Is 4hi actually engaging

So, new member here and first time posting so be gentle. Just bought a 2023 Tacoma DCLB 4x4 SR5 V6 auto in celestial silver. I have a few mods done but that's not really my reason for this post.
I've had previous trucks (3, 4th gen Ram 1500s) all 4x4. My question is kinda hard to explain so bare with me please. We've been getting some snow up in my neck of the woods so naturally I've been engaging 4hi to help with traction etc. The switch seems to work fine, the light turns on the dash, no issues there, but the truck doesn't actually feel like it's in 4x4. I had it engaged and on a snow covered road, asked my neighbor watch my wheels. I have it some gas and the rears spun a bit before the electronic nannies locked in and caught traction, but the front wheels did nothing. I then drove to an empty parking lot that was plowed and dry and tried the crank the wheel to lock while on 4hi trick and there's no binding or wheel hop at all. Smooth as can be. Felt no different than when in 2wd. Something tells me although it's a brand new truck and the light on the dash is indicating that I'm in 4hi, I dont think it's engaging the front wheels at all.
My previous Rams had the typical driving bind under similar conditions. Am I missing something or is it a trip to the stealership for a warranty call.
Any and all advise would be appreciated.
Thank you

 

My guess is yes as long as the little green dash picture of the 4 wheels is solid and not flashing. That's the whole point of that indicator.

 

For 4L you need to be in neutral to engage but 4H is as easy as spinning the dial. Sounds like a dealer visit is in order, unless any of your mods involved dechroming the dash and there's a chance you forgot to plug back in the selector switch, lol. As Buck said you should see additional icons on the dashboard when 4WD is activated and they should be solid. You can also definitely feel the truck driving a bit different and pulling different when in 4WD especially on pavement.

 

Try cycling it to 4lo as well. Easiest way to find out is to put all 4 corners on jack stands and see.

 

Hey, thanks for the quick reply. Yes the dash light is on solid which has me confused. I really don't feel any extra traction at all though. I know they have open front and rear diffs with auto LSD for the rear in 2wd, but it really drives and feels exactly the same whether I'm in 2wd or 4hi, even on slick roads. The back end still gets a little happy with mild throttle (understeer)
Now I know Tacos aren't the same as Rams but my Rams felt very different in 4hi compared to how the Taco feels. I could feel the extra drag on the driveline and that was even with the Hemi power. I literally feel or hear no difference in the Taco.
I just think it's kinda odd.

 

I did try putting it in 4lo. Stopped while in 4hi, put in neutral then engaged 4lo. There was an obvious difference in 4lo, but once back in 4hi, same thing.
Now you're right, I could put it on jack stands and from what I understand the front wheels should spin in opposite directions but since it's still under warranty, I'll let the boys at Toyota crawl around under it lol.
Just wanted to exhaust any and all operational issues to prevent looking like an idiot at the dealership lol.

 

Whilst on the snow and stopped, crank your steering wheel to full lock and slowly move forward in 4Hi. You should feel the driveline bind a bit - like you have to gas it a bit to get the truck to turn. That is one way to know for sure your truck is engaged... you will feel the bind when making full lock turns. I'm not saying do this regularly and for sure do not do this in good traction conditions - that is one way to eff up your driveline.

If you do not trust the 4 wheel indicator being illuminated, if you don't trust the 4WD ECU making the clicking sound from behind the glovebox as it latches + sends the signals for your truck to engage into 4WD.... do something to physically check. Also, disengage traction control. If you have traction control engaged it is unlikely your friend will see any wheel slippage.

Edit: also... if you have snow on the ground go to a stop sign to make a right turn and accelerate while in 2WD. You will likely feel the pedal go mushy as the traction control engages. Do this when no one else is around / on the road. Go back, engage 4Hi as you approach the stop, then do the same thing. You will feel a difference - you'll accelerate out of your right turn from the stop quicker with less slippage since 4WD is engaged. You will feel the difference and then learn to trust the indicators.

 

My mods are pretty minor and don't involve anything like that. Slightly larger rims and AT tires, OTT tune but this was happening before the tune anyway. I'm stumped and a little disappointed to be honest. I never had 1 issue in any of the 3 Rams I had. I'm not a die hard Ram or Chrysler guy by any means. I actually always wanted a Taco and finally got the chance to get one when my lady wrote off my 22 Ram. I was hoping for more I guess.

 

My 23' is silky smooth when in 4Hi and we've had a foot of snow recently. I know mine is working though. i like the jack stand idea, then you would know.
my Siverado in 4wd was always more difficult to steer but not the Taco.

 

So I did the full wheel crank thing while in 4hi and it turned smooth as butter. Absolutely no bind or anything.

 

Turn the TC completely off and try. My fronts won’t bind often, unless I really push it, which I don’t.

 

These newer vehicles with 4WD Hi and all the traction control settings built in may not feel different until you get to slick roads. If the light is on you are good. I think these Toyota systems are really good. When you really need it, it will make a difference on snow/slush/ice or mixed conditions. The ass will stay planted and not slide out as much. I’ve even used it in a rain downpour situation.

 

That's the thing, the ass end is all over the place on 4hi with slick roads.
For context, I'm 50 years old, been driving since I turned 16, muscle cars, imports, trucks, everything under the sun. I'm not careless and don't abuse the skinny pedal when the weather's bad. Even driving carefully, the ass end is all over the road when conditions get a bit slick. Like I mentioned above, no real difference from 2wd. I even put 250 lbs of weight in the bed and I just upgraded to all weather (3 peak mountain snowflake) all terrain tires and not real difference.
I made an appt at the dealership for this Friday. I'll report back once I get a definite answer for those interested.

 

Since it's essentially brand new and still under warranty, I'd take it to the dealer for diagnosis before something breaks.

FWIW: My field test is when I'm in 2H on snow, black ice, wet leaves, whatever and the rear end starts swinging out whenever I touch the gas, I switch to 4H: It stops doing that. It's old-school 2nd-gen grouchy 4x4, so there are a few accompanying clunks and metallic noises under there and out front when I switch to 4H, but usually only on the initial switch. When it's in 4H: I can feel it: it's a very subtle difference, but it's there.

YMMV

Welcome to TacomaWorld!

 

Thank you, and I can relate to your 2ng gen. "so there are a few accompanying clunks and metallic noises under there and out front..". Since I turned 50, I make all those same noises!
Joking aside, yeah it's going to the dealership on Friday. I tried everything people have suggested and the results all point to me still believing that something's wrong. Not that I believe any of the 3 Rams I had were better per se than my Taco, they all just felt so planted in 4hi. That combined with it not behaving at crawl speeds while turned fully on dry pavement (done purposely and carefully) leads me to believe that there's something amiss.
I'll report back once I get the dealership to have a look at it this week.

 

If it helps, I'll add that when I have (rarely) been in conditions with a really difficult surface, (example: black ice) and the back is swinging out and/or the front is under-steering, the stability control/sway control/auto LSD cannot completely resolve or deal with it all of it on its own either. Selecting 4wd adds an advantage and it makes an obvious difference, (at least on my truck) and all of the systems work as a team to do "the best they can" so to speak. Again: engaging 4wd makes an obvious and immediate difference.

 

On any slippery surface like snow or ice, the difference between 2wd and 4wd should obvious to anyone regardless of their familiarity with 4wd. The acceleration is many times greater. All you have to do is hit the gas.

Additionally, the dynamic behavior of 4wd vs 2wd when whipping shitties should be obvious. The amount of oversteer in 2wd is many times that of 4wd which tends toward understeer (at least in an unloaded pickup truck).

I fully believe the OP could tell the difference.

Based on all evidence provided, I suspect the front diff actuator is not engaging the front axles OR this is all a practical joke.

 

OP, please keep us posted about the root cause. I haven’t heard of any issues like you describe.

 

Just driving straight down the paved road to exercise the 4wd actuators every once in a while I can definitely feel it in the steering wheel when it's in 4hi. It's just that little bit harder to turn the wheel left or right the slightest amount. Not turning it enough to leave the lane, just enough to move in the lane it has a definite different feel in the wheel.

 

Seems op knows how to tell if it’s engaged. Sounds like something isn’t working?
My 18 engages and disengages with no feel or noise while rolling.
Normal driving on the road but making turns like into garage or a parking spot I usually switch to 2wd. It can be felt even when slippery.
Curious if parking in 4 hi and jacking up front in park the front wheels should not spin freely?