Harrop front e-locker for NW

[Pwoffey]

I'm considering getting an e-locker for the front diff of my NW. Harrop have recommended a gear and diff specialist in Adelaide to supply and fit. However there is a tiny problem: Harrop cannot confirm to the workshop in Adelaide whether their model for the Pajero:

https://www.harrop.com.au/shop/4x4-performance/elocker/elocker-mitsubishi-fiat-front

will actually fit into the NW. There is a note on Harrop's web site that states that the e-locker will not fit the 7.25 inch crown wheel. But according to the workshop manager here in Adelaide, when he called Mitsubishi and asked for them to confirm the size of the crown wheel in the NW, they were unable to help . And without that confirmation from MMA, Harrop was not able to be 100% certain. In an email between Harrop and the workshop, Harrop state that despite this, they have supplied "many" of this model of locker over the years and have never had a complaint back from customers about the fitting. But of course this model suits many models of Pajero and Harrop won't know whether any were fitted to the NW. So its still not certain.

There was a thread in 2008 where Forum member BakerBoy (quoting "Frank" on what I think is now a defunct forum "outerlimits") gave a heap of specs for all the gens of Pajero.

https://www2.pajeroclub.com.au/forum/showpost.php?p=114768&postcount=1

For Gen 3, BakerBoy stated: "front axle = 28 spline, 29mm diameter, diff = 8" diameter (high pinion)" and then stated that Gen 4 was the same. While that is somewhat encouraging, the provenance of the information is a little uncertain.

So, does anyone know for a fact what the front diff crown wheel specs are for a NW? If there were some documentation for this, that would be ideal. Neither I nor the workshop want to start the job and find the locker doesn't fit.

Does anyone with an NW (or I suppose a NT/NX) actually have a Harrop front e-locker?

Thanks for any assistance.

[nj swb]

Hi Pwoffey,

Bottom line, all good. Do it.

The smaller front diff ran out early in the Gen 2. Front diffs from most Gen 2s onwards are all the same. The front locker from my 4.875:1 3.0 manual front diff was transferred to the 4.3:1 crown wheel & pinion from a Gen 4, and put back into my Gen 2 housing.

FWIW, I was on the OuterLimits Forum back then. Frank was the Mitsubishi forum moderator, and one of the global leaders in pushing Pajeros to their limits. The information in his "Bible" was good.

Frank helped to organise ARB's Air Locker for Pajero front diffs (along with a few others who still regularly participate on this forum - I think some actively contributed to ARB's development program). If you check ARB's fitment guide, that should help you gain confidence about which diffs are in which vehicles.

[Pwoffey]

After this advice (and more besides, off-line) from Scott, I have gone ahead and ordered the e-locker. Thanks a bunch

[Pwoffey]

I'm thinking about how to wire the front e-locker I am getting for my NW.

I know that one way is to link the operation of the front locker to that of the rear factory locker, such that the front can only be activated if the rear is already locked. This provides some protection against accidentally locking the front diff in inappropriate situations. I am leaning towards this.

But are there situations where you might want independent operation of the front locker (and maybe get protection from accidental locking by using a double switch or putting a rocker cover over a switch).

Thanks for advice.

[nj swb]

I'm thinking about how to wire the front e-locker I am getting for my NW.

I know that one way is to link the operation of the front locker to that of the rear factory locker, such that the front can only be activated if the rear is already locked. This provides some protection against accidentally locking the front diff in inappropriate situations. I am leaning towards this.

But are there situations where you might want independent operation of the front locker (and maybe get protection from accidental locking by using a double switch or putting a rocker cover over a switch).

Thanks for advice.

In Shorty, which didn't have a rear locker, I added the front disconnect switch to the relay for the front air locker, so the front locker will only work if the front disconnect is engaged i.e. in 4wd. Not foolproof, as I would sometimes use 4H on bitumen, but the air locker also needs the compressor to be turned on before the locker relay will energise - so that's another "safety" in the system.

As best I can tell, the Gen 4 uses some kind of solid state sensor rather than a switch, so I'm not sure how well such a solution would work, but I expect there would be a solution if you wanted to work at it.

My NT came with front & rear lockers wired as per ARB's standard practice i.e. front won't work if rear isn't on. I thought about wiring them independently, but only once - I've never wanted the front locker without the rear (which is not to say that others shouldn't).

A covered switch of some kind would help to avoid inadvertent activation, but may also impede your ability to turn it on quickly when you want it - can you activate the E-locker on the move, or do you need to stop to engage it?

A "master switch" somewhere else would work as a good safety, as long as it isn't easy to switch accidentally, and you can easily tell that it is on. Using the rear locker as this "second switch" is probably the simplest solution, as long as you don't want the front without the rear. The only reason I can think (for how I use my Pajero) is testing "which is better - rear only, or front only?"

FWIW, I'm firmly in the "front is better" camp.

[Pwoffey]

Thanks Scott. With an e-locker the vehicle needs to be at rest (ideally) or going less than 5 kph and not turning when you engage the locker. The key to all this, to my mind, is to determine whether in any real situation I would want to have the front locker active without the rear locker. I suppose one situation - however unlikely - is if you had the front locker dependent on the rear, but the rear failed. Then you have neither cross-axle locked. If the two were independent and the rear failed you'd still have the front able to be locked. But I'm struggling to think of a situation where I would choose to disengage the rear while keeping the front locked.