4wd problem please help

On my way to work thismorning we had some snow so I drove to work in 4wd about a 40 mile commute. It is all highway I was probably doing an average of 60 mph the whole way. I noticed as I was on the parkway I was feeling some resistance in 5th gear but I just figured it was normal not a very big engine now driving through the transfer case. But I exit the park way and As I get to the off ramp stop sign the truck basically stopped itself. I was goin to take it out of 4wd anyway but when I felt it stop me there was a lot of resistance to get it moving again. I then put it in 2wd and drove the next 1/2 me to work in 2wd and all is good. When I get there I try the 4wd again and same deal a lot of resistance but a little less then before and there is almost a moaning noise while driving in 4wd. So I park and get out and I can smell burning and gear oil. Anyone have an idea what it could be. I need to get this fixed ASAP this is how I get to work in bad weather and my other commuter is out of service aswell

 

could be a dry CV, maybe front diff is dry, if you smell burning grease theres a heat issue, therefore a friction issue, ergo a lubrication problem i'm betting, check for torn CV boots to start...


EDIT: Forgot to add that hubs spool out fairly easy on pavement but this is a self correcting problem generally, if you still feel symptoms theres probably damage

 

Do you mean if I still feel symptoms after it has cooled off? There is almost no turning on my drive just slight bends in the road

 

yep....

 

Could it be something with the transfercase? That's is my biggest fear having to replace that

 

test your 4x mode in the dirt & doing 60mph for 40 miles in 4wd on pavement is going to be a problem, no real reason to be driving that fast anyway in snow right ?

 

possibly but you said its fine in 2wd

 

Yes 2wd it feels fine. So if there was an issue with the transfercase I would feel it in 2wd?

 

most likely

 

I did not see this post the roads had about an inch. And I probably should have taken it out of 4wd. I read a post on here not long ago and someone said if it's in 4wd high speed won't really affect it. I guess stupid mistake on my part and all I can do is hope at the end of the day it is loose again an I didn't do any perminant damage. And for future reference what would be the top speed for 4wd

 

I'd say 50mph is reasonable

 

I've taken mine up to 70mph in 4WD with no problems.

Per the owner's manual, maximum allowable speed in 4Hi is 102mph (page 133 of the 2003 Owner's Manual)
The maximum allowable speed to shift into 4WD is 50mph. There is no maximum allowable speed for shifting back to 2WD.

Check your CV boots, front diff oil level and transfer case oil level. If those seem right, it'd be time to drain the diff and transfer case and see what the gear oil looks like.

 

Haha, did you drive 40 miles on pavement in 4wd ??
& I didn't think it'd hit 102mph even in 2wd... You sure it's not 102 Kilometers ?? I don't see any manufacturers using a speed thats about 30mph over 99.9% of posted legal limits in the U.S as a reference of specifications, I could be wrong....

 

Here's the owner's manual link:

http://www.toyota.com/t3Portal/document/om/OM35800U/pdf/01omsour/2003/03tacoma/16.pdf

Page 133. Easy enough to read it yourself.

Yes, over 40 miles on pavement (albeit, most definitely not dry), varied between 60 and 70mph. No issues to date with 135k miles on the vehicle. Pavement is not the vile evilness to part-time 4WD that many people think. Putting it into tight turns where traction won't allow tire slippage is a whole different game though.

 

Check your tire size and pressure. If its different from front to rear you will feel resistance and things will heat up. usually takes a significant difference tho

 

I'm old school and don't really care about what the manual says. I personally wouldn't drive in 4x4 more than 55-60mph, and that's only for a short distance, NOT IN 5th, on a not-hard surface.

I would start by changing out the diffs, tranny, and transfer case fluids.

 

Update: got out of work and put it back in 4wd drove maybe 1/2 around work. The resistance felt normal so thankfully it loosened back up. There was no gear oil drip where I had it parked. I am still smelling it a little though not nearly like thismorning but I can smell it

 

Is the off-ramp you had the issue on a clover leaf or a straigh-away?

 

It has a bend but where I stopped and it stopped me was on a strait away. Is there any way that I heated it up that bad and didn't ruin anything? Or is it a good sign that now it is cooled it freed up.

 

Dunno if you heated anything up beyond what it was intended to be. I really don't know exactly what happened.

As suggested earlier, I'd check your fluid levels on the tranny, transfer case and diffs. If you haven't changed out the gear oil in awhile, might as well. I'd also look at the old oil to see if there are any signs of breakdown or largish bits of metal. Also, look for any signs of slung gear oil at any of the input or output joints.

Also, check your CV boots for any tears or cracks. Might want to consider doing them anyways if they haven't been done in awhile as they can take on water over time and ruin the grease. Look for any signs of slung grease on the A arms, on the frame or on the OTREs.

Experienced in-person inspection and test drive trumps internet diagnosis in oddball situations like you experienced.

As I've said, I've run at highway speeds in 4HI with no issue. I'm also a maintenance nut and know the last time I've done all the fluids and what levels they are sitting at.