Ra Rodeo/Ra7 Rodeo/RC Colorado 4wd System:

Phoenix Keating

PRICING:
- 2x Momentary DPDT (Repco): $38 each
- 2x red 2x Black red + black wire rolls (Repco): $7 each
- 1x Electrical Terminal Kit (Repco): $52 each
- 1x pair Aisin Genuine Free-Wheeling Hubs (E-bay): $449.94 pair

These prices don’t include things like tools and grease, but it can be more expensive or cheaper
depending on what you need. I recommend the Momentary DPDT switches from Repco due to their
size and easy use of wiring. With the freewheeling hubs, the genuine tf rodeo and jackaroo hubs are
your best option (DO NOT get the cheapies, the poor man always pays twice, apparently, they
explode out on the tracks), aim to get the genuine Aisin hubs.

PROS :
• System becomes increasingly more rigid and a lot easier to diagnose if an issue is to occur,
• A lot more efficient in engaging/disengaging,
• The ability to drive in 2L, which can be beneficial in towing heavy loads.

CONS :
• Without free-wheeling hubs the system can cause damage to the front diff housing as there
is no ability for you to determine if the splines in the diff are aligned for the crown ring to slip
over.
o Mitigated by using free-wheeling hubs and constantly having the front actuator in
the ENGAGED position.
• Inaccurate depiction of current driving mode (2h, 4h, 4L) as the dash lights only light up
momentarily.
o Mitigated by listening for the click in the rear actuator, and driving the car in a slow
circle to determine the mode it is currently in.

JUSTIFICATION:
I know some of you will need to justify this sort of spending and the time under the bonnet to your
better halves so here it is. The system becomes more rigid and reliable offroad which means you can
take them to cooler, more off-grid campsites. Much easier and cheaper to do then installing tf rodeo
manual box due to having to source a transfer case, custom fabrication of pieces, and custom tail-
shafts/adapters having to be made to accommodate the new part. If in the future, you need to fix a
problem it will cost you significantly less as you won’t have to take it to a mechanic and you will be
able to fix it yourself. Other justifications can be made by your imagination but those are just a few to
get you going.

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 Bypassing the Transfer Case Control Module (TCCM):

This part can become a bit confusing but hopefully I can answer most questions, I will include
diagrams and photos to give you a better idea, but I cannot guarantee it will be easy.

I will also post a video that will visually go through this document and show what the system looks
like in person.

WIRING DIAGRAMS:
Below is a wiring diagram that gives an overview of what needs to be done which will be explained in
more detail in the ‘Process’ section.

Auxiliary
Power

Transfer Case Front Diff

Actuator Actuator

Figure 1.

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PROCESS:
1) Running wires to the actuators: This step involves running two sets of wire to the
separate actuators from the cab to the engine bay, and finally to the actuators. It
includes using the red and black wire rolls, the wires will run from where the
originally 4wd buttons are located, through the rubber grommet that goes through
the engine bay and running it to the actuators. Have one pair (red + black) for each
actuator (4 wires in total) and run them along the firewall on the engine bay side to
the “cold side” of the engine (explained in the video). This will take a while to get
looking neat but will make it a lot easier in the long run.

2) Connecting wires to actuators: This is the step where you will cut the wires at the
actuators. The photo below shows the wires you must attach to the wires you have
previously ran through the engine bay. It is essential that you connect the wires on
the harness side of the plug, meaning that you must cut the wires on the harness
side and connect the new wires to the “plug” side of the cut wires. I have since used
inline connectors, but you could also opt for soldering or other methods of your
choosing.

A quick note is that this front diff actuator becomes redundant when free-wheeling
hubs are installed as the front diff actuator will be able to be engaged all the time,
and it is not recommended that this system is ran without free-wheeling hubs as
explained in the "cons" section of this document.

The photo below (Figure 2.) shows the wires that need to be connected on the
FRONT DIFF ACTUATOR, this correlates to ‘Figure 1.’ Where the black wire connects
to the Yellow/Green wire, and the red wire connects to the White/Green wire. Once
this is completed waterproof the connections with tape or conduit to help with
reliability.

Figure 2.

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 The photo below (Figure 3.) shows the wires that need to be connected on the REAR
TRANSFER CASE ACTUATOR, this correlates to ‘Figure 1.’ Where the black wire
connects to the Blue/White wire, and the red wire connects to the Red/Yellow wire.
Once this is completed waterproof the connections with tape or conduit to help with
reliability.

Figure 3.

3) Wiring in the new DPDT switches: This part is simple once it is seen in front of you.
This step will consist of striping the ends of your new wires (on the cab side) and
installing female spade terminals on the end of all the wires. The photo (Figure 4.)
shows the wiring diagram of a DPDT switch, and I have labelled it for the specific
context of the 4wd system. Basically, the wires running from the two middle
terminals will be the red + black wires running to actuators, and the red + blue wires
in Figure 4. Are the positive and negative wires you will need to wire into an auxiliary
power source (find this by turning keys to the ‘accessories’ position and attaching a
multi-metre to different wires to find one with a power source).

Auxiliary
Power

Transfer Case Front Diff

actuator actuator

Figure 4.

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4) Wiring Dash lights to new switches: Once testing of the system has been conducted
and the system is working fine it is time to wire to the dash lights. This is depicted in
Figure 1. and Figure 5. This is where (if done correctly) you should splice the two
separate red wires running to your switches and run new wires under the driver’s
seat. For this step is best to take drivers seat off to access the TCCM and the plugs
running into it. In the image below (Figure 5.) the wires that need to be cut and
joined are depicted. As shown in Figure 1 (and below) the wires need to be joined
and connected to their respective wires that are running to the switches from the
actuators. Once the diagrams have been followed and the wires have been
connected play around with which switch activates which light, the transfer actuator
switch should light the 4L light and the front diff actuator switch should light the diff
lock light.

Figure 1.1

Figure 5.

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INSTALLING FREE-WHEELING H UBS:

The install of the free-wheeling hubs is a very easy process and is explained perfectly in this video.
These make the 4wd system a lot more rigid and reliable, allowing for easier recoveries if a cv break
and such. As stated, before it is highly recommended that you only purchase the genuine Aisin hubs
as a lot of the others are flimsy and will break on your first drive and will render the 4wd useless.

Conclusion:

To conclude, this system is a lot more reliable than the stock system and will get you out of a lot of
trouble in the future. I am happy to help anyone who needs extra help and I’m more than happy to
video call if you are in the process of doing it.

I would also like to say that any damages that may occur or already have occurred will be your own
fault and I hope that nobody damages anything in the process of doing this, thanks.

Phoenix Keating