Engaging 4x4 while wheels slipping?

Hi all, new here...paranoid

First, apologies if this is not the correct place to post

I recently bought a new 2015 Tacoma 4x4 and love it. I have no experience driving 4x4 vehicles, but received instruction from the dealer on how to operate the switch. Today we had a big snowfall and for the first time I was able to experience some 4x4 driving (which was wonderful in the snow), however at one point in my commute I was in 2HI at a stop in a parking lot, started to accelerate and felt the tires slipping, so I switched to 4Hi - the indicator blinked for a second or so then suddenly I heard (and felt) a bang from under the floor. I consulted the manual as soon as I got home and read to never engage 4Hi while the wheels are spinning...something the dealer didn't tell me. Obviously my concern is damage - I was able to complete my drive home with no problems; no weird noises, nothing felt wrong.

How much damage could I reasonably expect to have done to the vehicle?

Thanks everyone

 

if it's still working fine, then don't worry about it.

 

Most likely engagement and no big deal.
Read your manual thoroughly and become familiar with 4hi and low and their applications.
Toyota diffs can take a bit of abuse .
GL

 

Usually that's normal. That's how you know the 4x4 components are actuating. If the indicator blinked that means that it hadn't engaged yet, bang, then should be a solid light.

 

i did that exact same thing with my dads. sounded like a bomb went off under the floor boards. Everything is probably fine, just remember to engage 4wd when all the wheels are stopped

 

I think we could probably refine this a little . If the rear tires are slipping , allow them to gain traction before selecting 4x4 . This is how I read the OP,s question .
You dont have to be stopped , but your rear wheels should have traction as the truck is moving forward. The trick is to make sure the front tires are turning at the same speed as the rear tires.
Its much easier for the transfer case hub to synchronize when all 4 wheels are turning at the same speed
Two electronic motors need a little time to work .
1-The transfer case electric motor moves the hub to the 4x4 position inside the transfer case
2- The Front differential actuator motor moves the hub on the front axle from neutral to the 4x4 position .
You will feel a light thud when 4x4 high is locked

 

Correct... the Tacoma is a shift-on-the-fly 4WD truck... which means you can shift into 4WD-HIGH (H4) while moving up to about 60 mph. The "thump" you heard and felt is normal going into and out of 4WD while driving.

Is there better, less noisy options? Sure, if moving and you just got to go into 4WD at that moment, take your foot off the gas pedal so there isn't any accelerating right when you shift into H4. You can shift into H4 while stopped... it may not engage until you begin rolling, however.

4WD LOW RANGE (L4) is a different beast, and you will use that mode for steep grades, deep snow or mud, pulling others who are stuck, etc. You must stop and shift your automatic tranny into N (neutral), not P (park) before rotating the dial to the L4 position. The same is true when shifting out of L4. If you forget to go into neutral, you get a warning beep and flashing light. Manual tranny requires depressing the clutch fully.

 

I did this one while wheeling, no problems to report.

 

Shift on the fly....... that's the nice thing about it.

Granted - I (personally) will take my foot off the gas before switching to 4Hi. I do that to remove any un-necessary torque on the driveline while its switching over. After the light is on solid - I will get on the gas again.

 

Thanks everyone for the response, I feel a little better now. Needless to say I will be more careful when engaging the 4x4 mode and I am scouring this forum for tips on 4x4 driving.
the Tacoma is a very nice vehicle, I just hope it is robust enough to take some abuse inevitably caused by a novice 4x4 driver like myself. I'm bound to make a few more mistakes...

Thanks again. This place seems to have a great community, I'm glad I found it!

 

There is no better made 4WD truck... you are in with the best people too!

 

So the couple of times I've used 4 Lo, I've had trouble getting back to 4 Hi or 2 Hi.
1st time was on dry land (lawn). Came up a hill, then when I was on the level, I put it in neutral and turned the dial to 2 Hi. Had to try several times before it would quit beeping.

2nd time was during the big snowstorm we had last Wednesday. Gave a short tow over a slight rise to a guy whose Chevy 4wd was't working so he was sliding all over. Once I disconnected, couldn't get it to come out of lo. Was on level ground and road was very slippery, so I wouldn't think it would get bound up. In and out of neutral several times.
Eventually pulled over into an area with several inches of snow in order to let traffic by. Finally let me get into hi.

Any tricks to getting out of low range?

 

I have always gone from 4 LO to 4 HI then to 2 HI and wait for the switch before moving to the next.

As long as I'm in neutral and stopped, I've never had an issue getting into and out of 4 LO. Always instantly switches for me. It's less stubborn than even 2 HI to 4 HI or 4 HI to 2 HI is.

 

David, ive read your thread and the manual multiple times. I always forget it needs to be in (N) neutral and not park when going into 4 Lo. As for the OP, welcome to TW. Truck will do great in the snow.

 

Well, you heard and felt why you're not supposed to engage 4wd with the wheels slipping.

The >BANG< you felt was when the transfer case locked up, rotating at a different speed than the front shaft - because the rear wheels were slipping and driveline spinning faster than it should for the speed.

What did you bust? Nothing, almost certainly. You stressed your driveline. If you do it again and again, you'll probably bend, twist or break an engaging dog or shaft inside the transfer case. But for now...probably nothing.

Until you have symptoms, there's no way to know exactly where to look. And rebuilding the transfer case when it isn't needed, is silly. Not to mention expensive.

Learn from this. It's not a toy; it's serious machinery. ALWAYS be sure you're off the gas when you engage the four-wheel-drive.