That makes sense. I've been down that same YT rabbit hole of late and was having a tough time figuring out why some actuators appear to have a single rod and others have two. I've got a V6, so I feel a bit less trepidation about messing with it now. Just have to steal the rig back from my snowboarding son for a day or two.

You've got it backwards. The V6 actuator has 2 rods. The replacement for the V6 is more complicated due to having to drop and split the transfer case in order to remove the actuator. The V6 actuator rods have locking pins within the transfer case that make it impossible to remove without splitting the TC. The V8 actuator is removable without dropping the TC but you need to be careful not to damage the actuator seals when doing it.

I've done this repair twice since the first Dorman actuator I purchased was faulty. The 2nd one worked and has been fine for about 6 months. I have a V6 btw. If I could go back in time, I would buy the AISIN actuator instead. You live and you learn.

So What that would mean is that you have a Center diff lock. with Center diff lock, you will have 2 rod actuator.

What you are refering to as being easy, is people without a center diff lock.

This vid might be enlightening for the V8 crowd:

4Runner Asian SAT-003 4WD Actuator Replacement Full Video 36410-60093 - YouTube

I just got an 04 V6 sport that wont go into 4wd. No matter where I put the selector, or push the diff lock button, nothing happens. ( neutral for 4lo ) On the dash, the center diff lock light is always on, the green 4wd light blinks slowly, the VSC TRAC and VSC OFF lights are solid on. I have let it sit overnight with the battery disconnected then preformed the zero point reset. I replaced the front actuator with a confirmed working one, and confirmed that the ring moves freely. When 4Hi is selected I am not getting any power to the front actuator. The center actuator moves when power is applied to both sets of pins. but I have not confirmed that power is making it to this actuator from the vehicle. I took apart and cleaned the contacts of the selector switch, and it is in working order. I am at a loss. Do i throw in a new control unit? or start checking wire continuity? If anyone has experienced this issue before, any help would be much appreciate, thanks!!!



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