4WD blinking lights

Srgagliardi

Srgagliardi

New member
I have a 2008 4Runner. Yesterday I tried to put it in 4H but the green light and yellow light on the dash keep blinking and not engaging. I tried to put it in 4L but it keeps blinking and beeping, not engaged. Today the green and yellow 4WD light and diff lock light blink when I first start the car, (not in 4WD) then goes away after a minute or so or when I get to 3000 Rpm. Any ideas? Will probably be taking it in for this but wondered if someone else ever had the same issue. TIA
 
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Srgagliardi said:
I have a 2008 4Runner. Yesterday I tried to put it in 4H but the green light and yellow light on the dash keep blinking and not engaging. I tried to put it in 4L but it keeps blinking and beeping, not engaged. Today the green and yellow 4WD light and diff lock light blink when I first start the car, (not in 4WD) then goes away after a minute or so or when I get to 3000 Rpm. Any ideas? Will probably be taking it in for this but wondered if someone else ever had the same issue. TIA
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try it in neutral!
 
Try to get it engaged. Some try tapping it with a hammer from underneath (tap the actuator), If you cannot get it to engaged then you are looking at a rebuild. Keep trying, rock back and forth drive to reverse. Rebuilds are expensive. Around 3k. Give or take depending on your dealers labor rates
 
I put it in neutral to switch into 4L. Nothing changed the light blinks and there's a beeping. When I put it in 4H I was cruising at about 45 mph. It's weird that the lights flash when starting up, but was not put into 4WD
 
I bought it used and got an extended warranty. I'll try tapping it of rocking it first. If not, I'll take it in. I would assume it's under the drivetrain warranty, but you know what they say about assuming...
 
Srgagliardi said:
I bought it used and got an extended warranty. I'll try tapping it of rocking it first. If not, I'll take it in. I would assume it's under the drivetrain warranty, but you know what they say about assuming...
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My 2007 had the same issue when I bought it in 2014 but fortunately we caught it before the sale was final so the dealer fixed it.

One thing to keep in mind is that Toyota recommends "exercising" your 4WD monthly by driving 10 miles or so with it engaged to keep everything working correctly. There's even a reminder thread here on the forum.

Hope your warranty does cover it because as mentioned, it's a pretty expensive job if not. With that said, IIRC there's at least one thread where somebody fixed it themselves.

Did you buy it from a Toyota dealer? If so, and if the warranty doesn't cover it, you might try getting them to at least split the repair cost with you.

Good luck and please let us know how it plays out.
 
Srgagliardi said:
I bought it used and got an extended warranty. I'll try tapping it of rocking it first. If not, I'll take it in. I would assume it's under the drivetrain warranty, but you know what they say about assuming...
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Don't give Toyota a reason to revoke the warranty. Take it in and have them deal with it. I'm sure they will give you a rental car. Your car will be out of commission for about a week. Happened to me, extended warranty paid for it self in about 2 months.
 
Mine had this issue when I first got my 06 used. Put it in neutral and engaged fit awhile. Now it switches on the fly.
 
Wait so 4lo beeping and blinking is bad? I don't wheel my 4Runner but I put it in 4lo for some snow plowing and thought the beeping was just a warning not to go at high speeds with it engaged.

My center diff locks just fine, should I make sure I'm in neutral before putting it in 4lo? I'm sort of a 4wd noob.

2003 v8 limited
 
Binjinh said:
Wait so 4lo beeping and blinking is bad? I don't wheel my 4Runner but I put it in 4lo for some snow plowing and thought the beeping was just a warning not to go at high speeds with it engaged.

My center diff locks just fine, should I make sure I'm in neutral before putting it in 4lo? I'm sort of a 4wd noob.

2003 v8 limited
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Yeah, bro. Other wise you are still in 4high. 4Runner won't go into 4lo while driving. The beeping is there to tell you that you are doing something wrong.
 
RUN-4-LIFE said:
Yeah, bro. Other wise you are still in 4high. 4Runner won't go into 4lo while driving. The beeping is there to tell you that you are doing something wrong.
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Yes you have to be in neutral to engage 4L. If you try to switch to 4L THEN switch to neutral that probably still won't work.
When 4L is engaged & you start to drive you will absolutely be able to tell the difference.
 
Sounds like 4wd actuator on the transfer case, had this happen with mine and caught it before I bought it. Its at Toyota now getting the part replaced. The transfer case has to be opened up. It's listed as 12 hours labor plus parts, so I'm guessing it will cost the dealer between $12-1500 to get it taken care of. I've been w/out my 4runner for about 2 weeks now.
 
SSt4r said:
Yes you have to be in neutral to engage 4L. If you try to switch to 4L THEN switch to neutral that probably still won't work.
When 4L is engaged & you start to drive you will absolutely be able to tell the difference.
Click to expand...

Ill try to do that instead of switching to 4lo then trying to go to neutral
 
I am having a similar issue with my 06 after replacing both front CV axles and oil seals. 4wd light and center diff light are flashing as soon as you start the vehicle.
 
Need help

Having the same problem except mine won’t engage into anything other then 4H. Had a bad wiring harness that needed replacing. However, even after replacing the harness I am still experiencing this issue. Any ideas?? How did all of you solve this problem??
 
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