Stuck in 4WD!

Well, I had to do it - put my truck into 4WL. I knew there would be trouble, but I just had to be careful and creep out of a snowy, icy situation.

So I get out to terra firma, take it out of 4WL, and the 4WL light started blinking along with the green 4WH icon. The truck came out of low range, but will not come out of 4-wheel drive, and those lights won't stop blinking. What to do?

I did some poking around the 'net, and there are all sorts of little 'recipes' for solving this - some contradictory. So I am asking, what is the consensus these days for getting my 2WD back? What steps, in what order? I should would like to avoid a trip to the shop... The Taco in question is a 2007 regular cab manual transmission.

BTW, the truck has been going into 4WD and back to 2WD on a daily basis all winter without any issues at all.

TIA for any guidance you can offer!

 

Thousands of threads on this problem,do a search.

 

I did search, and got lots of old threads with conflicting advice. That's why I posted. Thanks for your help.

 

Are you sure it came out of 4L? If it’s blinking while the switch is in 4H, that should indicate that it’s still in low range, I think.

 

I believe I am correct in saying you should put yourself in neutral when going in and out of 4L

 

I always do this when in 4 lo.

stop. Put in neutral.
Switch to 4 hi. put in gear and drive forward a bit. Blinking should stop.
Then turn to 2wd. It should disengage and be ok. If this fails you can always pull the motor off the back and manually shift it to 2wd.

 

Could you describe the steps you used to "come out of 4L"?

You might try switching the selector back to 4L, solid light. Drive forward, slowly a few feet. STOP, Place in Neutral, Move selector to 4H, Drive forward a few feet.

Have you looked at the Owner's Manual or the placard on the driver's sun visor for procedure prompts?

 

I’ve had my best luck backing up a bit and than putting truck in neutral and the pause a second if shift doesn’t happen shift back to drive with foot on the brake. This is usually the spot when mine would go back into 2wd

 

My truck used to do something similar. I could get it out of 4Lo to 4Hi but it wouldn't disengage. I would switch it to 2Hi and turn the truck off. I found that it would reset after awhile. The issue ended up being the front actuator contactors. Cleaned them up, greased, and re-sealed. That was 4 years ago. No problems since.

 

Here's what my placard says, if you don't have one anymore. I'd look into it being the actuator or some other component giving up, and consider if the truck is worth investing repairs in.

 

If it absolutely will not come out of four-wheel-drive you can take the actuator off of the back of the transfer case and manually put it back into 2wd and then put the actuator back on. I think putting the shift rod all the way in is 2wd.

 

Getting out of 4 lo is a common issue with all 4X4's, not just Toyota. Usually backing up a few feet while still in 4 lo and them pulling forward before trying again works. Although I've had to do this little dance 3-4 times in the past. I also find it easier to go from 4lo to 4hi 1st. Then after underway will shift to 4X2 on the fly.

Best advice I have is to move switch back to 4 lo, then drive in reverse 15' or so then forward and back again multiple times. Then stop, go to neutral and shift back to 4 hi. Also, with a manual it is imperative that the clutch pedal goes all the way to the floor. At least on newer vehicles.

 

Thanks for all the suggestions! I've tried many/most of these with no luck, but I will have a more methodical go at it tomorrow. Alas, I am too old and disabled to get down in the snow and ice and mess around with the actuator and whatnot. But I will try more things tomorrow.

Thanks again people!

 

He did do a search. And like me ended up here.

 

Check your limit switch voltages and post your results.
https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/4wd-system-operation-help-thread.742420/

 

This is an old thread and like so many OP asked the question but never let everyone know the conclusion, so another thread will be started

 

Nevermind I just noticed yours is a 22 according to your signature, if that's the case yours would be 3rd gen. They can be diagnosed with a scan tool that can talk to the 4wd system.
There is also a 4wd troubleshooting thread in the 3rd gen section.
https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/4wd-actuator-troubleshooting-transfer-case-and-add.578262/

 

Ok thank you. Excellent suggestions if I owned a used truck, but being a ‘22 with a service package I’m not so much as changing a wiper blade myself. I’ve driven high mileage used vehicles for last 30 years so this is a treat for me.
That said, the solution was a combination of user error (me being a true 4x4 noob) and lack of official and detailed Toyota documentation. All I needed to do was make sure the clutch was fully depressed to the mat and it has engaged and disengaged every single time. The manual says press the clutch but I had no idea it needed to be hard against the floor.

 

Ah well you didn't give any details in your post, yes the clutch has to be firmly on the floor and the truck under 3mph to get into and out of 4low.
The majority of people that post about 4wd problems are ones with the 4wd inop and/or the infamous flashing 4wd light so that's usually what I'm thinking when someone posts about a 4wd problem.