When I try and shift in to 4-Lo I just get the beeping and blinking indicator and it never engages. I've tried going in to 4-Hi first, putting it in Neutral, then going to 4-Lo. I've tried going from H2, stopping and putting in to Neutral, and then go 4-Lo. I've tried holding in the knob on 4-Lo to see if that helped.

I've tried every weird combination of forward, reverse, neutral, park, h2 to 4l, h4 to 4l, etc including the instructions Toyota has on my visor. Always the same thing...

4Hi lights up and doesn't blink and seems to engage just fine from what I feel in the change in steering. I have not tried using the differential lock yet.

So. It appears to be broken. What can I check or what can a mechanic check without it costing me $500 just to tear things apart to try and diagnose this? What is probably wrong and what will it cost me to get fixed?

Is there a different gearing in the differential or what is the difference between 4Hi and 4Lo?

The lower gearing provided by 4lo occurs in the transfer case not the axles. In addition to the transmission controlling the ratios there's the final axle ratio. The transfer case when in Hi range has no affect on the ratio. When in low range it takes whatever the transmission puts out and basically halves the rpm of the shaft which increases engine rpm, torque, power etc and reduces top speed and gas mileage.

One last thing to try: Get it in 4hi and stop on a slight grade. Place the vehicle in N. Select 4lo. Allow the vehicle roll a bit, 2-3mph, for several feet and see if that does it.

Good luck!

put the car in park, the put the PARKING BRAKE on and then engage into 4lo

I tried the parking brake on as well as trying to let it change while slowly rolling. Still nothing. Any ideas on what might need to be replaced and what it will cost me?

If the actuator is shot - its like $1500 for the part and 20+ hours of labor.

They can only remove the actuator if they drop the entire transfer case and split it open which takes all the time.

Mine was frozen after sitting for a year - luckily warranty covered all $6000 of it.

Good luck!

Would 4Hi engage if the actuator is shot? 4Hi seems to engage fine. If it is $6000 to replace the actuator then I can probably live without 4Lo.

Might not be 6k but its definitely over 4k.

Did 4Hi still engage when your actuator was shot?

I have V8 - full time 4wd. They are not the same actuator. The 4lo one is external, the 4hi one is internal.

I have the dumbest recommendation of all. . . but it may work. I had the same issue with my rear diff lock because I never used it. When I went to engage it, it was stuck. After a couple days I finally got it to engage. At first it would only engage after I drove for a while, but now it engages whenever I press the button. Keep trying before taking it in and maybe you'll have the same luck as I did.

I have the same issue on an '04 v8 full time 4wd → wont shift into 4L. I used it once or twice back in February this year. I switched to Mobil 1 75w-90 gear oil in front/rear/tc in early July, had around 70K miles(no clue what was used previously, purchased in late January 2010 at around 68K miles with no info about the gear oil), currently at around 74K miles. Just tried to shift into 4L the other day with no success, and have tried all of the above steps. Any suggestions?

Maybe worth a shot.

New guy - fixed 4lo on my runner

Cool thanks. Not sure when I'll get around to try this, but I'll post back afterwards.

I haven't been able to get mine working and have just managed without it up to this point as we had a mild winter in Oregon and it was dry in Montana last I was back. Does anyone have a diagram of where to find the actuator so I can see what I need to bang on before trying to knock it loose?

Well, I'm not sure what finally got it going, but it finally broke loose. I kept trying for several days at random, usually after I had driven somewhere and the engine was warm. Still would not shift. While visiting with my parents, I asked my dad about it and told him what I read here about knocking around on the actuator behind the transfer case, and we thought we would give it a whirl. We did not loosen any bolts, but while I was in the driver seat turning on and off the switch, my dad had a small block of wood (roughly 2" x 2" x 24") and was knocking around on the actuator. Nothing worked, and after about 5 minutes of this, we decided to give it up. The next day, my wife and I took a friend out to eat and after we got back home, I decided to try 4L again before I shut of the engine... I put it in nuetral, turned over the switch and CLUNK it shifted!! It was just a small clunk where it had been locked up. I then put it in drive and drove up the driveway a bit, then reversed back down the driveway, then put it back in 4H. I tried it again just to make sure it was still going to work, and it shifted again with no clunk in less than 2 seconds. I tried it again yesterday while the engine was cold and it still worked perfect.



I am so glad this worked, although I will probably never need 4L for anything I do, but its nice to know things are working properly and its there in the event I do need it. I'm more of a lurker and do some reading on here, but I wanted to share my experience so maybe it would encourage others to keep trying and avoid handing any $$ to the stealership. I love this forum!! Thanks to all for contributing.