Stuck in 4hi

I have been trying to periodically use my 4wd hi when I am on gravel roads etc. Lately it has been taking it's sweet time going from 2wd to 4. Today I shifted into 4wd and it went right in but then when I selected 2wd it just flashes continuously on the cluster. I was thinking maybe the actuator is just stuck. Any ideas?

08 Tacoma trd offroad
68k miles

 

Try putting it in Neutral then shift from 4H to 2.

- Rich

 

What are you doing when you're switching it in & out of 4WD.?
If there is any 'torque' on the driveline - it won't engage/disengage.

When engaging/disengaging 4WD - be on flat ground and if you're moving - take your foot off the gas. Sometimes if you turn the wheels left to right - can help relieve the torque on the front axle shafts.

And if all that doesn't help...try stopping and moving the truck in reverse a little bit, try again. Move forward, try again.

 

still nothing. I think the actuator is stuck because usually when i open my door and turn the selector I can here it click. It's completely silent right now. I have tried p, r, n, d, flat surface, on a small hill, rocking it, pry bar to the t-case j/k. Looks like Ill just take it to shop some time this week. Luckily I have a back up beater. Any ideas what the cost is for a new actuator?

 

Have you crawled underneath and checked for some obvious problems? Wires and/or vacuum hoses being disconnected?

P.s. Don't use a pry bar on the t-case.

 

yes everything looks good I unhooked the one wide black plug and hooked it back up. Today when i went to move the truck back a few feet in the driveway i heard a click and the indicator light on the cluster went solid. So it must have made a complete connection with the front wheels. When I switched the dial back to 2hi it still blinks though. I have an appointment at the local shop Wednesday, they are pretty knowledgeable. Fingers crossed.. hopefully it doesn't make me dig too deep in the pocketbook.

Thanks for the advice so far. much appreciated!

 

So I took the truck in to the local shop, they were able to get it out of 4wd and told me the actuator was stuck but they greased it up and it was working fine. Took the truck around the block and selected 4HI to confirm that it was working properly. When I did that the light just keeps blinking. I went back to the shop and spoke to the mechanic. We took it for a drive and he tried everything.. no luck. When I turn the dial I can hear the actuator on the t-case doing its thing. So this leads me to believe its the vacuum actuator on the front differential that is acting up. I'm either just going to buy a new front diff actuator or take it to the stealership to have them take a look.

 

Does anybody know if I should be able to hear the front actuator when laying under the front of the truck? When the 4wd switch is turned.

 

If you can hear it while sitting inside the truck, then you should hear it while laying underneath it. But - that's just my guess.

You might want to try jacking up the front end to get the pressure off the wheels (so to speak). Aside from that, it'll give you more room to lay under there. While you're under it, have someone else inside the truck and have them cycle the switch back-n-forth (2WD-4WD hi) while you listen for the actuator.
Also, while you're down there - you can move the wheels (rotate or turn) to see if that makes any difference.

I don't even know where the actuator is or what's hooked up to it (assuming its vacuum actuated), but if you can run some tests while pulling certain wires/vacuum hoses on/off to see what happens. Are you sure you have vacuum and all connections are good?
If you have even the smallest of vacuum leaks, your actuator will be weak and work sporadically. Look for cracks and/or kinks in the vacuum hoses...