Buying a Prado 120 Front Diff - what to look for
Posted: Sat, 27 Feb 2010 7:30 +0000
Hi guys, I know the drive train gearing bible includes a lot of stuff and it is hard for some to interpret so I thought I would put up a quick post to show you guys what to look for if you start looking around the wreckers. Maybe the mods might like to sticky this thread too!
You basically have 2 options when regearing:
1. Buy new crown wheel and pinions from Toyota or Locktup.
2. By a matched pair of Prado Diffs from the wrecker.
the most cost effective option will depend on the ratio you want to run. Toyota quoted me $880 for the front Crown wheel and pinion (4.1 ratio) and I could have bought a pair of 4.5 ratio ones from Locktup for the same money.
One advantage of going the prado diffs from the wrecker route if you are fitting lockers is that the lockers can be fitted before your truck is pulled apart which measn that your car could only be off the road for one day. I paid $770 for the front diff and the read diff will be a similar price from the wrecker maybe $650 on a good day. They sem to want a bit more for the rear as it is a LSD.
The Hilux and the Prado 120 run a 8" front diff crown wheel and the earlier Prado 90 had a 7.5" Crown wheel. Apparently the rear diffs on the Prado 90 are the same but they might have a different flange to bolt the drive shaft on to but you can swap your flange over. I purchased some diffs from a friend who runs a wrecker and he had a Prado 120 rear diff and what he thought was the matching front diff. However it turned out that the front diff I got from him was a 7.5" one and we can only assume it came out of a Prado 90.
Anyway here is the diff you need to buy.
Prado 120 8" Front Dif - fits Hilux 150
Sorry but I realised I took this pic with the diff upside down, but you can see here that the axle tube is a cast piece.
Dont Buy this one:
Prado 90 7,5" Front Diff - Does NOT fit Hilux 150
This diff has a couple more components attached to it (eg mounts and inner CV drive shafts) but you can see that it has a welded in tube, NOT a cast part.
You can also see that the casting around where the axle tube bolts onto the main housing is also quite different.
Prado 120 Diff axle tube mounting bolts
This pic also shows why they call this a clamshell diff because of the way they bolt together.
Prado 90 Diff Axle tube mounting bolts
The other thing to look at is the bolt holes to accept the diff mounts as they are in different positions
Prado 120 Diff mounting holes
Prado 90 Diff mounting holes
Finally, it might be worth noting that you don't use the axle tube when fiting these parts as it has a different part number to the Hilux one. However, the front diff housing is the identical part number between the Prado 120 and the Hilux 150.
I would aslo suggest that if you do open the diffs to fit lockers that you specify that they replace bearings and seals while you are at it. This might prove problematic on the front diff as it ueses an european bearing which is only available in the country and was not available when I upgraded my diffs.
Suggested Diff Ratios by tyre size
This is just a place holder and when I get a chance, I will summarise all of the diff info in the bible so that it has an at a glance selection chart.
Anyway, happy diff shopping guys!
You basically have 2 options when regearing:
1. Buy new crown wheel and pinions from Toyota or Locktup.
2. By a matched pair of Prado Diffs from the wrecker.
the most cost effective option will depend on the ratio you want to run. Toyota quoted me $880 for the front Crown wheel and pinion (4.1 ratio) and I could have bought a pair of 4.5 ratio ones from Locktup for the same money.
One advantage of going the prado diffs from the wrecker route if you are fitting lockers is that the lockers can be fitted before your truck is pulled apart which measn that your car could only be off the road for one day. I paid $770 for the front diff and the read diff will be a similar price from the wrecker maybe $650 on a good day. They sem to want a bit more for the rear as it is a LSD.
The Hilux and the Prado 120 run a 8" front diff crown wheel and the earlier Prado 90 had a 7.5" Crown wheel. Apparently the rear diffs on the Prado 90 are the same but they might have a different flange to bolt the drive shaft on to but you can swap your flange over. I purchased some diffs from a friend who runs a wrecker and he had a Prado 120 rear diff and what he thought was the matching front diff. However it turned out that the front diff I got from him was a 7.5" one and we can only assume it came out of a Prado 90.
Anyway here is the diff you need to buy.
Prado 120 8" Front Dif - fits Hilux 150
Sorry but I realised I took this pic with the diff upside down, but you can see here that the axle tube is a cast piece.
Dont Buy this one:
Prado 90 7,5" Front Diff - Does NOT fit Hilux 150
This diff has a couple more components attached to it (eg mounts and inner CV drive shafts) but you can see that it has a welded in tube, NOT a cast part.
You can also see that the casting around where the axle tube bolts onto the main housing is also quite different.
Prado 120 Diff axle tube mounting bolts
This pic also shows why they call this a clamshell diff because of the way they bolt together.
Prado 90 Diff Axle tube mounting bolts
The other thing to look at is the bolt holes to accept the diff mounts as they are in different positions
Prado 120 Diff mounting holes
Prado 90 Diff mounting holes
Finally, it might be worth noting that you don't use the axle tube when fiting these parts as it has a different part number to the Hilux one. However, the front diff housing is the identical part number between the Prado 120 and the Hilux 150.
I would aslo suggest that if you do open the diffs to fit lockers that you specify that they replace bearings and seals while you are at it. This might prove problematic on the front diff as it ueses an european bearing which is only available in the country and was not available when I upgraded my diffs.
Suggested Diff Ratios by tyre size
This is just a place holder and when I get a chance, I will summarise all of the diff info in the bible so that it has an at a glance selection chart.
Anyway, happy diff shopping guys!