Having trouble with 2003 V8...into 4Lo

Ruffian

Ruffian

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Semi-Resolution: Having trouble with 2003 V8...into 4Lo

Ok all. I know others have asked this question, but after 2 days of reading old posts after searching for the answer to my question, I'm just going to post a new thread. I pre-appologize if this irritates someone.
I just bought this T4R, and I realize it's in 4Hi all the time. I also realize that to have it go into 4Lo, you have to be at a complete stop and in N. Now however my T4R is not going into 4Lo. I've left it in N, turned the knob, sat and waited and watched the 4Lo indicator blink on and off...waited some more, and then put it into gear. Only now to have an annoying beeping alarm going off in sync with the flashing 4Lo indicator. :confused:
No, I know nothing of what the previous owner did, or if it's ever been in 4Lo. I do know they lived in Sacramento, and had it serviced regularly at a local Toyota dealership. It's in great condition, and I doubt it's ever been wheeled esp. with the fancy rims they had on it.
Have others experienced this? Do I just need to sit there longer in N and wait for the 4Lo indicator to stop flashing?
Yes it's on my list of issues to bring up with the dealer when I go to have them fix the malfunctioning lumbar motor for the seat, and moisture in the headlight frame.
Just wanted to get other's ideas. This auto 4x4 is new to me, as I'm old school with the 'getting out and getting cold' manual turning knobs!! Thanks all, I love this forum.:love:
 
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Ok, I tried again tonight. No luck. Took it to dealer and they are going to see what's going on with the system on Mon.
 
You don't want to put it into gear while it is flashing, you want to wait for the flashing to go away. If it isnt (like you said you waited a while) i don't know what else is wrong. Your stopped and in neutral, idk what am i missing...

If it beeped then i think it didnt get a chance to shift and was telling you so.

Ask them to check to see if your transfer case actuator is working properly.
 
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Yes, I've done that. I sat and waited, and waited, for 5 min. in N, dead stop tonight, with the knob turned to 4Lo after I was in N. I'm not unexperienced with 4Lo and I tried it out on other runners that I did not buy, and they worked just fine. However, none of them was the V8 with 4Hi all the time. So I wasn't sure if this is just a odd thing with the 4Hi or if my runner is malfunctioning.
The yahoo car saleman tried to tell me tonight that it will only go into 4Lo if it is in sand, snow, mud.
I really hope he was being a typical salesman, and being unknowledgeable regarding 4x4. The man drives a Mercedes for pete's sake, and told me before he doesn't know anything about 4 wheel drive.
Thank you for the replies, we'll see what happens Mon.
 
Sounds like you are doing everything correctly. I can normally feel a slight bump when it goes into 4LO or you might hear a click when the solenoid is working.

Ask that salesman, how the 4Runner would know the weather conditions? :p
 
First time I tried to put mine into Lo it didnt want to go in

and I have a V6, which is normaly in 2WD.

I suggest you do this (it worked for mine), with your foot on the brake, put it in reverse or drive and just let the car move a few feet forward or back. or let it move a few feet each way, gently.

you might get a grinding sound, if you do move it into N quickly. (mine would not go into Lo and the first time I tried - it grinded, but did no damage - according to the dealer)


I think the transfer case gearing get stuck or sticky from lack of use, mine gets used in 2Lo every few weeks now and it goes in and out easily (now)

good luck and be gentle with it

joe
 
Thank you all. Like I said, I'm not really unexperienced with 4x4, so I've tried all these. I'm positive the previous owners never used it off road, based alone by the rims and street A/T tires they had on it.
It's covered under warranty, so I'm having the dealer fix it.
I'm glad to see others have experienced this, it's just basically that 4Lo has never been used.
I'll post what the dealer states from Mon.'s appointment.
 
Yeah this is why I go into 4LO at least once a year to keep things lubricated. Also if you didn't know, it's advisable to put it into 4HI at least 10 miles a month (In the manual), no need to lock the center diff.
 
Ok my Ruffian has been at the dealers since early Mon. morning. Got a call this afternoon from the service advisor.
I was right. 4Lo was busted, and no...you don't have to be on snow/mud/gravel to tell this. (Stupid salesman)
The actuator was froze up.
They are keeping Ruffian for another few days. They replaced the passenger side headlight lamp, and since they noticed the fog lamp on the same side had moisture in it too, they replaced it as well.
They are still working on the 4x4 system, and have not yet replaced the burnt out motor for the drivers seat lumbar.
I get to pick up a rental tmrw. I'm thinking I'll go ahead and pick another Toyota model to drive. No Prius or really small car. I'm hoping for a nice Avalon!! Riiiiiiiight, like they hand out Avalons as rentals!
Any suggestions!!!!
Melinda
 
Hope you got an extended warranty, all that sounds really expensive!

The new Camrys are REALLY nice, I'd go with one of them. Also the RAV4 is nice to drive.
 
I don't care what others have said, the extended warranty is worth it!

Yes, I got the runner at wholesale because it is a 2003 and it had 54,000 miles. I wanted as low a payment as possible, so they sold it to me without the warranty attached to the payment. I negotiated an extended warranty to cover things out for another 40,000 miles at a cost of $1,200 ($100 a month for the next year). If I had not of done that, all this work would of had to of been done out of my pocket. So, in a way, I am paying for it. I know the head lamp assemblies cost around $140. Have no idea what the actuator, lumbar motor or the fog lamp costs.
I know many people say extendend warranties are a waste of money, but being I'm not a mechanic and all these new cars are operated by computers, it's peace of mind to me!!
The shuttle van is enroute to pick me up. I'm aiming for that Avalon, but will settle for a camery or another small SUV. Hey a Tacoma would be fun too. I could go off road with it!!
 
I am surprised at the list of repairs....

Ruffian said:
Ok my Ruffian has been at the dealers since early Mon. morning. Got a call this afternoon from the service advisor.
I was right. 4Lo was busted, and no...you don't have to be on snow/mud/gravel to tell this. (Stupid salesman)
The actuator was froze up.
They are keeping Ruffian for another few days. They replaced the passenger side headlight lamp, and since they noticed the fog lamp on the same side had moisture in it too, they replaced it as well.
They are still working on the 4x4 system, and have not yet replaced the burnt out motor for the drivers seat lumbar.
I get to pick up a rental tmrw. I'm thinking I'll go ahead and pick another Toyota model to drive. No Prius or really small car. I'm hoping for a nice Avalon!! Riiiiiiiight, like they hand out Avalons as rentals!
Any suggestions!!!!
Melinda
Click to expand...

One of my buddies here has a 98 T4R and it has over 200,000 miles, all he has ever replaced/repaired is tires, brakes, batteries, wiper blades a couple of belts, nothing significant, it was on his recomendation that I bought mine.
 
Hey guys, reading this thread puts a massive concern in my brain. Since I've had my truck, the only way I was able to put it in 4LO was to first put it in neutral, lock the diff then turn the knob to 4LO. Once in 4LO, I am able to unlock the DIFF. I could never put it in 4LO without locking the diff first. I have a 2006 LIMITED V8. Is there something wrong with my RIG? Please let me know as I am taking it to the dealer on Monday for a squeeky seat (already replaced once) and a loose stearing wheel feeling at highway speeds. The loose steering happened after my 30K mile service. They rotated the tires, maybe they never balaneced? Who knows.
 
Ok, so the Camry isn't too bad. Not my cup of tea, but I can tell it's a good car. I REALLY miss driving my Ruffian!!

Well, this is a saga within a saga.
The repair costs on the gear assemly is costing Toyota around $6000 for parts only-add labor, and all I have to pay is the $50 warranty claim cost. The work is indeed quite indepth, 12 hours to tear down, unk how long to fix, and 12 hours to put back together. So the rental was for 5 days. They called me tonight, and the part is on back order. It won't be in till Feb 12th or 13th. So I get to pick up Ruffian Sun. I'll get another rental when they get the part in.

The actuator was covered under a TSB, so Toyota is covering that. They run around $300 for the part, and add labor.
They did replace both the passengers side head lamp assembly and fog lamp as both had moisture in them. Say less than $300 for parts, unk for labor. Toyota paid for that.
They will not pay for the lumbar motor in the seat ($600-800 with labor) as it is not a safety issue and it is not covered by the extended warranty. So I'll just go get a little lumbar pillow that you can attach to the seat.
So, come the 12th or 13th of Feb., this saga will con't. Stay tuned and thank you for watching.

~~For the person asking about this who is taking their runner to the dealer. Have them run a diagnostic on the 4x4 system, as I bet your actuator is going too. Since there is a TSB on it, Toyota knows of this issue that this knob goes bad after a while.
Melinda
 
I don't know now. That was a year ago! All I know is it had gone bad and Toyota HQ told the shop manager they'd cover it under a TSB that was on the electrical part of the Actuator.
 
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