Short version: We spent Sunday wheeling in the snow and I broke something after getting through some very deep snow. Thanks to some friends I got it off the mountain where the snow was falling pretty fast.

I just got it home this afternoon after leaving it in town since none of us felt like trouble-shooting at 3am.

My first certainty - I could drive it home about 75 miles only with the center diff locked. If I unlocked the center diff I lost reverse. That's my first repeatable issue.

My second very quick test was putting it in low which resulted in a lot of grinding, scary noise. My first guess is a blown diff but I welcome more experiences people to chime in.

I'll add details as I investigate more but I'm too tired right now. TIA!

That's a major bummer. Maybe a silly question but you didn't specify, does the 4wd still work? As in, is there power to both axles or are you only fwd/rwd now?

It's gotta be a blown rear diff. Quickest way to check is to put it on stands in neutral and spin the tires you should feel/hear grinding from the third member

The blown rear diff would be plausible. But the fact that low (I assume you mean low range) is giving you issues makes me think tcase.

I was thinking that the sound in 4lo was some sort of byproduct of different traction control modes. Time will tell and for the OP's sake let's hope it's the diff!

Easiest way for me to see if it was the rear diff when I blew mine is on a slight hill in 2WD try to go forward or reverse. When it starts to grind, if the drive shaft is moving and you are not it's probably the rear diff.

Here the video of mine when I was testing. Audio isn't great but you can see the drive shaft moving and the truck not.



Here what it looked like. It would move until the gaps in the ring and pinion would line up and just grind and not catch.

He doesn't have 2wd, V8 4Runners are full-time 4wd

Ahh sorry, didn't think about it being a V8. That's annoying for trouble shooting. It should still spin like that to a degree until the tourque part of the tcase moves some power to the front(I'm guessing, not sure)...I couldn't go much at all unless I was in 4WD with the center diff locked as well but the rear wheels bound periodically as pieces got jammed for me.

Thanks for the input and making me realize I left out some details - 4WD Limited and the noise comes from the front which is why I'm thinking front diff.

Not a silly question, in the snow my front wheels didn't spin. Right now just RWD.I haven't gotten to putting it on a rack and haven't tried putting it in low gear since I got it back today.

My son suggested both the front diff and center diff. I'm a bit confused by the lack of reverse and he says it may engage fully giving me reverse but when off it doesn't.