4WD front hubs on new Tacoma

I am considering a new 4WD Tacoma.

My question is when in 2WD mode, is the differential disconnected from the transfer case and the front wheels? Is anything in the differential or the front shafts in motion?

I don't really want to resort to going to a dealer and crawling under a truck to try to spin the shafts to see if they are free.

 

Drive train unidentified for a few more days.

 

I think hes wanting to find out about the 2015. In which case OP should go to the 2nd gen forum and ask or search there.

OP, this new 2016 Tacoma isn't going to be in dealers til like August or something.

 

I searched around and didn't really find what I was after.

I would consider the current 2015 production or the next year which I understand is not anounced yet. I might wait to see what the next engine production will be.

I really like the suspension on the Tacoma trucks my friends have what I don't like is all the automatic junk an them. I suspect 2016 will continue the automatic everything trend.

 

Current tacomas (i.e. 2015) use Automatic Differential Disconnect.

The CV axles spin, but the front driveshaft (propeller shaft, as Toyota calls it) does not.

 

Yes, if it was connected to the transfer case then it would be in 4wd...

... I think you meant to ask if the hub are still connected to the cv's in 2wd. In that case yes. Then they spin the front diff., but not the front driveshaft, due to the ADD feature

So, no you can't unlock the hub's to free-spin like 80's/90's trucks

 

^ That. Sorry OP, I thought you meant the 2016.

 

Thanks to all for the information. I didn't know the ADD was still in use. I had one in my 1995 T100. Caused me a fair amount of trouble so I disabled it, put manual hubs on it from an old 4Runner, forced the shift fork permanently to the engaged position and then it worked great. For year I put up with it not disengaging until if felt like it.

A major reason for wanting manual hubs is to be able to use low 4WD with out the front end locked in.

Never understood how people though locking a hub was such a big problem. I have no need for shift on the fly so I don't need the automatic systems.

Anyway I think I will wait a bit and see what the 2016 has on it.

 

No way is Toyota going back in time to the 80's or earlier!

I am on my third Tacoma with the ADD, and over 1/4 million miles all together with countless uses of 4WD Hi and Low... never a fail. Bummer you had a bad one in 1995.

Now, wanting to be in 2WD LOW is another matter altogether. Do some searching, and look for the 2 LO MOD (or how ever they spelled it). I remember on a CJ-5, finding the unmarked 2 LOW point in the transfer case shifter... It's all dials and electronic today!

 

Here is one 2WD LOW MOD thread: http://www.tacomaworld.com/forum/2nd-gen-tacomas/195424-2wd-lo-mod.html

 

It's isn't really about fuel savings. There are times when a person would like to backup a trailer into a tight spot and have to maneuver around things or back down a concrete boat ramp around other trucks. It's nice to be able to use low range to go very slow. In 4WD low lock, the drive line start to bind. My 3/4 ton truck is really bad. The more the front wheels turn the bigger the problem. It has ordinary Cardin U joints. The CV joints on a small truck are better but it's still a problem. Unlock the front differential and everything works fine in tight spots. There are also times I drive over really rough spots, rock ledges etc. Traction is good so I don't need it to be locked up but I do need to go as slow as possible to step over ledgers which might be on a turn. 4WD low lock doesn't handle this very will.

My 94 T100 was a great truck of me. The only problem was the ADD, it was vacuum actuated and at times especially down around 0F. It just would not disengage. When I got off snow and onto solid pavement I would have to get to a parking lot go forward and back any number of time to get it unlocked. The day I disabled all that stuff it worked just fine. I gave it to a friend and it's still on the road doing fine.

There are places where a full size 3/4 ton truck is just too much. My wife is looking to get a Tacoma to replace her Subaru.

I spent 1500 bucks to put manual hubs on my 3/4 ton diesel. My mileage did go up by about 10 percent but that was not the reason for installing them.

As the years have gone by, automatic 4WD system have become less functional for some of us. They are fine on paved highway but lack some of the versatility of the old manual systems. That's one reason I will never sell my 2006 all manual Cummins diesel truck, they don't make stuff like that any more. Lower cost, simpler designs and less likely to fail.

 

Just had a though, if the new stuff has electrical actuators, it might be possible to put a switch on the line if we don't want the ADD to activate.

Might be too simple to work.

 

That would seem strange. It the actuator motor shorted out or the wiring got cut it would be the same thing. The system should keep on going just without the front differential locking. A simple test will be to have a friend just unplug the connecter. I'll look into it for sure.

If only I still had my 1960 Jeep, wasn't powerful but it would go anywhere and if I did get it stuck it was light enough that it wasn't that difficult to get it unstuck. No AC or heat for that matter but those were fun days. If my 94 T100 hadn't started rusting to bits I would still be using it. It was a lot cheaper to deal with then a 7000 pound diesel. I kind of went from one extreme to the other.

Thanks for reply.

 

Maybe he has you on ignore?

It's simple to do. I used a slightly different method, but this is much better!

 

Great information. That's the answer.

Thank you for posting this.

 

Is there a way to do 2 love without cutting wires?

 

Yes. Put the truck in 4lo. Remove the four bolts holding the actuator on the front axle and slide the locking sleeve into the unlocked position. The truck is now in 2lo.

 

True.

 

LOL... what about 2 LO, on-the-fly?

 

repeat usernames procedure above but have someone you don't like unbolt the actuator and slide the shift fork while the truck is still moving.

There's a simpler mod to do 2lo and thats the FJ case swap, although that requires a hole in your floorboard so pick your poison.