Can't disengage from 4H to 2H

It’s the actuator. Bang on it and it will do the trick. Happened to me when I had a 2nd gen....took me about 3 hrs to replace myself

 

I believe he has physically taken the actuator off and verified it works.
So, the gear very well maybe worn.

 

Yes, I've removed, soldered the motor terminals and made sure it still runs. Cleaned the terminals off. And it'll only slide into 4H randomly like it's just barely catching the gear. I'll find out more tomorrow though when I pull it and start checking it out more.

 

So I got a cheep eBay part and replaced the gear. Looked at wiring and everything tests good. I am now noticing that I don't hear my tcase actuator (suction noise) when I try to switch from 2h to 4h the front dif is disengaged. Now I'd try moving my truck around to see if it pops itself into place but someone decided they didn't like where I was parked and slashed a tire. So once that's figured out I'll have an update. But to anyone that doesn't want to get OEM $400 actuator and has an issue other than the soldering on the motor eBay has an actuator for $80 that fits perfect and comes with a new vacuum hose. I tested it as well and it seems (for now) to work properly.

 

Thanks for the update.
Sorry to hear about the tire, I honestly don’t know what is wrong with people anymore?
Hope you get it working soon. Keep us updated

 

Issue hopefully solved after I clean it! The tcase actuator had a tiiiiiiny hole in the vacume line. I just popped the actuator open and mud and water. Plus there is sand on the gear of the lever that engages the gears in the actuator transfer case. Hopefully cleaning it out will fix it.

 

So it ended up being a combo of my original issue with the front actuator and my transfer case actuator being corroded/ filled with mud. But it's all good now! The actuators are easier to take apart than I thought. Overall an easy job

 

Link if you have it plz

 

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Front-4WD-...5034-for-Toyota-Tacoma-2005-2019/362787132893



Again the only reason I replaced the front is because it had a stripped gear. It's worth it to pop it open and check for corrosion or the motor contact points being loose. But this part works for now. If it ever fails I'll just put the gear from the eBay one I to my OEM part. And watch out for those pesky vacuum hoses haha

 

Great news! Thanks for letting us all know the solution!