Just discovered another problem on my yota..

fernando13e

New member
Hello guys whats up?.. here i am, very disappointed this time :(, i managed to solve the idling problem myself and it turned out that it was the throttle body which was giving me so many problems, i cleaned the idle screw, removed hoses and cleaned all the dirt and now the engine is very happy, but unfortunately the transmission isnt as happy as the engine, i did a couple of test drives today and well the shift levers are set up in H2 position and D the transmission works fine, it shifts to overdrive at 90+ kmh very well and no vibrations at all, no weird sounds no nothing, thats good, BUT when i move the left lever to H4 or L4 (while in D) it starts to give me problems, it appears that it engages 4WD, and yes it does, but if i roll out from a complete stop and then i move the steering wheel to turn to the left or right the truck starts to brake by itself!, i mean, im not pressing the brake pedal but it slows down very fast as i turn and i can feel vibrations just like if the wheels are skipping a teeth on the differentials and i can hear knocking noises coming from each wheel as well i can feel them "knocking" any possible cause for this? im thinking that maybe the axles need lubrication, as well as the propeller shafts and maybe the diffs need oiling. Thank you very much in advance, as always any help is greatly appreciated:guitar2:
 
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I think it is your CV shafts making that knocking sound and vibrations. Check and see if your CV boots are not torn. If so, then the grease might have came out anf dried the CVs. Dirt and debris can get in there and destroy them. hope this helps.
 
All 4x4 vehicles that are in either 4H or 4L will "bind" if you turn while on pavement. So in your case, stay out of 4H and/or 4L when driving around on pavement. Wait till you're on a loose surface before engaging 4WD. Of course, if it's snowing out then 4WD is fine on pavement. :D
 
Hi everybody, thanks for your replies, i really appreciate all the help you can give, okay, well yes im driving on pavement but its weird, if i drive in a straight line in 4WD mode it shifts fine and everything is fine, but just as soon as i start to turn in a corner i can hear knocking sounds and then i feel the wheels bind, what does CV stand for? :P
 
"CV" is for constant velocity--basically it's a mini-driveshaft with fully-sealed U-joints. You won't notice a problem in 4WD while straight, because all the tires are rolling the same distance. When you turn, one tire needs to turn faster than the other, and that's when you notice problems if there's no slippage (loose surface). Later 4Runners came with a center diff, which eliminates the problem by allowing each axle to turn at different speeds unless you "lock" the diff (then it's just like the older ones--50/50 all the time).
 
Hi again guys, well i managed to do a test drive with a partner, i told him to check if any of the wheels bind when i give a turn, or i move the steering wheel back and forth and he told me that none of the wheels were binding, im now suspecting that maybe the front differential is giving me problems, maybe it isnt oiled as it should, or maybe an axle is loose but i dont know where to start checking, when i turn i can feel something hitting the transmission/propeller shaft and diffs when i slow down and start turning across all the truck, anny suggestions?
 
Hi again guys, well i managed to do a test drive with a partner, i told him to check if any of the wheels bind when i give a turn, or i move the steering wheel back and forth and he told me that none of the wheels were binding, im now suspecting that maybe the front differential is giving me problems, maybe it isnt oiled as it should, or maybe an axle is loose but i dont know where to start checking, when i turn i can feel something hitting the transmission/propeller shaft and diffs when i slow down and start turning across all the truck, anny suggestions?

Okay, well i wonder where is that CV shaft located and if i can repair or solve the problem :P

The front differential will let your front wheels turn at different rates, but it does nothing about letting your front and rear driveshafts turn at different rates. When you turn the truck, your front wheels are farther out on the turn radius than your rear wheels, and if you aren't on a loose surface that will let the wheels slip, the front wheels will try to turn your front driveshaft faster than your rear driveshaft. That's what is causing the binding you're feeling, and if you keep it up you're going to break something. Stop using 4wd on pavement.

Take your truck to a gravel lot, and then test to see if it makes the knocking sounds you're hearing. If it does, but it's fine with the hubs unlocked then yes, that's probably a CV joint that's gone bad. The CV shaft is between your hub and the halfaxle coming out of the differential, and if you have to ask where it is you're probably not up for the task of replacing it. Find a good mechanic.
 
Please refer to this...
Take the runner to a dirt road and then try..if the same results then you have a problem. DO NOT RUN YOUR 4WD ON PAVEMENT

Second this. Do this first before you start ripping things apart etc etc. This simple test will show right away if you have or do not have an issue.
 
Okay, i wont run it on pavement hehehe, ill try then going to a gravel lot or a place where the 4WD was designed for and i will read the owners manual to know where and how to use the 4WD, just for the record, this truck was not run in 4WD since we bought it (and we bought it 10 years ago), i asked here in a yota club why the wheels are doing that and yes they pointed me that running in pavement with the system on is going to ruin the 4 wheel drive, but they pointed out that the main cause for this is that the system wasnt used for a very long time, is this true?.
 
Ok, not trying to be rude here so forgive me in advance...
A. Why are you wanting to operate it in 4wd on pavement?
B. If you are not familiar with the basic terms used in the parts of these vehicles, why are you attempting to repair something if you do not know its operational characteristics?


Now that I have that out of my system.... Yes, your T4R will bind on hard surfaces in 4WD due to a principle called torque locking. In essence, the two parts of the driveline being front differential and rear are moving at different speeds even though they appear to be moving the same. The front tires are travelling farther than the rear tires in the arc of the turn, thus they are moving at a faster speed than the rear. eventually the spider gears in the front and rear differentials run out of free space causing the binding.

This should help you with the basics of the basics....
How Differential Gear works (BEST Tutorial) - YouTube
 
Well first of all, the reason i want to use the 4WD on pavement first is because i want to test every component of the truck, since ill be using it in muddy terrain to get to the places where ill be working on, and well im not attempting to repair anything if they dont require to do so, i just want to check if everything operates correctly, and well i understand basic terms of how these vehicles and 4WD works, i've worked on other kind of 4WD systems, but this one is totally different, i read the whole user's manual and it doesnt specify when or where i can use the 4WD, it just points out that i must to use it at least 16km every month to let internal components lubricate. Hope this answers all of your questions, i just want to be sure that the 4WD operates correctly and if what im experiencing is absolutely normal (even though is not correct to use it that way)
 
When you put it in 4H or 4L did you lock the hubs in?

Try this on a gravel lot as stated above. It is possible if it hasn't been put in 4wd for 10 years that you will need to have the cv's greased, front diff oil changed etc.

I would definately suggest if you need to ask what a CV is, then you need to take it to a mechanic. This system isn't much different from most car systems.
 
How are you suppose to use 4wd 10 miles a month like owner manual says to do? I assumed most the time that would have to be on pavement.
 
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Well first of all, the reason i want to use the 4WD on pavement first is because i want to test every component of the truck, since ill be using it in muddy terrain to get to the places where ill be working on, and well im not attempting to repair anything if they dont require to do so, i just want to check if everything operates correctly, and well i understand basic terms of how these vehicles and 4WD works, i've worked on other kind of 4WD systems, but this one is totally different, i read the whole user's manual and it doesnt specify when or where i can use the 4WD, it just points out that i must to use it at least 16km every month to let internal components lubricate. Hope this answers all of your questions, i just want to be sure that the 4WD operates correctly and if what im experiencing is absolutely normal (even though is not correct to use it that way)


1. Visually inspect your front cv boots for tears/rips
2. Manual hubs? Grease um up
3. If u haven't done it yet change ur diff fluids
4. If all checks out dirt road n let her rip
 
Okay, well, i dont know how to lock the hub, the instrument panel, or manuals doesnt mention it, this truck has an auto transmission if that helps.., i have some tools that i could use for repairing basic stuff, if i had all the tools a mechanic has i could do the work all by myself because i dont trust ANY mechanic here in Maturin, they just guess and rip the truck apart, the last time i sent the truck in, they stole me the ECU and got a bad one, in what section of the FSM show the greasing of the Manual Hubs and how do i change the oil of the front differential, and where is located the CV Shaft and boots?
 
Okay, well, i dont know how to lock the hub, the instrument panel, or manuals doesnt mention it, this truck has an auto transmission if that helps.., i have some tools that i could use for repairing basic stuff, if i had all the tools a mechanic has i could do the work all by myself because i dont trust ANY mechanic here in Maturin, they just guess and rip the truck apart, the last time i sent the truck in, they stole me the ECU and got a bad one, in what section of the FSM show the greasing of the Manual Hubs and how do i change the oil of the front differential, and where is located the CV Shaft and boots?

The best thing you can do is find an honest mechanic. Either you are yanking our chain, or you really need to find someone knowledgeable to be there with you. I know you are asking for help here, but in honesty, I believe you will do more harm than good to your yota.
In the interest of being nice, I will post some pics to this reply using the edit feature shortly...

How-to with pictures on rebuilding manual hubs... Rebuilding Aisin locking hub Locking hub rebuild

These are various cv boots...
auto-part-cv-boot-yy5002.jpg~original


They encase the cv shaft that goes from the axle tube to the center of the wheel...

Now for the differentials... I told you SEARCH is your best.friend, stop being lazy.... http://www.toyota-4runner.org/3rd-gen-t4rs/114140-differential-t-case-fill-drain-plugs-gaskets.html
 
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What you are experiencing is normal when you use a part-time 4WD system on pavement or other hard surface. And as others have pointed out, it's not meant to be used on hard pavement.
 

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