Did some mudding Sunday, today blinking 4wd indicator?!

We went out and had some fun with my '07 TRD Sunday, it was pretty wet and muddy and we got real dirty.

I stayed away from deep water, but several times I was in about 1-2feet. Everything was fine, 0 issues all day.

Drove the truck 300+ miles back home from inlaws house the next day, 0 issues. Drive it to work and home yesterday (40 miles) 0 issues.

This morning, two things:

- 4wd indicator light blinks all the time while in 2wd, will not engage 4wd either
- Starter will click and not spin, like a bad solenoid

Any thoughts?

Are these things really that susceptible to water damage???

 

Does that starter come out up past the manifold, or out by the UCA?

Looks a little tight.

 

Started is a bitch to change out. You have to loosen the steering shaft, remove your header on driver side and I ended up loosing up the Y pipe. THEN I still had to loosen the started bolts by heating the outside with a propane torch. Then I had to wiggling it out of there. Took me like 6 hrs because I didn't use a torch(father in law kept it in his truck) not too hard, but just time consuming.

 

http://www.rocksolidtoys.com/forum/showthread.php?t=413&page=5

look at this.


Also do you get a battery warning light or no?

I killed my Alternator through a muddy/slitty 2-3 puddle.

 

that is not bad idea.

 

when in doubt bang it out

 

im about ready to bang the truck into a tree and go get a 1st gen.

 

that is little extreme.

 

http://www.tacomaworld.com/forum/2nd-gen-tacomas/263525-how-trouble-shoot-4x4-actuator.html

 

Starter is tight gettin out.
The correct way to take it out is thru the drivers side wheel well. Loosen the steering shaft will help. I've know people to get it out without doing that.but I couldn't.

 

If banging with a hammer doesn't help....you can always try a bigger hammer

 

like dead blow ^

 

So, I went to lunch. Truck started fine, 4wd indicator still blinking.

Leaving lunch, started fine, 4wd indicator out, truck shifted into 4wd without issue.

I guess I'll take apart the actuator and clean it out, WD-40 the motor, pack any potential leakage point with dielectric grease (Or RTV or something?) and run it. Motor obviously works, i imagine those contacts are dirty now.

I know water causes issues with any truck, but I would not have expected either of those to happen. I wasn't out in a river up to the door handles or anything. I have direct comparisons in the same place doing the same sh!t. Nissan Frontier, no issues whatsoever. 2001 Land Rover Discovery was lifted and snorkeled and ONLY used to go out and mud in the same place, only I was running that thing up to the windshield in silty water and L1 Floored in mud over and over and over. Same starter after 3 years of that, no CEL, ALWAYS started/ran/shifted ect.

 

i would definitely resolder those contact points, from factory they are not done to well.

 

Will do!

I want to make a mechanical cable operated deal to engage the front wheels...

 

you could always try something like what this guy suggests ^