transfercase

Just wondering if anyone has had a 3rd gen transfer case actuator motor short out on them. I was up in Colorado and coming down Medano Pass when my 2016 offorad would not shift out of 4 wheel high. Long story short the actuator motor shorted out. No trail damage. I am just starting off roading. This cost 2000 to replace the whole case since you have to split the case to replace the motor and its 800$. Just wondering if anyone has experience with this.

 

I feel like there is a common mod people do so this doesn't happen. Not short out, but the wires come undone inside leaving you stuck in 4WD or unable to get in 4WD. Maybe I'm thinking of something else..

It could be worth looking into...

Good luck!

 

Yes there is a two wire soldering issue and silicone sealing but that i believe is for front actuator this is the t case.

 

This happened to a friend of mines 2016 3G. I don’t think it’s entirely rare. They may have improved the part.

 

I’ve looked online and found aisin replacement actuators in the $400-ish range. Mine shit the bed and stranded me in 4-lo. Fun fact you can rig it into 2-hi by pulling the plastic part off but you’ll never get it back together right. I took mine apart a few times and now I’m down to only 1 light (4x4) icon and got cruise, abs, tcs, and some sanity back. I’ll let everyone know how much of a pain in the dick this is since I’m fixing myself. This has ruined Tacomas for me and I’m trading it in once it’s fixed. I encourage y’all to do what I did and buy a GX470 for any off-roading. The 3rd gen is a soft taco ‍♂️ Also I tried soldering all the connections in the actuator box-didn’t work.

 

I've only replaced one, it was a 2017 that got stuck in 4lo. Nothing would fix it, and I had to replace the actuator.

It's not DIY work, I would rate it 7/10 on a mechanical scale.

 

I watched the aisin training video on replacement and it seems doable. I see the reason for the labor cost and all but I’m trying to break even when I trade it and having it done is $1600 more I’ll have into it. I do wonder what it would cost if I pulled the case and brought that to a shop.

 

That would be the best choice, I imagine 200-300$ labour. The transfer case isn't that hard to remove.

You just don't want to damage the internals by misaligning the rails.

 

That was the only part that concerned me. It’s worth a shot. If the quotes from shops are still high I’ll just have to be careful and take my time.

 

You can PM me if you need help.

 

Thanks very much-I really appreciate that.

 

Is replacing the actuator harder than rebuilding a regular transfer case?

 

No, its just trickey with the rails. No presses involved.

 

I probably should have looked into it but is there a manual override? I so much prefer my f350 with two sticks inside and mile marker hubs. Less stuff to go wrong.

 

So I did do the job-and it’s a pain but a buddy and I did it in about 4 hours total including dropping the case. Drove it for a couple of days then went to carmax and sold it for a $2k profit. The off-road adventure will now be done exclusively by my gx470 which is an all-around more capable rig.

 

YouTube Video

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ak2jDzVQIdU

Looks like a real pain.