4wd electrical failure when wet

2014 dclb sr5 4x4

I was driving dirt road in 4H and came to a water crossering. Was deeper than i thought, came up to door panels. Mid way through my 4wd and 4L lights on dash started blinking. When i got to dry land again i sat for a minute and tried to switch to 2H and nothing happened. I ended up being stuck in 4H for about 3hrs until finally i heard a lot of clicking from ECU and the lights went out on dash and i was back in 2H. Anyone had this happen or know what might have messed up when wet that i should look to fix?

 

You likely have a vent hose that is cracked or disconnected on the Transfer Case Actuator or ADD Actuator and allowed water inside, if your inclined they can be taken apart and cleaned.
If nothing is obvious you can test the limit switch voltages at the 4wd ECU behind the glovebox when the 4wd is acting up and see which one(s) are out of range.
https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/4wd-system-operation-help-thread.742420/

 

great link! thanks

 

for future reference . . . water crossings are always deeper than they look!

 

that was the case this time… but the actuator is meant to get submerged though right? now that i understand and see where that thing is does anyone add extra weather protection to theirs?

 

My actuator failed ~4 yrs ago. Disassembled and discovered corrosion on the wiper tracks. Sanded down a bit, refilled with solder. No issues since.

 

They are fairly well sealed but the vent hoses tend to crack with age and allow dirt and moisture inside.