4 LO Grinding/clunk??

[eric70412]

This is the first time I have ever owned an automatic 4x4. All of my other toyotas were standards. But when I go and put my 4 runner in 4 Lo on a loose gravel location (not pavment) I switch the tranny to N and then I switch it to N on the transfer case then when I go to put it in 4 Lo it grinds slightly and kinda clunks going in and its the same way when I take it out. Just in 4 LO!! It seems to be running fine once its in but that grinding/clunking noise when going in & out of 4 lo just scares the crap out of me. Now my Tacoma standard transmission goes in nice and smooth. Is it supposed to be like that with an automatic transmission?? Are there any tricks when putting it in 4LO to prevent this??:thanks:

 

[MeBe4running]

Same...

Its funny you should say..... I am currently at a Toyota Dealership waiting to hear from them about the exact same problem you mentioned, However I have a 2010 Trail Edition. I will let you know anyway what they say. :keyboard:

 

[eric70412]

Its funny you should say..... I am currently at a Toyota Dealership waiting to hear from them about the exact same problem you mentioned, However I have a 2010 Trail Edition. I will let you know anyway what they say. :keyboard:

Oh wow!! Thats something lol Ok yeah please let me know what they say.. Thanks!!

 

[Elton H]

lol gotta be at a dead stop

 

[024RunnerSE]

Tranny's gotta be in nuetral and at a dead stop before you shift into 4low.

 

[nor cal boy]

Transmission uses wet clutch packs-when you put trans in n and tcase in n, the trans output will spin slightly bcs of the fluid around the clutch packs. The trick is to shift as fast as posible- ie. Not stoping at neutral on the tcase. You could try shifting to P it won't grinf there and itl force you to compleatly stop.

 

[eric70412]

Transmission uses wet clutch packs-when you put trans in n and tcase in n, the trans output will spin slightly bcs of the fluid around the clutch packs. The trick is to shift as fast as posible- ie. Not stoping at neutral on the tcase. You could try shifting to P it won't grinf there and itl force you to compleatly stop.

Thanks for the info! But if your in park how can you put it in 4 lo with it in park?? The T case lever wont move at all in park or will it?? I never tried while in park I thought you had to be in Neutral. When I am putting it in I am completley stopped I hold my foot on the brake! Yeah ill have to try and shift it quick next time cause I am stopping at N and then trying to shift into 4 lo. So your saying if I do the shifting all in 1 motion real quick from 2h to 4 lo it will be alot smoother that way right??

Now how about if I shut the truck off and then put it in?? I tried that and it seemed to work really good but its just a pain to have to shut it off and then start it back up. Do you think I am hurting anything by doing this??

 

[Nelsonmd]

So a bit of a thread resurrection here, but this post just solved the grinding issue for me. I tried it in park like others have said, but unless the gears line up when you engage park, the shifter doesn't move. I just fast shifted from 4HI to 4LO a bunch times perfectly smoothly. Great tip, and bonus points for the explanation why.

Transmission uses wet clutch packs-when you put trans in n and tcase in n, the trans output will spin slightly bcs of the fluid around the clutch packs. The trick is to shift as fast as posible- ie. Not stoping at neutral on the tcase. You could try shifting to P it won't grinf there and itl force you to compleatly stop.

 

[durrell]

Yeah, sometimes I'll feel a bit of a grind but the trick is to just shift as smoothly and as quickly as possible. I've never heard much of an audible grind. The 4Runner actually has a really smooth shifting transfer case compared to other 4x4s I've owned. My Nissan felt like it was falling apart when I shifted it into 4LO.

 

[ironhippy]

I encountered this problem for the first time tonight and it scared the crap out of me!

I was convinced my tcase was broke or something, glad to hear I was just doing it wrong.

I did get into a situation where I couldn't shift it into 4hi or 4lo without grinding, so i left the tcase in neutral. I tried to shift into park but heard grinding so I turned the truck off and then shifted into park. Turned the truck back on and the AT/P light was on. It turned off after a minute, I was then able to then shift into 4hi without issue and when I tested 4lo after I got home it worked without a problem.

 

[thisbenotreal]

4 LO Grinding/clunk??--SOLUTION

What may be causing many of us the grinding going from 4H to 4L and back again could be due to following directions too carefully. It was for me. Here's the simple solution I found on my recently-acquired 2017 4Runner TRD Off-road:

When Toyota says "shift to neutral" that's what I was doing when getting grinding. But I was shifting the transmission to neutral AND doing the same for the transfer case--by "shifting it" to neutral (that is, stopping there) on the way from 4H to 4L, then continuing to 4L, with grinding problems.

The key is NOT to stop at N in the transfer case shifting between 4H and 4L, and visa versa.

When I did NOT stop at Neutral in the transfer case, everything shifted smooth as silk from 4L to 4H and back again--No more grinding.

After figuring this out, I tested it by stopping at N in the transfer case, then continuing—same grind. Then again with not stopping--no grind. I've read some saying to shift from 4H-->4L "forcefully", and while this works it may have more to do with not hesitating in neutral.

Just my $0.02.

 

[phattyduck]

What may be causing many of us the grinding going from 4H to 4L and back again could be due to following directions too carefully. It was for me.

Lol... you responded to an 8 year old thread that already had the exact answer in it!

But yeah, you were actually *NOT* following the directions carefully. It says transmission to neutral, then shift from Hi to Lo. It never says anything about the transfer case going into neutral.

-Charlie

 

[thisbenotreal]

Yes I not only saw that visor label but read the manual too. But here's what you're missing; Many people aren't mechanics or truck experts, and many could consider the transfer case as being part of the overall transmission system. After all, they're connected as part of the system that gets gears shifted, right? So it seemed within reason to me--as it probably did to literally hundreds of other people asking this same question on the internet—to wonder if by "shift the transmission into N first", Toyota's instructions might be wanting all parts of the transmission system to be in neutral--including the "N" of the transfer case. Could be read both ways, and I don't like to make assumptions that might **** up my rig.

Obviously, I found the fix because I considered the converse. Then I thought it would be nice to share my experience with so many who were having the same experience. You want to laugh at something, laugh at the answers that said to just shift forcefully and deal with the grind.

Anyway, what I thought was a good deed was just ****ing hilarious to the experts here. Thanks for the nice welcome to the forum.

 

[phattyduck]

Yes I not only saw that visor label but read the manual too. But here's what you're missing; Many people aren't mechanics or truck experts, and many could consider the transfer case as being part of the overall transmission system. After all, they're connected as part of the system that gets gears shifted, right? So it seemed within reason to me--as it probably did to literally hundreds of other people asking this same question on the internet—to wonder if by "shift the transmission into N first", Toyota's instructions might be wanting all parts of the transmission system to be in neutral--including the "N" of the transfer case. Could be read both ways, and I don't like to make assumptions that might **** up my rig.

Obviously, I found the fix because I considered the converse. Then I thought it would be nice to share my experience with so many who were having the same experience. You want to laugh at something, laugh at the answers that said to just shift forcefully and deal with the grind.

Anyway, what I thought was a good deed was just ****ing hilarious to the experts here. Thanks for the nice welcome to the forum.

How can you shift the transfer case from 4Hi to 4Lo if the transfer case is already in neutral? It definitely isn't the best written English, as it was probably written in Japan (unlike the owners manual, etc. that will be written by Toyota of America).

All that said, I ground the gears in my transfer case a few times because I was too timid on the shifter - basically recreating the issue you had by nearly stopping in the neutral position of the transfer case shifter... We have all been newbies at some point.

The "LOL" here is that you literally restated something that was already in the thread exactly. Post a 'bump' and say something along the lines of: "Well, this is still and issue to this day in the 5th gen TRD Offroads- the shifting instructions were unclear to me and this post had the answer right there in post 6. Hope this bump helps another newbie see this thread."

Oh, and its the internet - you'll want to grow a thicker skin...

-Charlie

 

[thisbenotreal]

All good bro. I'm on the internet all day for work, but it's been a decade since I've been on forums. Thanks for the bump reminder.

My problem was pausing in neutral on the transfer case b/n 4H and 4L, which I'm told gets some gears moving enough to grind things when I pushed the rest of the way. Going directly H to L w/out stopping in N is the key. Smooth like buttah now.

I'm across the county from you in South OC coastal area. Get out your way for trips to Burro Canyon. Way more access to off-road there. Used to off-road in Arizona in my Blazer, Bronco, & CJ5, now that I've got one again I have to find places around here.

How can you shift the transfer case from 4Hi to 4Lo if the transfer case is already in neutral? It definitely isn't the best written English, as it was probably written in Japan (unlike the owners manual, etc. that will be written by Toyota of America).

All that said, I ground the gears in my transfer case a few times because I was too timid on the shifter - basically recreating the issue you had by nearly stopping in the neutral position of the transfer case shifter... We have all been newbies at some point.

The "LOL" here is that you literally restated something that was already in the thread exactly. Post a 'bump' and say something along the lines of: "Well, this is still and issue to this day in the 5th gen TRD Offroads- the shifting instructions were unclear to me and this post had the answer right there in post 6. Hope this bump helps another newbie see this thread."

Oh, and its the internet - you'll want to grow a thicker skin...

-Charlie