4wd not engaging? (07 SR5)

[WiscoLisco]

Hey guys, recently I tried to engage my 4wd from 2HI to 4HI and got nothing but blinking lights. I've checked the fuses, tapped the breaks repetitively, switched from Neutral to Drive repetitively, and tried it at 30mph+. The last time I engaged it was probably September so I'm a few months behind on the monthly cycling that's recommended. Any other ideas?

Thanks!

 

[mrpurplepenguin]

You're doing everything right. Only other things to try are:

Switch to 4WD, then crawl under the truck and gently-ish tap on the actuator box with a hammer.

If that doesn't work, loosen (but don't remove) the mounting screws for the actuator box, then cycle the 4WD knob. It should spit the actuator box out of the transfer case a bit. Keep cycling the knob to get it to free up, and if that doesn't work combine this with the hammer.

One other thing: can you hear any noises from the actuator box when you try to shift it into 4WD?

 

[WiscoLisco]

Gave the actuator a few smacks then it clicked into place, 4WD engaged!

Thanks mrpurplepenguin!

 

[bigskyeric]

You're doing everything right. Only other things to try are:

Switch to 4WD, then crawl under the truck and gently-ish tap on the actuator box with a hammer.

If that doesn't work, loosen (but don't remove) the mounting screws for the actuator box, then cycle the 4WD knob. It should spit the actuator box out of the transfer case a bit. Keep cycling the knob to get it to free up, and if that doesn't work combine this with the hammer.

One other thing: can you hear any noises from the actuator box when you try to shift it into 4WD?

This.. Only go to harbor freight and buy a $3 orange dead blow hammer. They're filled with sand and you won't risk any damage. Have someone sit in the truck and flip the switch between 2h 4h and 4L.

 

[fdbyrne]

Try rolling forward in Drive, stopping and shifting into Neutral, switching into 4HI, waiting a few seconds, then shifting into reverse and backing up a little. Sometimes the change in direction (forward then reverse or the other way around) really helps.

 

[WI_4Runner]

Try rolling forward in Drive, stopping and shifting into Neutral, switching into 4HI, waiting a few seconds, then shifting into reverse and backing up a little. Sometimes the change in direction (forward then reverse or the other way around) really helps.

Give it a good exercise every month. Lots of issues on this particular problem.

 

[thecramey]

I had all these problems and attempted the solutions here. Nothing worked. I kept it 'trying to engage' for about a week, still didn't work. Then randomly tried it another time as I was slowing down, and magically it worked. I've kept it in 4wd since then (month or so). I need my 4wd this winter for some ski trips, but after that i'll attempt to disengage it to see if i can start re-engaging it on a monthly/bi-weekly basis.