Diff Lock Stuck / Anti-roll Bar Broken

[robinogilvy]

Hi there,

I recently bought a 3dr 1995 Rav4 in Rwanda and recently noticed that the diff lock seems to be stuck. The light doesn't appear on the dashboard, and the button isn't pressed, but it's noticeable when driving in tight circles round a car park. According to my local Toyota dealership, the electrics and the vacuum which operates it are fine, so it's mechanical sticking somewhere. Has anyone had this problem before? Any thoughts as to how it can be resolved?

Also, I have broken the anti-roll (sway) bar THREE times in the same place now!!! Any thoughts as to what might be causing this? Would the difflock being engaged put it under too much strain when going round corners? I'm reluctant to replace it once again without knowing why it keeps breaking.

Any advice would be much appreciated -- car advice is hard to come by in this part of the world! Thanks!

Robin

(Kigali, Rwanda)

[sjrainsford]

Well, the diff lock is certainly not going to help things. It will put unwanted stress on the driveshafts, which will also be transmitted to the suspension components.

Really, you shouldn't be driving it at all if this is the case. If you want to be able to drive the car, you could disconnect the prop shaft to the rear diff. This will make the car front wheel drive, but usable. With this done though you should keep the diff lock permanently activated.

As I said though, this needs sorting.

[robinogilvy]

Thanks Stuart,

That's helpful to know. I *think* I've found a garage that might understand the problem. Let's see what it's looking like this evening.

Cheers,

Robin

Well, the diff lock is certainly not going to help things. It will put unwanted stress on the driveshafts, which will also be transmitted to the suspension components.

Really, you shouldn't be driving it at all if this is the case. If you want to be able to drive the car, you could disconnect the prop shaft to the rear diff. This will make the car front wheel drive, but usable. With this done though you should keep the diff lock permanently activated.

As I said though, this needs sorting.