Trouble with 4WD-LO engagement??

Ok my first real issue. I'm having trouble engaging and dis-engaging 4WD-Lo. I can get in and out of 4WD-Hi no problem. When I stop to engage the 4WD-Lo sometimes it clicks in and sometimes nothing but the damn beep beep beep and nothing... I've tried reverse forward rocking back and forth, turning the steering wheel side to side... nada. Last time this happened I finally got it in 4WD-Lo and then I couldn't get it out of LO - that could have stranded me on the side of the road. The only way I got it out of 4WD-Lo was turning the truck off and starting it back up and bang it went into 2wd at the same time the engine started.

Any suggestions......Oh I have a manual tranny too!

 

Honestly I think this is normal. I also have a manual transmission and getting into 4-Lo is such a pain in the rear. 4-Hi is always happy to engage at will.

I press the clutch in a couple times for 4-LO.

 

no idea, however the shutting the engine down and back on I will have to keep in mind.

 

I futzed around with this in my backyard this weekend. A slight roll with clutch in seemed to be the trick. I have to say I wish there was a lever rather than the knob.

 

Try pushing the clutch down all the way to the floor. My 2nd gen will do the same thing in 4 low, unless I have the clutch down all the way. If it doesn't engage, roll forward just a little bit, release the clutch, push it back down to the floor, and turn the knob. See if that helps.

 

I have a stupid question. The owners manual shows the following for switching to 4LO:


I assume after you switch the dial to 4LO you also want to shift from N back into D? Owners manual leaves that step out apparently...

 

Yes. You go into neutral and if the 4LO light remains solid, you're engaged so now shift into Drive and you're ready to drive.

 

This was one of things that irritated me with the 2012 6MT, often took 2-3 tries or more to get into 4LO even with the clutch pressed to the floorboard.

Why did they go to all electronic on these trucks anyway? Consumer preference? Less internal moving parts, more reliable? 'Cool' factor?

Even the Gen1's some packages came with ADD.

 

I have no problem with 4lo. It's getting in and out of 4hi that can be problematic. Seems like unless I'm rolling is very difficult to get in and out of 4wd. Once in 4wd put the truck in neutral and switch to 4lo and pump the clutch once or twice. Usually does the trick. if not then i put it in first and slip the clutch for a moment with the brake on and it engages. The bs about rolling slowly to get into 4lo has only been problematic for me. Can't wait to swap the transfer case and end this bs.

 

Thanks guys for the feedback. I was all good for quite some time, and this is becoming more of an issue as of late. I've got 7700 miles on my truck we do a weee bit of wheeling on fire roads in 4WD-Lo ... It's getting harder to get in and out of LO. I'll try the few tips suggested...

 

You're putting the transmission in neutral each time before switching in and out of 4lo right? I'm only asking because it wasn't mentioned in your OP.

I have a first gen with a manual tranny, I'm not familiar with the turn style 4x4 knob but I assume that its still the same as far as when the 4x4 system is activated the light on the dash becomes solid. Sometimes, for me to achieve this I have to move forward a little. Sometimes more, sometimes less....sometimes I get lucky and it just goes right into gear. Does it ever fail to engage at all?

At any rate, being a 2016 you're still under warranty so it wouldn't hurt to have the dealer take a look to be sure there's nothing wrong (or to fix it for free if something is). The fact that you can't get it to come out of 4lo without turning the truck off sometimes sounds like an issue they should look at.

 

Since everything is automated, gears need to align and sometimes it's more difficult than other times because they may not be aligned. Sort of like how sometimes getting into reverse can be more difficult. Those rare times when everything is aligned and it goes right in are my favorite. I've also noticed if the vehicle has been driven a little it's much easier, my theory is that everything is well lubricated. I've also noticed all this automated BS works better in the summer probably because the gear oil isn't as thick as winter. I got the tacoma in the fall so my initial experience with the 4wd system was in cold weather and it was a pain; basically what started my quest to figuring out how to swap the t-case. Now that it's warm the 4wd actually works without headache. Though that could be because things are broken in? Also 2 shift knobs > 1 shift knob. lol

 

This came across as a tech tip last week. Improper shifting pattern from N to D during 4LO entering/exiting operation can cause damage to the transfer case actuator.
"Please instruct the customer to use correct shifting procedure for entering/exiting 4LO by making sure transmission remains in N until the 4LO entering/exiting operation is complete and no 4WD lights are flashing. Please refer customer to driver’s sun visor label for correct operating procedure to prevent malfunction."

 

Mine too is finicky about 4low. However a couple of pumps of the clutch and it is in or out witch ever I am doing.

 

I have been looking at t-case swap my self as a future mod. Looks like a short housing FJ case (manual= long housing / auto = short housing) with some swapped might do the 2 shift knob trick. This info is my educated guess from measurements taken from the exterior of both cases. I cannot confirm until I can get into the two cases and sense they are mine and my wife's daily drivers that might be a while.

 

When I first got my 2015 2.7L stickshift 4x4, I had trouble getting in 4 lo. I read the owners manual and tried it. It didn't work every time but after you put more miles on the truck and engage the 4x4 often. It seems to work better after awhile. I would be rolling or stopped, push in clutch and switch to 4 hi with no problems, then I stop completely, push clutch pedal to the floor firmly and hold it to the floor, switch to 4 lo without a problem.

To get out of 4 lo, again completely stop, push clutch pedal to the floor firmly and hold it there, switch to 4 hi, wait a sec, then 2 hi.

 

The thing I worry about, is being in a situation where you really need 4wd and are not able to go through all these hoops. Could be that you are not able to roll forward and retry, roll back and retry, etc. Seems like the actuator has the strength of a model airplane actuator and only works if everything is aligned perfectly. Would certainly prefer a lever myself.

 

Lever allows things to be aligned less than perfect for engagement?

 

I used to have a 4th Gen 4runner with similar issues when I bought it used with 80k miles.

I kept switching between H4 and L4 while in neutral coasting 10-15 mph over speed bumps until I got L4 working.

You have to regularly put in H4 or L4 at least once or twice a month or you'll lose it.

 

With my manual I have issues some time also (same way in my 2007). I have found that if I stop moving, put shifter in nuetral, release clutch, re-engage clutch, then turn the dial it will work almost everytime. Hope that helps.

I hope @RedBeard1 figures out the lever swap...