4-Wheel Drive light Stuck on

Last winter I was driving on the icey and snowey roads of the pacific Northwest and I needed to put my truck in four-wheel drive and so I did so stopped at a light like you are supposed to. Well then I got home and took the truck out of four wheel drive yet the light stays on. It has been on ever since then even though the truck is in 2-wheel drive and the auto-locking hubs disengage. I tried to research and see if others have had this problem but from what I have found it seems like no one has, though they have had problems with a blinking light. 4-Wheel drive still works and I can take it in and out of 4-wheel no problem. So my question is, does anyone have recommendations on things I should check or know what the problem is?

 

im not sure man, when I got my truck the 4wd stopped working (wouldnt engage) . So I bought an A.D.D and the 4x4 switch. All i needed to repair was the A.D.D. I still have the 4x4 switch (in the for sale section) if thats what you need. Brand new.

Good luck man, hopefully its something simple

 

Thanks man. I might have to look in to it. Like I said it doesn't seem to be acting up or doing anything crazy. Plus I can't find any information on it.

Must be gremlins....

 

Alright, so update if anyone is having this problem as well (hope not). I checked wires and everything seemed fine. No fuses are out. I am going to trace wires and look for grounds and make sure they all seem good. My next ideas are that the hubs may not be disengaging all the way. When I switch it from 2 to 4-wheel drive I can hear the motor in the front humming but that may not mean much. So I might try to change the front fluid as well.

I'll keep this thread posted. Being a student and full time worker makes it difficult to find time though.

 

Have you tried to see if it actually IS in 4 wheel drive mode still, or just an actuator issue? When you turn in tight corners does it bind up, or turn normally? If it binds up, then you are still fully in 4wd. If it turns normally, then you probably have a front actuator not releasing. As long as the front actuator is engaged, the 4wd light will remain on, because that is the input for the 4wd light indicator.

 

It doesn't bind up and is out of 4-wheel drive. Thanks for the input man. So I will probably start with that. How would I test the front actuator?

Edit: Alright so I found a test for the front actuator so I will give that a go tonight. Thank you very much, I actually have a lead!

 

Just wordage, but technically you have an ADD (Automatic disconnecting differential) and not auto locking hubs. Both allow shift-on-the-fly into 4WD-HI, but the auto locking hubs require you to drive in reverse to unlock them when you go back to 2WD.

The ADD 'unlocks' the one side of the front differential to create free wheeling, and does not require going in reverse to unlock.

 

Alright. I apologize. I appreciate all this you guys. I am pretty new to this so I am glad that you guys are bearing with me as it may be slightly painful to read. But all this help is awesome. Loving the forum and also a huge fan of all the users.

 

Glad you are here to help have fun in our Tacomas!

 

My 2002 have same problem 4-wheel light stock on.I know 4x4 H and L working fine since i drive in snow all time so i decided to ignore the light for now . Wish you good luck solving problem

 

Does anyone have an answer for this? 4x4 light on dash staying on, even in 2wd... Came on while in 2wd driving down the road... 4wd is working perfectly... (1997 3.4l)

 

Saw the same behavior last night.. first snow so side streets were good to give 4wd a workout.
approaching main street and it was clear so switched from 4hi to 2hi and light stayed on
eventually just pulled over and shut off and restarted and light went off.

 

I just bought a 2004 tacoma and i have encounter this exact issue. has anyone actually found a fix for this? Is it the actuator that was mentioned above and if so how hard are they to fix/replace?