4lo Activation issues 2011 6spd

I was wondering if anyone has had issues activating 4lo. I was wheeling a few weeks ago in 4lo, it came time to come out of 4wd. I disengaged and went into 2WD, later that day i tried to pop it back in, the light indicated I was in 4lo but the transfer case was in neutral. As of today it will engage 4 hi but the 4 lo still doesn't work. i can hear the actuator moving and I am pushing the clutch all the way in.

Ihave also pulled apart the actuator and cleaned all the contacts, inspected the gears for missing/ broken teeth. Could this be caused by a gear becoming out-of-time?

@username
@northwesttaco
@bobsuruncle
@ anyone else who can help

 

@awsumdc

 

Never heard that before

 

Btt

 

Either you blew the low gear (planetary gear set), or the limit sensors are messed up.

 

Would you happen to know where the specs are for the limit sensors?

I doubt the gear set took a dump.

 

If the indicator light is telling you that it is in 4lo and it's not then it is likely electrical not mechanical. I would think either limit switches or the 4wd ECU.

Provided you can get into 4hi then that rules out the ADD acting up.

 

The 4lo light blinks, I can audibly hear the actuator trying to change into 4lo but I stay in 4hi

 

Ah okay if it is blinking and not solid then it could be mechanical or electrical. You will probably need to check some of the wires to the ECU with a multimeter to confirm the limit switches are sending the right signals to the ECU. I have a schematic of the 4wd system if you need it.

 

Thanks! Send it over!

 

Attached. You've double checked that you are doing everything properly to get into 4lo right? Clutch all the way down (manual) or in neutral (automatic) rolling less than 3mph etc. Seems obvious but sometimes people mess those up. I kept putting mine in park rather than neutral one time.

 

What year is your truck? This is why I prefer the manual case shifter in 4runners and FJ's. I had my truck stuck in 4wd and did not want to disengage until I came to a stop and turned off the truck. When I re-started, the actuator worked. No more sticking issues after switching to synthetic oil. Sometimes the gears get stuck since 4wd is rarely used.

 

Sure have, thanks for the diagram!

 

This is why 4X4 should be engaged and driven for a few miles at least once a month. Any time I am on a gravel road or any other place where it won't cause any damage I shift into 4X4 hi and lo for at least a short distance.

 

A day barely goes whet I don't use 4 hi. 4lo is usually on a weekly basis

 

Dose the light blink? Or go solid?

 

Blinks

 

Ok. Most likely electric because if your actuator is working something electricity isn't working there is a block sounds like. Dose 4hi blink or go solid?

 

Solid and engages.

 

This is a video I took, yes the truck is not running. I kept it off so you can hear the actuator. Clutch pedal is fully depressed, problem still occurs whether it's running or not