98 front wheels won't engage when in 4x4

Oh so there was a manual hub option on 3rd gen runners hu? Man wish we had found one with them...I've never even seen one, thought we did good to find one with a j shift transfer..

 

so, i may have a similar issue. 1998 tacoma 2.7L when i lock my hubs the driveshaft to the front axle locks, BUT i dont get any pull on the front wheels when driving in 4H or 4L. when i conducted this test, both sides caused the driveshaft to turn.
any idea what this means? I started examining after I got stuck in sand last week. my front wheels were not getting any pull even when driving through my e-brake. i figured something was wrong with my 4wd but now I can't tell why it's not working. any help would be much appreciated. thanks

 

If the hubs are working then your issue is with the transfer case. I think 98 uses a vacuum actuator. If you have a bad actuator it wont engage, but odds are better that you have bad vacuum hoses.