4Lo won't engage - Beeping coming from actuator itself??

[crazyborder]

Hey All,

First - thank you all for the awesome posts. This is the first place I come when I have a question about my 4Runner - You guys rock.

Now, on to my issue. I have an 04 Sport V6 4WD (128k) that, no matter what I do, will not go into 4LO. I've scoured this forum and others and have every trick I could find, all without luck. This includes the 'gentle persuasion taps' on the transfer case near the actuator trick, the rolling forwards or backwards trick and switching from 4HI to 4LO about a hundred times even after driving in 4WD a number of times - and everything in between.

What might be different in my case is that I noticed something weird that I haven't read about anyone else having... When I go from 4HI to 4LO, the 4LO light blinks and there is a faint sound coming from the actuator itself?? To hear it better, I killed the motor but left the key in the ignition setting and moved from 4HI to 4LO and got under the truck.

What I hear is roughly a 3 second continuous beep followed immediately by very short (maybe a half second each) beeps coming directly from the actuator on the transfer case. This happens every time I try to engage it. I do not hear any motor movement at all (The actuator motor sounds perfect when going from 2HI to 4HI and when locking the center diff, no clunking or struggling at all).

Has anyone seen this before? Could I be dealing with an electrical issue instead of a stuck actuator? Is the 3 second beep followed by the short blips an audible error code?? I'm hoping one of you experts might know.

Here's some other relative information. The undercarriage is clean as can be and there isn't any signs of damage or water. 4LO used to work but like many others, I did not test it periodically like I'm supposed to (lesson learned there). Also, 4HI engages without issue and the center diff lock engages smoothly as well. I tried these with the car not running (key on) and I can hear the motors spinning effortlessly in the actuator, or so it sounds. Oh and I've owned the truck for almost 8 years and 4LO did work at one time.

Anyway, if anyone out there has any insight, I'd love to hear it. Oh and last but not least, I found this article but I'm not sure how to check the switch positions. I have Fluke MM however I'm not sure how to run the test. Really trying to stay away from the dealer on this one and save a few dollars before xmas.

http://im.toyota-4runner.org/attach...71-2003-4runner-4wd-problems-t-qtg-312f-d.pdf

Thanks in advance!!

 

[dadigab]

You are not crazy. My 4 lo has been working fine til I needed it this weekend. It just won't engage trying everything But what I notice is that I get the same beeping from my TRANSFER CASE! while under truck tapping on it with hammer. I use for 4 lo a lot on the beach in really soft sand. It always pops in 4 lo real easily. Now it just plays a tune, beep beep beep! Anyone know anything about this beeping.

 

[ebg18t]

Crazyborder - are you in neutral when you try to go into 4L?

Drive in 4H, stop, go Into neutral, turn dial to 4L. It should go fairly quick. This is assuming that your actuator isn't frozen.

 

[crazyborder]

Thanks for the reply Dadigab, I'm glad to hear I'm not crazy! Oh and sorry to hear you are stuck with the same problem.

These beeps must stand for some kind of reason code I just don't know what. Are there any Yota techs out there that could answer this?? Could it be a faulty 4WD ECM?

EGB18T - Thanks for the reply as well. And yes, I've tried every combination - neutral, stop, start, downhill, slow roll, slight wheel turn, tapping the case with a mallet... you name it and I've probably tried it. Still no go

Appreciate the help everyone!

 

[ebg18t]

The beeping simply means 4L isn't engaging. Most cases it is a stuck/frozen actuator.

Unfortunately not a cheap fix. Quotes here online have been in the $2-2.5k range.

 

[crazyborder]

I did some more testing at the 4wd module and it appears that the beeping coming from the transfer case is exactly that, it's stuck/frozen/broken. I found the 2 wires that engage and disengage the 4hi/Lo motor and when testing 2wd to 4wd, they alternate and jump to 12v then back to 0 and vise versa. When going from 4wd hi to 4wd lo, one of them stays at 12v and does not drop which is when the beeping at the case happens. So it's sending the voltage to the actuator motor but it's not budging.

After that I popped the cover off actuator to have a look inside and unfortunately I didn't see any smoking gun... It looked clean and rust free.

I found the link below but I'm not sure I'm that brave. May be worth taking half of it out to get to the back half us and giving it a nudge to see if that knocks it loose. Maybe I'll give it a shot this weekend.

http://www.toyota-4runner.org/4th-gen-t4rs/151582-4lo-actuator-rebuild-2.html

 

[coconutpete]

Was it really really faint? When mine was frozen, I could have sworn i heard a super faint beep from the t-case itself.

 

[crazyborder]

Was it really really faint? When mine was frozen, I could have sworn i heard a super faint beep from the t-case itself.

Yep, that's the one!

 

[Martinjmpr]

Dang, I'm not happy to see these threads! My two reservations in going from a 3rd Gen (1999) to a 4th gen were the T-case and the automatic climate control. Both have been known to fail and both are fairly expensive fixes (though the climate control one is at least a fairly simple swap out.)

I can't help but think that as the 4th gen of 4runners and 2nd gen of Tacomas continues to age, this will become a problem more and more. I would hope that the aftermarket could offer a cost-effective solution. I know that back in the old days there were companies that offered a cable system for engagement and disengagement of the gears on full time 4wd transfer cases to allow them to run in part-time mode (this would have been in the early 80's.) It would be nice if a similar mechanical system, maybe using a pair of cables, could be engineered for retro-fitting onto 4runners and Tacomas with the electronic T-case.

I'm sure it's one of those things that can be done, but at the present time it can't be done for less than the cost of just repairing the T-case with another electronic actuator.

 

[Kmvreter]

... I found the link below but I'm not sure I'm that brave...

I vote to don't do this. Search for other threads on this. [MENTION=66389]BlackWorksInc[/MENTION] has some good insight into how hard this is to service. The transfer case needs to come off and apart to do this right as per the FSM. To do otherwise is at your own risk.

 

[dadigab]

Good news for me at least, I got mine to go 4lo. Spent some time with the hammer. Then 20 Mins. with the switch in and out of 4lo about every 15 seconds switch. I did get really nervous because at one point the 4 lo light would not stop flashing I could even put it in gear and would not even get that annoying beeping. I thought that it was done. So now I was trying to get it to stop flashing so I drove around for 10 mins. and hit 4 lo switch it went right in. I got excited then thought Oh sh*t what if it does not come out of 4 lo its going to be a slow ride home. Wow it popped right out just like it used to do. So now I have been playing with it in 4 lo go across field 4 hi back to other side of field. do this trip ten or more times without a single hiccup.

 

[BlackWorksInc]

I vote to don't do this. Search for other threads on this. [MENTION=66389]BlackWorksInc[/MENTION] has some good insight into how hard this is to service. The transfer case needs to come off and apart to do this right as per the FSM. To do otherwise is at your own risk.

It really needs to be de-pinned from the inside of the case, many of the alternative methods either end up causing further problems down the line or have not been tested enough to make me feel comfortable recommending them. If you have a spare case and are just rebuilding it for fun/have an extra ready to go, that's fine... but I wouldn't recommend otherwise really.

 

[nevada]

Dang, I'm not happy to see these threads! My two reservations in going from a 3rd Gen (1999) to a 4th gen were the T-case and the automatic climate control. Both have been known to fail and both are fairly expensive fixes (though the climate control one is at least a fairly simple swap out.)

I can't help but think that as the 4th gen of 4runners and 2nd gen of Tacomas continues to age, this will become a problem more and more. I would hope that the aftermarket could offer a cost-effective solution. I know that back in the old days there were companies that offered a cable system for engagement and disengagement of the gears on full time 4wd transfer cases to allow them to run in part-time mode (this would have been in the early 80's.) It would be nice if a similar mechanical system, maybe using a pair of cables, could be engineered for retro-fitting onto 4runners and Tacomas with the electronic T-case.

I'm sure it's one of those things that can be done, but at the present time it can't be done for less than the cost of just repairing the T-case with another electronic actuator.

yes, ive thought the same. it shouldn't be too difficult to make.

 

[RaceTRaCk]

I have the same issue as well on my V8. Previous owner never used it so Im sure its stuck pretty good. Ive banged on it but still no luck. Im hoping the warmer weather and some future off road trips will knock it loose eventually.

 

[scw1991]

I slightly loosened the three bolts that mount transfer case actuator, gave it a jiggle, tightened them back up and 4LO immediately engaged. Now once a week I engage it and have had no problems since.

 

[RaceTRaCk]

I slightly loosened the three bolts that mount transfer case actuator, gave it a jiggle, tightened them back up and 4LO immediately engaged. Now once a week I engage it and have had no problems since.

Tried this as well but no luck. How much did you loosen it? Im scared to pop it out too much and mess it up even more.

 

[Izlu]

I have the same issue too and in addition to it my front output shaft seals are leaking as well as actuator seals.

I ordered the actuator seals and transfer case overhaul kit, going to have the TC teared apart and have the seals replaced in about 10 days. Low gear issue will be resolved too hopefully.

 

[coconutpete]

Yep, that's the one!

Interesting. I was always wondering if I imagined that beep or if the T-case itself was really making a noise!

 

[Tif]

I don't know much about mechanics.. But my 08 was having the same issue with the 4lo not engaging.. just beeping.
Luckily mine was having the issue before I bought it and Toyota had to fix it at their cost for the certification warranty.
Initially they thought that a vacuum line could be flushed or replaced to fix it. Turned out the actuator was bad and had to be replaced. They said it was a $1500 fix. I have a lot of friends at my local Toyota dealership so I'm not sure if they were telling me $1500 is what it cost them or if that's what it would cost me. But thankfully it was free for me since they had to fix it to certify it.

I'm not sure if that teeny bit of info will help anyone or not, but I hope it will. lol
08 SR5 4WD V6 with 74,000 miles at the time

 

[Kmvreter]

... They said it was a $1500 fix...

Probably their cost. I've seen others on the forum say they paid more.

Now that it's fixed, make sure to exercise it.
I set an appointment in my calender to pop up at the first of every month to remind me to use 4H, 4L & Diff lock.

Use it or lose it.