Xtremluck
New member
Strangely enough the problem went away and I havent had it since. Im sure it will resurface at some point though. Good luck!
4WD Not Engaging
- Thread starter Xtremluck
- Start date
Strangely enough the problem went away and I havent had it since. Im sure it will resurface at some point though. Good luck!
BigBlueSince82
Member
Not to revive an old post but the same thing happened to me today right before we went to get on the beach. Embarrassing enough we were stuck in two inches of sand, luckily I was still able to engage my rear locker and eventually get out.
After an hour of trouble shooting, looking at fuse’s etc... a few whacks to the transfer case switch on the passenger side made the dashboard lights turn on and now the 4wd engages in the front diff!!! Thanks for the help everyone.
After an hour of trouble shooting, looking at fuse’s etc... a few whacks to the transfer case switch on the passenger side made the dashboard lights turn on and now the 4wd engages in the front diff!!! Thanks for the help everyone.
M a t t y
New member
Bringing this one back to life in case it helps anyone else.
I have a 2020 ORP with under 30k miles. Use my 4WD weekly. Tried to engage it yesterday and the lights on the dash weren’t coming on. I could feel resistance in the lever when engaging, but couldn’t hear it doing much.
I’d also tried 4lo and while lo range gearing was working, 4WD was not. Tried various methods mentioned - reverse, wiggling the steering wheel. Nothing.
After reading through this thread I crawled under to have a look.
Think I found my problem.
This wire just hangs out here and soaks up all the vibrations I give it (I probably give it a lot), so it’s not surprising it failed in this way - though I am surprised it isn’t more common.
I have a 2020 ORP with under 30k miles. Use my 4WD weekly. Tried to engage it yesterday and the lights on the dash weren’t coming on. I could feel resistance in the lever when engaging, but couldn’t hear it doing much.
I’d also tried 4lo and while lo range gearing was working, 4WD was not. Tried various methods mentioned - reverse, wiggling the steering wheel. Nothing.
After reading through this thread I crawled under to have a look.
Think I found my problem.
This wire just hangs out here and soaks up all the vibrations I give it (I probably give it a lot), so it’s not surprising it failed in this way - though I am surprised it isn’t more common.
BlackWorksInc
New member
Bringing this one back to life in case it helps anyone else.
I have a 2020 ORP with under 30k miles. Use my 4WD weekly. Tried to engage it yesterday and the lights on the dash weren’t coming on. I could feel resistance in the lever when engaging, but couldn’t hear it doing much.
I’d also tried 4lo and while lo range gearing was working, 4WD was not. Tried various methods mentioned - reverse, wiggling the steering wheel. Nothing.
After reading through this thread I crawled under to have a look.
Think I found my problem.
This wire just hangs out here and soaks up all the vibrations I give it (I probably give it a lot), so it’s not surprising it failed in this way - though I am surprised it isn’t more common.
Only 30k? :shocked:
You should still be under 3yr/36k for the warranty, I would take that in to the dealership and have them replace it. Question, you mentioned that it was very tightly routed? They usually are snug but should have enough slack to account for the vibrations; this is probably the second 4wd switch I have ever seen that has broken at the wiring (the first was on an old T100 that had the harness zip tied because the clips were long gone and the harness was brittle). This actually isn't that common believe it or not, the way the harness is routed and clipped should prevent it from breaking like that.
I would maybe even give that picture to the dealership and ask them if they could do a DPR for your vehicle; I'm sure some engineer at Toyota will notice if it's a pattern (okay, maybe not sure... but hopefully?)
M a t t y
New member
Well, it’s got some play, not that tight. My assumption when I fiddled with it was it had enough dangle from where it was tied further back where it would vibrate fairly easily. I almost spend more time on dirt than pavement so my truck sees some vibrations. Where this broke - at the contact - it seems an awful lot like stress break from vibration. I’m sure the dealer will take care of it since I’m under warranty. Just bummed to see my first “break” on the 4Runner (that wasn’t directly caused by me
)I’m having the same problem on my 2018 TRD Off-road Premium, no light, no amount of wiggling the steering wheel back and forth, reversing, etc will engage 4Hi or 4Lo, also no grinding when I use the lever to try and engage. I’m guessing it’s the same switch. Does anyone have a part number for that switch?
Looks like this is the same part from 1996-2024, part number 84222-35110
https://autoparts.toyota.com/products/product/switch-transfer-ind-8422235110
https://autoparts.toyota.com/products/product/switch-transfer-ind-8422235110
flyrv9
New member
Just an FYI - the 2013 SR5 I have has the dial, the Trail has the lever.
Xtremluck
New member
Interesting they made that change right before a major refresh. Thanks for letting me know.
CutthroatSlam
Senior Member
So is this due to a position switch on the transfer case that sends a signal to the front axle actuator?
Zapp Brannigan
Junior Member
Looks like a good way to tap in and have a switch to keep the front unlocked when in low range. I have a mechanical posi-lock cable on my K1500 to do the same thing to get 2WD low. That and it eliminates the electronics.
flyrv9
New member
It would be nice to see some strain relief on that wire before it goes into that switch; in the pic Matty posted. Loosening that bolt below where that wire bends and sliding in a small bracket to tie the wire to might help reduce the vibration and prevent it from breaking again. I'd make a small L shaped bracket and cover it with heat shrink or something else to cushion the wire. Then attach the wire with a zip tie or tie string. Or if you want to get fancy - use a P clamp. Unfortunately, Toyota is really bad about protecting wired connections. Rarely do they support or protect wires near connectors, or make the connectors serviceable; often resulting in the above issue. You might be able to solder that wire back on; but I'm not sure how long it will last.
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Fixed my 4x4 but wires on old switch were fine.
I bought the above mentioned part, and crawled under the truck, when I finally found the switch (it’s further back then I expected) the wires looked fine, totally intact. Well, I figured since I had the new part I’d go ahead and put it in anyway. I checked it by just staying in neutral and shifting to 4Hi and the 4x4 light started blinking! Previously I didn’t get any light at all! I put all my skid plates back on and took it for a spin on some dirt roads today and everything is working as expected. So, even if the cables are fine, the part might still need to be replaced to fix this problem, since I hadn’t see anyone else mention that possibility, I figured I’d throw it in here.
I bought the above mentioned part, and crawled under the truck, when I finally found the switch (it’s further back then I expected) the wires looked fine, totally intact. Well, I figured since I had the new part I’d go ahead and put it in anyway. I checked it by just staying in neutral and shifting to 4Hi and the 4x4 light started blinking! Previously I didn’t get any light at all! I put all my skid plates back on and took it for a spin on some dirt roads today and everything is working as expected. So, even if the cables are fine, the part might still need to be replaced to fix this problem, since I hadn’t see anyone else mention that possibility, I figured I’d throw it in here.
Bringing this one back to life in case it helps anyone else.
I have a 2020 ORP with under 30k miles. Use my 4WD weekly. Tried to engage it yesterday and the lights on the dash weren’t coming on. I could feel resistance in the lever when engaging, but couldn’t hear it doing much.
I’d also tried 4lo and while lo range gearing was working, 4WD was not. Tried various methods mentioned - reverse, wiggling the steering wheel. Nothing.
After reading through this thread I crawled under to have a look.
Think I found my problem.
This wire just hangs out here and soaks up all the vibrations I give it (I probably give it a lot), so it’s not surprising it failed in this way - though I am surprised it isn’t more common.
where is the switch located?
my 4runner when trying to activate the center lock or 4LO the lights on the synoptic keep flashing
