Truck has been at the shop since August 3rd

I wouldn’t let them work on the truck anymore. I would demand it goes to a Toyota dealer and is fixed by Toyota certified techs.

 

They think they found the fault. Some wired under the bed were cut.
I’m going to take it to a dealer afterwards to have it inspected

 

They found out why the 4x4 doesn’t work.
When they put in the new rear axle they put a 4x2 instead of 4x4
They have to get a new differential.

 

This makes no sense. A rear axle is a rear axle, doesn’t matter if the truck is 2wd or 4wd. Did they forget the transfer case?

 

BAMF and Archive Garage both make heavy duty bolt-on replacements.

 

I think it has to be with the differential? I honestly don’t know what to think. I’m taking the truck to Toyota for a full inspection after they are done with it because WTF

 

If the 4wd knob is not engaging 4wd then there is probably an issue with the actuator in the transfer case. The rear diff wouldn’t make a difference in engaging 4wd because the rear diff is always being used. The front diff is engaged when you select 4hi or 4lo, so I’m not sure how it could be the rear differential.

 

This is what I’m getting from the shop.
can anyone make sense of it?

 

They are BS'ing you man, get your truck out of that shop immediately.

 

Well fuck, this fucking repair has honestly been the most frustrating experience.
My understanding is that the rear axle has nothing to do with 4x4 or 4x2, since the truck is RWD the 4x4 component would be on the front axle?

 

Yes a 2wd truck would not have the front differential or transfer case as its not needed. If they don't know the basics of a 4wd vehicle, I wouldn't trust them to make it right.

 

Chiming in on this one but correct me if I'm wrong. A 4x2 rearend is a limited slip 8.4" diff and the 4x4 is the 8" elocker diff with a motor attached to it. The diffs are not the same and it's obvious by just looking at it.

 

I will keep my pie hole shut for now, but please go look at some of my previous posts. That poor truck will never, ever be the same. Very sorry OP.

 

Mine is 2006 and has no motor, I think it’s mechanical

 

Yeah, I’m taking it to Toyota to see what they say about the repairs… This is a nightmare

 

You have been a million times more patient than I could ever be. I would ask for a lifetime warranty on this work too.

 

After you get your truck back from Toyota and have it appraised and hopefully get money back I would dump your insurance company right away and go with someone else. I would also more than likely sell it off wash your hands of it and buy another one. This is the main reason I will never purchase a Rebuilt title.

Good Luck Man so sorry to hear about all this

 

If it'd been me, I'd have rejected their offer and sued the other driver for an amount that would trigger it being totaled out. That was the mistake here, in addition to the hindsight error of not having taken it to a Toyota Dealer for frame replacement and all the other damage. But you live and learn. At this point it's about pulling the best turd out of a full porta john. One thing you need to do is brace yourself for is the possibility the other insurance company will not be reimbursing you for the full vehicle rental fees you have (and will be) dolling out. They are likely to say the repair time was unreasonable and leave you on the hook for a good portion of the time that has gone by.

 

Most will have the 8.4". Only some models (ex: TRD OR) will have the 8" diff with the locker. Not sure if OP's ever specified exactly what model he's driving. Regardless, I'm 99% sure that the shop is full of it.

 

I had no control over the repair times, so I hope the insurance doesn’t fuck me over, but the way shit is rolling right now…