Disengaging 4WD HELP!

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I promised myself I would never press the 4WD button again as I live in the city and have always had trouble trying to disengage it. We went snowboarding this weekend therefore I used 4WD, now it won't turn off and I'm driving LA city streets in H4 mode.

I've written myself instructions on my successes on how to disengage 4WD. Such as pressing and holding the 4WD button while accelerating on a straight road for up to 30 seconds until the lights don't flash anymore. Now that doesn't work. I tried driving in reverse 3 times on a 100 yard road, but it's hard to drive abnormal like that in LA as there are hardly any abandoned roads and lots of people who have nothing better to do.

Anyone have any clue how to disengage this son of a b***h? Love my 4runner but man I'm so frustrated as I can hardly perform u-turns and my tires screech with each turn I make. I have a lovely 2000 limited 4runner.
 
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I just read a thread the other day about this problem and the OP and another poster both mentioned their funky solutions to the problem. Sorry I can't actually help you, but the info is on here somewhere so keep searching!

Pretty sure one of them would tap the actuator and that would make it happen for him, and the other guy had some specific sequence of reversing and pulling forward. I think he would drive forward, slow to a stop, reverse a little bit, then pull forward again. Not very confident about that though.
 
Thanks. I've been doing research online this past week and found an awesome forum on this subject 4WD won't disengage on 99 4Runner LTD - YotaTech Forums

Apparently, the 4-runners that are not 3rd gen. + experience this problem often. (What a rip off! This was my third time using the 4WD and the previous owner said he never used it. As most other people said on the Yotatech forum that they accidentally pushed it now they have to cough up a near $2k to fix this added feature). I just ordered a front diff sensor, part number 84222-35070 ($50 inc. shipping) for a 2000 LTD, as recommended in the forum, in hopes to fix the problem. I have a friend who will be replacing the part for me and we will document everything on this forum.

The dealerships want $300 to diagnose + $700-1400 to fix the problem. I can afford it, but I would love nothing more than to not give dealerships this money and help others save money. This most likely can be fixed for less than $60 + 1 hour of self-labor. I am hoping to pass my summary on to as many 4-runner owners as possible. Stay tuned.
 
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Hmmm, If you just pressed the button on a limited, then you should be in full-time 4WD (or AWD), so shouldn't be skidding your tires around corners. Skidding around corners suggests you pulled the shifter into "4HI locked", or somehow have your rear diff locked. See this thread:

http://www.toyota-4runner.org/3rd-g...rs-3rd-gens-transfer-case-awd-multi-mode.html

And FYI, you should regularly engage your 4WD to lube and exercise the gears. Only using it 3 times in 12 years is begging for getting stuck in 4WD or not being able to engage.
 
Nelson hit it on the head. The manual says to engage 4wd for 10 miles every month to keep in proper function. Also the fact that if you just pushed the button it should be AWD mode. I love my 4 Runner also but I use each(added feature{4wd}) on a regular basis. I know there are a few people on here that would gladly have a 4wd over their 2wd since they would use the added feature as well.
 
As stated, there was a previous owner, so I have no control over whether he used 4wd or not, I also live in Los Angeles and never have the need to use 4wd unless I hit the mountains. This will be a lesson to be learned, however, the damage is done and I have to do what I have to do which is fix it myself. It definitely is not in 4HI mode.
 
Shesh sounds like you have a 2000+ 4Runner. Why auto manufactures switch to electronics to engage something mechanical is beyond me. I love my 99.
 
sorry about youre misfortunes,i use my 4wd all the time now that its snowing here,if i didnt have it I would have already gotten stuck in my driveway during the last snowstorm that hit upstate ny.My neighbor (gm lover) would definatly love nothing more then to watch me get stuck in my 4runner lol
 
Sorry, but if one cannot figure out how to engage/disengage 4WD then get a 2WD compact for the city. Get real people! Oh wait... they would have to find reverse every now and then?
 
Burt said:
Sorry, but if one cannot figure out how to engage/disengage 4WD then get a 2WD compact for the city. Get real people! Oh wait... they would have to find reverse every now and then?
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Burt, why do you have to jump here and insult people? The problem here isn't not knowing how to disengage, but having a sticky actuator or something like that. Don't jump in and insult people when you haven't even read the thread.

OP, if you are certain that you didn't pull the j-shifter down into 4HI-locked and just pressed the button, then I think you need to also figure out why you are breaking loose your tires going around corners, because you shouldn't be breaking loose when in 4HI-unlocked (AWD) mode (see link). It's a limited so you have a rear locker, could it be stuck on?

Where is LA are you? I know there are multiple members in LA; if you really can't figure this out, then you might be able to meet up with one and see if they can help you diagnose, cause the symptoms you have described so far don't quite sit right as far as I can tell.
 
Burt, your input didn't help very much, you should try posting comments on the Yahoo! articles. That crowd seems more your type.

I finally got the part in! Let me remind you for a 2000 LTD 4 runner it is part number 84222-35070 (transfer indicator switch). I advise all owners who own a 4 runner within this generation to order this part and have it on hand so you don't have to wait a week and a half for it to arrive. I ordered it for $38 at toyotapartsofamerica.com (they promised 1-2 days and it did not arrive within that time) so I would try partsgeek.com or special ordering it from a Toyota Dealership which takes about 2 days.

The research begins tomorrow. Will post my findings and any helpful tips on replacing it. I hope this part will do the trick!
 
I read a forum thread on YotaTech about this today and it seems to be a common (not easily solved, unfortunately) problem with the electronic 4WD method of engaging the 4WD on the 99+ 4Runners. I only have 2WD, 4HI, and 4LO and it's all controlled with the shifter, and it has never given me a second's trouble. Sorry to hear you're having problems, but good luck solving it! Let us know how it turns out.
 
He can solve it with some troubleshooting from my thread on yotatech that the link was posted earlier in this thread.

He can contact me if he needs any help.
 
When I first got my 99 Limited 3 or so years ago I had to deal with this problem, with the multi-mode AWD not releasing.

At first I was really freaked out when it got stuck, but it kind of solved itself since I started throwing it in AWD every month or so and driving for at least the recommended 10 miles, ever since then the 4runner has NEVER had a problem going in and out of the multi-mode AWD mode; and since its AWD and not true 4wd there is no worry about binding the transfer case.

I agree its a stupid thing to have to do, Toyota should have but a HUGE sticker somewhere saying that you MUST put it in AWD monthly or figured out a different way of engaging the AWD.

Just info for people who don't have the multi-mode t-case in their 4runners, when you push the "4wd button" and it doesn't work correctly, it will essentially become stuck in 4HI since its not unlocking the center differential, once it gets stuck, pushing the button again doesn't unlock it, its like the logic is screwed and it will stay locked in 4HI till something brakes or it sorts itself out.

The 4WD button should really be called AWD (because thats what it is!) with "when broken becomes 4HI" in small letters next to it.
 
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99SC!!! It's great to see you on here. I've read every bit of your forum in Yotatech and have contacted everyone on there who has an email posted in regards to if they could pass on those plans you mentioned on the forum to me. Do you by any chance still have them, they are not posted on that website anymore?

I have good and bad news, I was going to do what was mentioned on 99SC's forum this past weekend, but the bad news is that I didn't have time to replace the transfer switch. The good news is that I was driving on the freeway this morning and it turned off by itself. I didn't do anything except taking it easy. It turned off after about 2 weeks having been stuck in 4wd.

The other bad news is that we all know that it still isn't fully fixed and if I go into 4wd mode again it will just be stuck so I know I do actually need to start at replacing the transfer switch and see if that does the trick. So, 99SC, if you could pass those doc.'s on that would be awesome!!

[email protected]
 
letmeregister said:
99SC!!! It's great to see you on here. I've read every bit of your forum in Yotatech and have contacted everyone on there who has an email posted in regards to if they could pass on those plans you mentioned on the forum to me. Do you by any chance still have them, they are not posted on that website anymore?

I have good and bad news, I was going to do what was mentioned on 99SC's forum this past weekend, but the bad news is that I didn't have time to replace the transfer switch. The good news is that I was driving on the freeway this morning and it turned off by itself. I didn't do anything except taking it easy. It turned off after about 2 weeks having been stuck in 4wd.

The other bad news is that we all know that it still isn't fully fixed and if I go into 4wd mode again it will just be stuck so I know I do actually need to start at replacing the transfer switch and see if that does the trick. So, 99SC, if you could pass those doc.'s on that would be awesome!!

[email protected]
Click to expand...

man 'o man, 2 weeks that's intense, i thought it was only being stuck on for a few minutes at a time, good to hear your man handling this and it will soon be fixed, i'm sure I'll be doing this sooner then later as well since mine stays stuck on too, only for a few minutes but none the less on demand is better!
 
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