'99 won't move forward in Drive in cold weather

[BoulderT4R]

I'm hoping someone may have run into this before and have a suggested fix.
I have a '99 SR5 4WD and in cold weather the car struggles to move forward when in drive. I notice this a couple of nights ago when leaving work. When reversing out of my parking spot there were no problems. But when putting it into drive and hitting the gas the car would not move. The engine would rev but the car would not move. After some more revving I heard a popping sound and the car lunged forward. Once I was moving there were no issues.
But every time I came to a stop this would happen. I ended up doing slow creeps through stop signs to avoid the issue. But at red lights it would happen and I would have to put the car in reverse, roll back a few feet and then put it right into Drive and it was ok.

This was all when in 2WD. When in 4WD from a stop, the car would still stand still and I would slide to the side of the road when hitting the gas.

I have an appointment with a mechanic late next week but when I briefly talked to him on the phone he wasn't exactly sure what the issue might be.

 

[kolelt]

I have the same issue when it's cold. And I believe it's that the rear brakes/drums get frozen up because it's cold. That it takes some extra RPMS to get the car moving. But I've only noticed it when it's insane cold outside. And so after I get moving I'd hold my brakes while applying gas to get the rust/ice of and heat them up a little so it won't stick.

 

[Run 4 Fun]

I'm hoping someone may have run into this before and have a suggested fix.
I have a '99 SR5 4WD and in cold weather the car struggles to move forward when in drive. I notice this a couple of nights ago when leaving work. When reversing out of my parking spot there were no problems. But when putting it into drive and hitting the gas the car would not move. The engine would rev but the car would not move. After some more revving I heard a popping sound and the car lunged forward. Once I was moving there were no issues.
But every time I came to a stop this would happen. I ended up doing slow creeps through stop signs to avoid the issue. But at red lights it would happen and I would have to put the car in reverse, roll back a few feet and then put it right into Drive and it was ok.

This was all when in 2WD. When in 4WD from a stop, the car would still stand still and I would slide to the side of the road when hitting the gas.

I have an appointment with a mechanic late next week but when I briefly talked to him on the phone he wasn't exactly sure what the issue might be.

Could have gear oil or brake fluid on your rear shoes. Same exact symptoms. I could reverse fine, but forward had the same exact thing. My rear axle seal had leaked a little amount of gear oil on my brake shoes and was causing these issues. Easy way to inspect is to jack the rear up and take off your drums. It should be bone dry in there.

 

[OL0033]

Been having the same issue with mine here the last couple of days. I need to check the rear brakes to see what's going on. It's very frustrating to say the least...

 

[kolelt]

It could also be that after a drove the brakes are hot. Metal has small pores, ans all that heat/moisture freezes fast which expands. Causes the metal to stick. Probably need antize seize everything. I doubt it's axle seal, since it happens when it's freezing outside.

 

[BoulderT4R]

Well I had the 4Runner at my mechanic and he confirmed it was a leaky rear axle seal. Oil was leaking onto the break shoes causing a build up that just seemed to get worse the colder it got. He repaired the seal, put new pads on and everything has been working great. So if anyone runs into this type of issue definitely check out the axle seal. Thanks for everyone's input.

 

[RUE]

similar issue now due to cold weather

reverse is always fine.
brakes checked, ok.
trans fluid & diff fluid, changed and ok.

In the cold early mornings reverse is never an issue. In addition to the original post complaint is when i have in drive and after the struggle/lunge/release, just rolling at low speed (no gas), all of a sudden it stops. I thought maybe brakes but i put in neutral while rolling/crawling and still comes to a sudden stop. After a few blocks of driving, problem goes away.

any feedback would be sooooo fantastic!

 

[Brveagle]

reverse is always fine.
brakes checked, ok.
trans fluid & diff fluid, changed and ok.

In the cold early mornings reverse is never an issue. In addition to the original post complaint is when i have in drive and after the struggle/lunge/release, just rolling at low speed (no gas), all of a sudden it stops. I thought maybe brakes but i put in neutral while rolling/crawling and still comes to a sudden stop. After a few blocks of driving, problem goes away.

any feedback would be sooooo fantastic!

Something in your driveline is binding.