4runner rebuild in Mexico gone wrong. 4lo stuck

[freshedie92]

Car: So I have a 2004 4runner v6, purchased with 160 on dash, actually 400+ on carfax ($3900). Ran great, but found out it had a slight exhaust leak into cooling (after lots and lots of diagnostics). Other prob too but they're fixed now.

Rebuild: Purchased this thing for a road trip to Mexico, made it fine, and took it to a mechanic for a rebuild. I have worked with him in the past and family recommended him. Rebuild went well, truck is running well, but as I got in I noticed the 4lo light was on with the green 4wd light. But it was driving normally (4lo not engaged). P1792 CEL on.

Issue: I switched it to 4hi, backed up, went forward neutral, over and over to try and get 4lo light off. No luck. I did not try to use diff lock, and the system had been working fine before. I dont actually know if its in 4hi, it could be in 2h, but the car thinks its in 4lo. When i switch it to 4hi the 4lo light blinks and there is warning sound until I move the switch to 4lo. I drove it over 65 but I did not note the rpm so I do not know if 4th gear is working, but I think it is.

Attempts: The mechanic said as soon as they turned it on that the 4lo light was on and making the sound. They said that they have double checked the harness and nothing is pinched and everything is connected. Two other mechanics came with "advanced diag systems" and everything is "good". I am not entirely sure what diagnostics they have done, but they mentioned that they did a recalibration.

IMO if nothing was damaged when engine was pulled, then system just needs to be reset because it woudn't go into 4hi on its own. But I am afraid that something was pinched.

What do you think? What diagnostics/recalibrations would you do? If they cant figure it out I will start with battery post, then zero point cal, then 4wd comp disconnect.

I planned to 4 wheel out here but it might not be possible any help is appreciated.

 

[freshedie92]

Okay so heres the update. I have driven it about 200 miles in "4Lo". I have tried exercising the switch to no avail.
It is either stuck in 2wd or 4hi though. I have not had a chance to jack up the front and see if the front driveshaft spins. I have not found a flat place to do the zero point cal yet but I will do that soon.

I do want to add that there is an ABS code for the front right speed sensor, but the light is not working. Does the VSC light turn on when the truck is in Accessory mode? Mine does not.

Can anyone chime in on whether they think there might be damage to a connector? If so where might it be? Or is it more likely the mechanics tried out 4lo and it happened to get stuck. These seem like the only 2 logical places for something to go wrong.

Lastly, I want to follow one of the guides for working the actuator using the pins on the 4wd computer connection. I plan on using 1 or 2 9 volt batteries (if 9 isnt enough then I will put add them in series for 18V). But I am hoping anyone with some first hand knowledge can chime in. I would be glad to record my endeavor so as to help future people. Also should I be looking at front actuator or T-case actuator?
[MENTION=66389]BlackWorksInc[/MENTION] [MENTION=173290]feralcomprehension[/MENTION]

 

[alia176]

It sounds like the actuator is out of timing and needs to be re-timed. This is a royal PITA but totally doable and that's what I did when I took mine apart for O ring replacement.

Ideally, find another V6 then remove the cover to the actuator Tcase. Have someone put it 4 hi and 4 low and notice the timing marks on their Tcase. Compare your timing mark with their timing mark and see what's going on with your Tcase.

This pic shows the actuator cover removed and you're staring at the CDL mechanism. There are two stories/layers in my actuator since mine is a V8 model and has two motors. Shared album - A. Ali - Google Photos

This is the 4hi/low actuator layer and you can see the blue timing mark
Shared album - A. Ali - Google Photos

This video discusses the CDL and 4hi/low stuff: Shared album - A. Ali - Google Photos

 

[freshedie92]

It sounds like the actuator is out of timing and needs to be re-timed. This is a royal PITA but totally doable and that's what I did when I took mine apart for O ring replacement.


This video discusses the CDL and 4hi/low stuff: Shared album - A. Ali - Google Photos

Yes! Thank you very much for the information. Video is very informative. I didnt know what I was looking at in pictures but now I do!

Info
The center diff lock light does come on/off as I push the switch. I didnt drive it a lot like this as i didnt have off road, but it felt like it did engage.

Ques
1. What would have caused this to go bad seeing as how the mechanic claims they it started beeping as soon as they turned it on after the rebuild. My fear is they damaged the harness.
2. If I understand timing the actuator correctly it would be like this.
a. remove cover while on truck.
b. do not disturb timing of CDL (diff lock) and remove
c. Find correct timing for hi/low.
d. Put it back together
3. I am thinking I can mirror your setup from the vid and leave my truck in 4hi mode on the switch. What do you think? ( I don't know anyone else)
4. To test operation of dc motors does the truck have to be on or just on position.
5. How would I know if the timing is off or the motors are stuck? I would much rather try activating the switches with a battery than taking this apart.

 

[alia176]

Yes! Thank you very much for the information. Video is very informative. I didnt know what I was looking at in pictures but now I do!

Info
The center diff lock light does come on/off as I push the switch. I didnt drive it a lot like this as i didnt have off road, but it felt like it did engage.

Ques
1. What would have caused this to go bad seeing as how the mechanic claims they it started beeping as soon as they turned it on after the rebuild. My fear is they damaged the harness.
2. If I understand timing the actuator correctly it would be like this.
a. remove cover while on truck.
b. do not disturb timing of CDL (diff lock) and remove
c. Find correct timing for hi/low.
d. Put it back together
3. I am thinking I can mirror your setup from the vid and leave my truck in 4hi mode on the switch. What do you think? ( I don't know anyone else)
4. To test operation of dc motors does the truck have to be on or just on position.
5. How would I know if the timing is off or the motors are stuck? I would much rather try activating the switches with a battery than taking this apart.

Ok, let me see if I can recall some of the details of my project and not give you false data. Think I tried to forget this PITA project, LOL!!!

I'm not familiar with the V6 Tcase actuator deal but you said you have a push button CDL but do you also have a selector switch for 4lo/4hi like me? For some reason, I didn't know that V6 models had CDL because they're not full time 4wd like my V8 so I'm a little confused! Pardon my ignorance here.

I'm afraid I have more questions for your questions!

First of all, do you have two shift rods leaving your black box going into the Tcase? If so, then we're both idential.

I'd highly encourage you to have a working V6 to look at and compare. Don't do anything until you have a "control" rig, for lack of a better term. But I like your plan of attack, with a slight modification.
- operate both rig's CDL and compare
- if CDL timing is spot on, then CAREFULLY remove the CDL layer of gears and junk. Obviously, drink a beer, take a joint hit or whiskey before doing this to calm your nerves:loco:
- I can't recall if you're able to see the blue timing mark on the 4hi/low without removing the CDL layer but if you can then life is golden.
- If you remove the CDL layer on your v6, then hopefully you can see the 4hi/lo timing mark now. The thing is, you'll need to do this on your buddy's rig too so this is the rub. You need to be 100% comfortable with removing your CDL layer then put it back to see if it's operating correctly. Until you get comfortable with this one step, DON'T remove your buddy's CDL layer.

After this, just compare the two Tcase 4hi/lo timing marks and hopefully you'll see that your timing is way off and for some reason, your 4hi/lo sensor switch is getting pushed out of sequence, hence the blinking light on your dash.

I hope this made sense but if not, send me a PM to discuss via phone. If you can't find another rig, then go ahead and drop the CDL layer and play with the 4hi/4lo timing. My video shows the location of the hi/lo shift rod so you have something to compare it against.

This is really not THAT bad of a job but sure is intimidating. Just take your time, watch the video and absorb the nuances.

The truck does have to be on IGN mode. Here's a video of my accomplishment and little bit of gloating!!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=67Jf6vRiTjg&feature=youtu.be
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3DFHi5GP3Ik&feature=youtu.be