Front Lokka Install for 4-Pinion Type diff centre

Datward

New Member
Front LOKKA Install on a four pinion type diff centre - L300.

Here is my installation of a Lokka Lock diff kit to my 93 Model L300(P24V). I can only add 10 photos at a time so i will have to upload then add below the rest. Sorry about this

So the official Lokka distributors are through 4WD Systems in South Australia. The Kit/Part number has been changed to "LK-77". These are a brand new kit and this is one of the first installed into the four pinion style centres on an L300. There were a few teething problems which i'll get into as i go.

When it comes to dealing and ordering with "4wd Systems", do not waste your time with the website or with emails. Just call them (Australia: +61 08 8362 5955). I sent them an email and after two weeks with no response, i called them. When i spoke to them, they told me they are the busiest they have ever been in there history and they have stopped responding to emails as there is over 5000 emails in the inbox and growing daily. So just call them. Once i called and ordered, it was sent the next day.


I wont bother with any info or photos on the actual removal of the diff centre as it is the exact same process as with the two pinion style diffs. There is plenty of info already in this forum so ill skip straight to the kit install. The most important things to remember is to keep the side gear shims, bearing caps and bearing shims in there correct pairing. Left with left, right with right. Bag and clearly mark these. DO NOT MIX UP THESE PARTS. These parts are crucial with the correct assemble of the centre back into the housing.

Here is the link for the removal of the complete diff.
Here is the Link for the diff centre removal from the housing.

So Lets Get Started
Here is whats comes in the kit "LK-77". One more spacer is included but not in the photo.
NOTE- If you read the install post on the 2-pinion type centre, you will read about the spacers needing to be machined for proper fitment. A small chamfer needed to be machined onto the inside of the spacers. This problem has been addressed with these kits, so this is not needed. Although i still did some cleaning up of the edges as i felt the machine work could be a little better. some of the edges were a bit sharp and rough.
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-After following the removal procedure you arrive with the complete centre out of the housing and ready for the kit to be installed. This is where you must mark the crown wheel gear to the centre housing. This is so you can put the crown wheel back on in the exact position as it was before. IMPORTANT.
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-Diff centre with crown wheel removed
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-The main difference between the 2-pinion and 4-pinion type centres are the housing. The 2-pinion centre is a one piece housing while the 4-pinion type is a two piece housing with a top and a base. With a punch i marked the two halves so i could assemble them same.
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-Remove the screws that were under the crown wheel. These are the screws holding the two halves together.
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-The two halves come apart giving access to the planetary gears.
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-Another view of the lower half of the housing with gears inside.
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-Flip upside down the housing and push out the locating pins from the housing. There are 3 in total and will more than likely just fall out themselves. On the 2-pinion type centre, these pins are punched in hard, while on the 4-pinion type, they just side in there and the top plate bolts down over the top off them so they can not fall out. This makes them super easy to removal and install compared to the 2-pinion type.
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-Here you can see the locating pin and how the come out
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-Now the locating pins are out, you can pull/slide out the larger drive pins.
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Note; This is all i could post in one go. More to follow......
 
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Continued

-Now the main pins are out, the centre cage and planetary gears can come out
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-Here you have the centre housing with all planetary gears out.
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-You can now remove the two side gears. Under the side gears there are two shims. One shim on each side under the gears. This shim is very important and needs to be re-installed back into the same side they came out off. DO NOT MIX UP THESE SHIMS. Left back to left, right back to right. These shims are what centres the whole thing.
The picture below shows the old side gear next to the new side gear from the Lokka Kit(left old-Right new).
NOTE-On the 2-pinion type centre, the side gears from the Lokka kit are different in length. On the 4-pinion type centre, the side gears and ramp gears are all exactly the same in length so that makes it easier to install. You cant get it wrong.
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Now this is where things took a turn for the worst.


-Due to the fact these kits for the 4-pinion type centres are brand new (only developed in early 2020), this kit i got was one of the first designed and it didnt quiet work. They told me this when i brought it and raleigh at "4wd Systems" gave me his personal phone number so we could work this out together. He also gave me $100 off to supply photos of the install to create the instalation instructions in future kits.

But you can see the centre cage doesnt fit inside the new Lokka centre kit. At first i thought the cage was not meant to be used, So on the phone for answers. They explained the centre cage does in fact need to be used and put back in.... BUT it has to be machined so it can fit inside. He told me to send them the centre cage and they would machine it and send it back. But i had already got a friend to do it for me.
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-I had the cage machined to match the tolerences of the spacer, as the spacers fit inside the centre so i figured the cage should match. '4wd Systems" confirmed this. You can see how much of the corners needed to be machined off. Around 14mm off, 7mm from each corner.
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-Here is the cage after being machined. Pretty happy with the results. now we can proceed with the install.
NOTE- Raleigh from "4WD Systems" has confirmed that all future kits will come with these cages already machined and included in future kits. So you wont have to worry about this part of the process. When ordering the kit, i would ask and confirm if the kit includes a new centre machined cage.
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-Now it fits inside the centre.
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-The centre parts all together. Now for the install of the Lokka kit into the housing.
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Continued:

So now its time to put some of the parts inside the housing to check tolerances. On the 2-pinion type centres, the tolerances are measured between the side spacers and and the centre shaft. On the 4-pinion type, its done a little different. I will explain more as i go.......


-Install the side gears in with their corresponding shims, making sure the left shim goes back under the left side gear and the right shim under the right gear. Dont mix these up. Next put the two spacers and the centre cage inside. Install the cross-pin and their locating pins. Then put the two halves of the housing together using the small screws to hold the two parts together. Now its time to measure whats going on inside.
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-It should look like this photo below. Spacer top and bottom with cage in the middle
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-Now its time to get the feeler gauge out to measure the tolerances between the spacers and the centre cage. Lokka recommends this space be between 0.006" and 0.020". At first the tolerances were very large on one side and tight on the other. At this point i figured out that the holes in the centre cage were a little off-set causing the tolerances to be different from side to side. i also figured out that the side spacers were also a little different(0.16mm differnce). So after pulling the centre apart, flipping the cage, swapping the spacers(but always leaving the shims where they belong), i got something that worked and was within specs. I had 0.014" and 0.018". so all good.

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-Here you can see the spacers were slightly different. One was 0.16mm thicker. Due to the centre cage being off-set, these two different sized spacers helped to get the tolerances right. But this got me thinking that if these were out and the cage was out, what was that doing to the symmetry of everything? so further exploring was needed.
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-Ok, just to clarify, this next part is not part of the normal install process. This next step i just did for my own peace of mind so i could tell how centred the parts all sat in relation to the centre shafts. This was to find out the symmetry of the fitment. I recommend you do the same...

Assemble as before but this time without the spacers and centre cage. Leave the spacers out at this point and only fit the shims and side gears. Once that is done, put the main drive shafts in with their locating pins(but without the centre cage) and fit the two halves together using the screws to hold it all together. Now measure the space between the side gear and the centre shaft. This space will be large, but the measurement is not important, only the difference between the two is important. This will tell you how centred you parts are sitting and will allow you to check the symmetry. I had a difference of 0.04" which means it was slightly sitting to one side. Lokka suggests no more than 0.010" so all good.

NOTE FROM LOKKA: This measurement is very important in relation to the symmetry of fitment. The greater the variation of this measurement from one side to the other, the greater the cam gears will be off-set to the shaft. hence, the shaft will "Load" the closer cam gear sooner and load the pair of cam gears unevenly during operation. the greater the accuracy and similarity of these clearances will result in improved driving behaviour, particularly on hard surfaces.

BEWARE- Make sure you only measure the gap between the side gear and the full length drive pin as it is supported on both ends. The two half sized shafts can move too much without the cage, so it is unacuate to measure here under the smaller length shafts. (in the picture below you can see the feeler gauge stack is under the complete shaft, not under the half length shafts.
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So to explain further, the main differences between the 2 and 4 pinion type diff centres when it comes to measuring of the symmetry of the Lokka...
On the 2-pinion type, it is measured directly between the side gear spacer and the centre pinion shaft(very precise)! This straight away tells you the symmetry of the cam gears. if it is out, larger from one side to the other, then you can adjust this with new side shims(Lokka AKA 4WD Systems can supply new shims).
While on the 4-pinion type, it is measure between the spacers and the cage, not the pinion shaft(this is less acuate on 4-pinion as the centre cage is not always machine square)..
On the 2-pinion type centres, the measurement between the side gears and the drive pinion shaft is all that is needed to measure symmetry. But on the 4-pinion type, the addition of the cage, which is not machined exactly square, causes finding the symmetry harder. Even though you have good tolerances between the spacers and the cage, this does not mean everything is centred, as the cage is not always centred to the pinion shaft. So thats why its important to do the step above, measuring without the cage and spacers, as this is the only way to find out the true symmetry of the 4-pinion type Lokka Kit.

CONFUSED YET?
 
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Now i know my Lokka is within specs, time for the final install. First in, side gear with matching shim. Then lower centre cam is installed.
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-Now install the cage, then the three pinion shafts and there locating pins.
then add the Lokka Springs and pins. use a little grease to help with keeping the pins and springs in place.
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-Now add the next cam, making sure all springs and pins are located correctly.
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-Here you can see the pins and springs. This is a lot easier to install on the 4-pinion type as there is no pressure on the springs without the top plate. There is also a lot more room to install. One advantage of the 4-pinion type.
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-Now install the top side gear, then its shim.
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-Add the top plate, making sure to match the markers you made before you pulled it apart. Put the screws back in to secure the two halves together.
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-Now measure the tolerance between the gap of the inner cams. Lokka recommends between 0.145"-0.020". Mine was 0.154". Right in the sweet spot. I measured all four sides and they were all slightly different but all within specs. Good to go for the install.
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-Now to fit the crown wheel. Make sure to align all markings you made before. This is to make sure the crown wheel is in the exact same position from before in relation to the centre housing. This is important as its matched.
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-Use Loctite on the crown wheel bolts and tor
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Continued.....Last one, i promise....


-Spray diff housing with 2k epoxy primer, then with 2k black
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-new seals
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-diff centre fitted
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-IMPORTANT. i almost missed this but the side bearing shims need to locate into the allicated space. One of mine was jammed between the housing and the bearing cap. I gave it a light tap with a punch and it slipped into space. the bearing cap then had enough room to sit straight. When the shim was in the wrong location, it was flexing the bearing cap over. Lucky i noticed this as it would have caused problems. DOUBLE CHECK YOURS
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-Bit of a budget test to see the alignment of the crown wheel and output shaft. Smear grease in there, turn the diff, then inspect the pattern on the face of the teeth. You can see its getting good contact. Nice and straight as well.
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-I assembled the side axle into its housing first, then installed it into the side of the diff housing. a lot easier this way i think.
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-A couple of skate boards to get it under the car, too easy.
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-Installed and ready for testing.

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Well i hope this helps you guys out there. Let me know if there is any errors and i will adjust. Enjoy!!!!!!
 
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Some new info from @Nenw:


It seems as though Datward, the guy with the really nice write-up, has a P24V whereas Brayden is on a P25W.

I'm noticing that the Aussie chassis code and Japan Chassis codes are total opposite when it comes to the diff used.

MB393001 = 2 pinion diff (PxxW 1988.08-1994.03)(PxxV 1986.04-1994.03)
MB393871 = 4 pinion diff (PxxW 1986.04-1988.07)(PxxV 1994.04-1999.06)

Also, I spoke with Jesse at 4wdsystems and 2 things: their website is incorrect. It lists a rear lokka which he said was not correct as they don't have one. And it did not list a front. They are working on this fix now.

Additionally, Datward mentioned they changed the part # from MITS-FO-77 to LK-77

According to Jesse, LK-77 is the part # for domestic Australian sales.
MITS-FO-77 is the international part number which is sold within a different division of Lokka internally.
Same part, just depends on if it's an int'l or domestic sale.

MITS = Mitsubishi
FO = Front Open
77 = Part Reference
 
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