Testing 4WD on Lift

I had a mechanic check out a 2015 TRD Automatic I’m looking at, and he put it on the lift and raised the tires off the ground to get in and test the 4WD. I guess the ABS or something clicked on when he did this bc it made multiple clacking noises and just didn’t sound good. He wound up putting it in neutral to turn it off. Could any serious issues or damage be caused by this? I just found out some mechanics don’t test 4WD on a lift bc it’s hard on the vehicle as the drivetrain hangs freely (I may be using wrong terminology). Either way - that incident freaked me out and I’d like some input before I decide to purchase - am I overreacting or could something bad have happened from this?

 

Traction control kicked in. It's hard on the brake pads. Unless you are doing it for hours I doubt it will cause a problem. These trucks are not delicate flowers.

 

Agreed. Very highly doubtful it damaged anything...
The truck's VSC computers simply got crazy confused because things did not not respond as expected because the wheels were just spinning in the air.

Shut the truck off, lower it, and then try it again while on the ground. Try to very gently make a turn, you should feel the truck resist wanting to go forward and complete the turn (DO NOT force it to complete the turn, the only thing you want to see (feel) is that this resistance (binding) occurs while in 4WD). Take it out of 4WD, back up a few feet, then try to complete the turn in 2WD. It should turn freely w/o resistance.

Better still, if there's a dirt parking lot nearby, try to do the same there instead. The dirt will prevent the binding from building up to levels that could potentially break stuff, but can still very easily be felt.

 

Do you know why he had to throw it in neutral to shut it off? Guess that was quickest way. Dealership just told me they don’t test it on the lift bc it can be loud and cause issues. It did sound bad. Could anything have happened that would impact how it idles or accelerates? I swear it’s not as smooth when I first start it now. Prob imagining it tho…

 

You're probably just imagining things. The system activated the pumping of the brakes. It would have no affect on engine idle or performance.
Neutral or park would stop the driving of the wheels, so traction control would just stop.

 

That is nothing compared to the amount of stress it undergoes during a panic stop.

 

So he just let the front wheels hang? Maybe the cv's were a tad bit bidding?

 

yeah. About a foot or so off the ground