red box is not giving me that warm fuzzy feeling inside about it that’s for sure.

 

Wow. That’s news to me about the oil.
I haven’t looked at buying a locker in years.
I do prefer a mechanical locker over air or electric due to similar issues you’re having.

 

Ya. Unfortunately I think only arb makes lockers for our trucks.

 

And what is this additive exactly?

 

I believe it it’s the limited slip additive. I could be wrong.

 

I tried a test right now. I jacked up the truck from the rear axle and rotated a tire while both wheels off the ground. One rotated one way and the other rotated the opposite direction which shows the diff being open. I then hit the compressor and locker rocker switches and the compressor cycles every 7 seconds now. But here’s the weird part, as soon as I rotated the tires to see if the locker is engaging it engages and both tires rotate the same direction but as soon as the pressure of the wheels turning happens and diff locks up the compressor cycles the entire time, but it still engages and holds but is leaking the entire time. I can hear the leaking air loud and clear from my arb diff breather behind my tail light and smell the diff fluid as well. I did have the truck in neutral so not sure if that makes a difference cause I don’t think I could rotate the wheels with it in drive and truck was off. Didn’t try it to be honest. I put the truck on the ground and put the truck in park and now it cycles every 7 seconds again.

 

Did another test. Put truck in 4 wheel high and turned on my rear locker and it cycled nonstop. After going forward 20 ft and reversing back into driveway it stopped cycling non stop and went back to cycling every 7 seconds. The front stayed the same and cycles every 15 seconds. I’m confused about it entirely now.

 

The additive in the synthetics are a friction additive that can cause soft metals (copper and brass that's in the ARB lines ) to degrade over time. I use a synthetic with my ARB lockers, I use Motul which is the only one I have found that you can get without the additive. With that said this is a long term effect and in no way could have caused a problem this soon. Bottom line whoever installed it did NOT do it correctly either where the copper line goes in to the locker itself or they bent the very thin seals that hold the piece with the copper tube in. Common install issue if you do not know what you are doing. BTW good shops that do ARB lockers regularly keep extra seals on hand, that should tell you something.

 

Great info and thank you. I’ll call around to see if any shops do them regularly. This shit is frustrating and expensive to deal with.

 

^^ What Greg said

Why aren't you having the shop who installed it fix it?? It's clearly an installation issue and its their responsibility to fix it

 

I told the shop and they are happy to take a look and see what’s up, but have to wait for like two weeks for another appointment.

Now for some more weird shit. I took the truck to a river access I know about up north by garberville and tried the lockers both front and rear in the loose river rocks and sand and sure enough the compressor cycled on for the initial start up and lockers turned on and then the compressor never cycled again. I left them on for five minutes and no cycling. So not sure how that happens, but they seem to be working perfectly now. I tried them multiple times and no cycling anymore. As long as they work I’m happy. Still going to change out the oil tomorrow for non synthetic oil.

 

Or find/order some of the Motul @Bo-Hunter suggested, he knows his sh##.

 

Did you ever get this sorted out ?

 

I had ARB air lockers in my LandCruiser for many years and during the 10 some years I had to pull my rear twice after it was installed (years apart, never right after install) just to replace the Engineering Design flaw of the stupid seal inside the diff. I had to pull my front once for the same thing.

This time I bought E-Lockers for the Tundra

 

Da Fuq? You holding out bro?

 

Holding out? No, I had told a few doubting Thomas' about what was to come but nobody seemed to believe me. When I ordered them from Harrop down under and posted up in my local club I was told the part number pointed to the older trucks and not the newer one. I held out because of the ARB failed Engineering product was NOT going on my shit again!

I ordered and received them weeks ago and the shop started on the install yesterday. The rear is done as seen here and the front is in process

 

Eaton finally came through? It's been years since I heard anything about Toyota 10.5 lockers from them. Off the list goes the ARB.

I didn't see any explicit listings for 2007+ Tundra on the Harrop elocker listings.

 

It was just announced last week at SEMA. I had been in contact the with guys down under for a very long time and I finally received an E-mail on October 3rd, ordered from them, ordered my new gears then had the gears/bearings Cryo treated. It took a bit to get the schedule worked out but I should be driving my truck tomorrow and start the break in