4wd Problems 2014 Taco TRD sport

Hello Everyone,
Hopefully somewhere here can steer me in the right direction.

Earlier today the family and I took our 2014 Trd Sport 4x4 off-roading in some mud and puddles. After the day was done we drove down to the local In-n-Out but when I was about to park I noticed my 4x4 lights were blinking and it was set on 2H. Well seconds later it felt like my truck was on a leash and I could no longer go forward as if my transmission was seized. I could only go backward or forward about 15 ft before it stopped me completely even ion neutral. The only way I could keep moving is if I turned my steering wheel in a different direction. I looked underneath the truck and I did not have any damage. Only think I found on the transfer case actuator was the vacuum hose had a small hole in it and was loosely on. I secured the hole with electrical tape for a quick fix and secured it with a zip tie but had no change in my trucks status. please let me know if you have felt with this before or know how to fix this. Thank you.

 

The actuator probably got water and dirt in it since the hose was off, you may be able to take it apart and clean it but take care to note the timing of the gear if you remove it so it gets installed correctly.

Alot of info on the 4wd system in the thread below.
https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/4wd-system-operation-help-thread.742420/

 

Thank you, any idea what would be causing the truck to stop. Only thing I found online was transmission wind up.

 

It sounds like it's still in 4wd, you can try backing up a bit and see if it disengages but if the actuator is messed up it probably won't.

If it's in 4wd and your on a hard surface it's going to bind when you turn because the front and rear wheels are locked together and when you turn the front and rear drivelines want to rotate at different speeds, if they can't they bind up. This is why it's not reccomended to use 4wd on pavement except when driving in a straight line.

 

Okay thanks for all the help

 

Let us know what you find

 

Tried backing up and switching to 2H with 2 wheels on curb and 2 wheels on grass going back and forth with no change

 

Not sure where your truck is presently, but if you are at home in your driveway, try "exercising" the system a little more: 2H/4H/4L back and fourth a dozen or so times. I would the perform 2H-4H several times initially in Park, and then switch to Neutral and do the shifts again (2H to 4H and back, and then in and out of 4L.) If you're on a slight slope where the truck can move a little forward/backward while you are doing this, even better: sometimes that's all it takes to get it to complete the shift.

The reason I say in your driveway is because you're never really "stranded" there, unlike being in in the sticks somewhere when it gets cranky. Keep us posted. I never experiment with 4L when I don't really need it and I'm on some road to nowhere looking for a fishing hole.

Welcome to TacomaWorld.

 

Probably gona have to pull the actuator apart so you can clean it and also you can shift it manually by rotating the gear. Or you can run through the voltage checks outlined in the thread I posted to see where everything is before tearing into it.

 

Update
Turns out I got water and mud in my transfer case, actuator, and the contacts from the outer case of the actuator shorted and burnt down to plastic. I was able to buy another actuator on Amazon for about 100 bucks and just used the cap And left the rest of the housing the same. Put it on this morning and everything works fine. No error codes switches to four-wheel-drive for low and 2 Wheel Dr. with no problems.
Thank you everyone for the help appreciate it

 

Make sure that vent tube is reattached and in good condition. You may need to trim a half inch or so off the end.

 

I ended up, wrapping it, an electrical tape and putting a zip tie to hold it to the nipple

 

Good news: Nice job. Be sure to replace that old hose as soon as you can. It's an inexpensive DIY fix. Securely tape the new hose to the end of the old one and gently pull them into the engine bay. You should replace the one for the transfer case as well.

Welcome to TacomaWorld.