New guy - fixed 4lo on my runner

A

AlanK

New member
Hi All, I've been lurking around since about August of 2009 when i decided it was time to replace my Dodge Dakota. I thought reading about other peoples 4Runner experiences was a good way to decide if this was a vehicle I was interested in. About 2 weeks ago I pulled the trigger on an 03 Limited V8, Galactic Gray with charcoal interior and I couldn't be happier - everyone's comments were right on the money and I was able to be an informed buyer, knowing things about the 4Runner that even the original owner didn't know.

I bought my runner with 3 items that needed attention. (1) Front calipers were frozen, so I replaced those this weekend and turned the rotors. (2) It is due for a timing belt replacement which I am hoping to get done this week. It's cold out and would take me a couple days to do so I would rather pay to have it done and get it back quicker :D

(3) The last item is my 4Low actuator was locked up from non-use. I've searched the forums a lot but have not seen this solution posted before; if it has been I apologize but will share my experience anyway.

I've tried the actuator daily but have gotten no response except for a slight, high pitched hum that I can hear with the drivers side door open. Yesterday, I crawled underneath and took a socket and a plastic deadblow hammer with me (the kind you get with a laminate flooring kit.) I loosened the actuator mounting bolts by 3 or 4 turns each, then had my 9 year old daughter turn the Hi-Lo switch back and forth every 4 seconds. I then took the hammer and gave the actuator a good sharp rap on all sides, and would sometimes pull the motor away from the transfer case and then hit the end of it to drive it toward the case. After two minutes of this, the actuator started working! Now it shifts and is ready for use in less than 2 seconds and I'm seriously excited! I evenly tightened the mounting bolts back, a turn at at time, while my daughter continued to move the switch, to make sure that nothing was binding up. IMPORTANT: If anyone else tries this, be careful not to get a finger between the actuator and the case since it pulls tight against the case in one of the positions.

I don't know if anyone else would have luck with this method, maybe I just got lucky, but it sure beats pulling the transfer case and buying a new actuator.

Anyway, I am really glad to be a full-fledged part of this community. I've been following the threads for a long time and feel like I know a lot of you pretty well. Happy Runnin'!
 
Register to hide this ad
Chris, thanks for the heads up on the Timing Belt thread. Good pictures and good information.

~Alan
 
Great info Alank. You know I had a similar experience with mine about a year ago when I tired switching to 4LO. It made the switch, but remained stuck in 4LO and could not switch back to 4H or 2H. Had the car towed to the dealership and they said it was a faulty switch which they replaced under warranty. It's been working fine since then.
 
AlanK said:
Hi All, I've been lurking around since about August of 2009 when i decided it was time to replace my Dodge Dakota. I thought reading about other peoples 4Runner experiences was a good way to decide if this was a vehicle I was interested in. About 2 weeks ago I pulled the trigger on an 03 Limited V8, Galactic Gray with charcoal interior and I couldn't be happier - everyone's comments were right on the money and I was able to be an informed buyer, knowing things about the 4Runner that even the original owner didn't know.

I bought my runner with 3 items that needed attention. (1) Front calipers were frozen, so I replaced those this weekend and turned the rotors. (2) It is due for a timing belt replacement which I am hoping to get done this week. It's cold out and would take me a couple days to do so I would rather pay to have it done and get it back quicker :D

(3) The last item is my 4Low actuator was locked up from non-use. I've searched the forums a lot but have not seen this solution posted before; if it has been I apologize but will share my experience anyway.

I've tried the actuator daily but have gotten no response except for a slight, high pitched hum that I can hear with the drivers side door open. Yesterday, I crawled underneath and took a socket and a plastic deadblow hammer with me (the kind you get with a laminate flooring kit.) I loosened the actuator mounting bolts by 3 or 4 turns each, then had my 9 year old daughter turn the Hi-Lo switch back and forth every 4 seconds. I then took the hammer and gave the actuator a good sharp rap on all sides, and would sometimes pull the motor away from the transfer case and then hit the end of it to drive it toward the case. After two minutes of this, the actuator started working! Now it shifts and is ready for use in less than 2 seconds and I'm seriously excited! I evenly tightened the mounting bolts back, a turn at at time, while my daughter continued to move the switch, to make sure that nothing was binding up. IMPORTANT: If anyone else tries this, be careful not to get a finger between the actuator and the case since it pulls tight against the case in one of the positions.

I don't know if anyone else would have luck with this method, maybe I just got lucky, but it sure beats pulling the transfer case and buying a new actuator.

Anyway, I am really glad to be a full-fledged part of this community. I've been following the threads for a long time and feel like I know a lot of you pretty well. Happy Runnin'!
Click to expand...


Hi, my 2004 is experiencing the exact same issue. Where exactly is the actuator located? Thanks so much.
 
Anyone know if the same solution may work for a V6? My 03 has the same issue, I have owned it for 3 weeks. 2 to 4hi works 100%, as does the center diff lock. But 4lo just blinks at me and beeps if I put it in gear. It has been cold here (never above -10c, about 10f) since I bought it, could that be a factor?

Judging by the underside of the truck I don't think it has ever seen a gravel road, let alone been on a trail. So I highly doubt the original owner ever put it in 4lo.

Also, for the Toyota mechanics, the original owner did every and all recommended service at the dealer. Would part of their inspections be engaging 4lo?
 
Onefastchevy said:
Anyone know if the same solution may work for a V6? My 03 has the same issue, I have owned it for 3 weeks. 2 to 4hi works 100%, as does the center diff lock. But 4lo just blinks at me and beeps if I put it in gear. It has been cold here (never above -10c, about 10f) since I bought it, could that be a factor?

Judging by the underside of the truck I don't think it has ever seen a gravel road, let alone been on a trail. So I highly doubt the original owner ever put it in 4lo.

Also, for the Toyota mechanics, the original owner did every and all recommended service at the dealer. Would part of their inspections be engaging 4lo?
Click to expand...

its strange for 4hi to work nd not 4lo.............are you sure you are engaging the 4lo properly???.you need to be stationary and put the truck in neutral b4 switching from to 4lo
 
Oh ya, I'm doing it right. In neutral and at a complete stop with my foot on the break. When I hit the switch all it does is flash 4lo, no matter how long I wait. I have rolled it forward a few feet, and tried again, back a few feet and tried again, tried at the end of a 30 minute commute so it was as warm as it is going to get in this climate. Nothing changed...
 
Same Boat

I purchased my 4Runner a week ago and I'm in the same situation. After attempting to for the first 2 days, I have fully functioning 4Hi but it won't swap over to 4Lo. I'll keep trying and attempt to do what OP recommended.
 
Same Issue w 07 sr5, Luckily its under warranty w the dealer I just bought it from. All my lights blink. Its at toyota dealer now getting fixed, and I'll post results when I get it back
 
I have an 05 V8 4Runner the CDL was stuck so we replaced the t case with a used one and now the it's stuck in 4lo. Any suggestions on what to try?
 
kbartrum said:
I have an 05 V8 4Runner the CDL was stuck so we replaced the t case with a used one and now the it's stuck in 4lo. Any suggestions on what to try?
Click to expand...

Its going to sound dumb- but put it in Neutral, parking brake engaged, flip your switch to 4HI and tap on the actuator box with a rubber mallet. Works for me going into 4LO all the time!
 
I just encountered the same condition with my sons 2004 4Runner sport edition V8 w/AWD. My son was driving it when the actuator audible alert and flashing 4Lo condition popped up. If he stopped and switched the actuator dial to 4Lo the light would go solid and the audible alarm would silence. The vehicle was definitely still in 4Hi though, and the vehicle could be driven with the actuator in 4Lo with no audible.

I found this thread amongst others and initially tried the rubber mallet to various side of the actuator while switching the dial back in forth while the vehicle was in neutral but no dice. After that a couple of days later I put the vehicle up on ramps and loosened the three bolts a couple of turns as the OP had done. While I was loosening the bolts suddenly the vacuum line feeding the actuator popped loose. The end was split and it was barely on there. The line was long enough that I could cut off the old split end of the hose cleanly and by rerouting the hose a bit had plenty of line to re-install.

At this point the bolts were all three loose by 4 turns but I had not yet hit the actuator with the hammer and decided to check it anyway to see what the result would be. This immediately worked multiple times without Ever even using the hammer. I continued to test it back and forth between 4Lo and 4Hi and all was functioning as expected. I tightened the three actuator bolts back down and made sure to secure the vacuum line away from the tunnel and rechecked everything again and all testing went well. A test drive in Hi and then switching back and forth again and everything is working perfectly.

My take away with this is that it could have been loosening the bolts slightly that allowed something to unbind in the actuator, but not even needing to use the hammer at all makes me suspect this issue was being caused by that split and leaking vacuum line. I know the actuator has an electrical solenoid but obviously also requires a vacuum source as well. I did not see this written up anywhere in any threads as a possible checkpoint for this problem and just wanted to share that info, especially since this thread helped me get on the path to resolving the issue at hand.

All I could think of was what a maintenance shop or dealership would charge for basically what took less than 30 minutes to fix with no cost for parts.
 
Last edited:
N10S1 said:
I just encountered the same condition with my sons 2004 4Runner sport edition V8 w/AWD. My son was driving it when the actuator audible alert and flashing 4Lo condition popped up. If he stopped and switched the actuator dial to 4Lo the light would go solid and the audible alarm would silence. The vehicle was definitely still in 4Hi though, and the vehicle could be driven with the actuator in 4Lo with no audible.

I found this thread amongst others and initially tried the rubber mallet to various side of the actuator while switching the dial back in forth while the vehicle was in neutral but no dice. After that a couple of days later I put the vehicle up on ramps and loosened the three bolts a couple of turns as the OP had done. While I was loosening the bolts suddenly the vacuum line feeding the actuator popped loose. The end was split and it was barely on there. The line was long enough that I could cut off the old split end of the hose cleanly and by rerouting the hose a bit had plenty of line to re-install.

At this point the bolts were all three loose by 4 turns but I had not yet hit the actuator with the hammer and decided to check it anyway to see what the result would be. This immediately worked multiple times without Ever even using the hammer. I continued to test it back and forth between 4Lo and 4Hi and all was functioning as expected. I tightened the three actuator bolts back down and made sure to secure the vacuum line away from the tunnel and rechecked everything again and all testing went well. A test drive in Hi and then switching back and forth again and everything is working perfectly.

My take away with this is that it could have been loosening the bolts slightly that allowed something to unbind in the actuator, but not even needing to use the hammer at all makes me suspect this issue was being caused by that split and leaking vacuum line. I know the actuator has an electrical solenoid but obviously also requires a vacuum source as well. I did not see this written up anywhere in any threads as a possible checkpoint for this problem and just wanted to share that info, especially since this thread helped me get on the path to resolving the issue at hand.

All I could think of was what a maintenance shop or dealership would charge for basically what took less than 30 minutes to fix with no cost for parts.
Click to expand...

Actually, that "vacuum" line is nothing but a breather running to the top of the transfer case. There is no vacuum source from the transfer case. The actuator assembly is all electronic inside. I know this because I've taken my actuator apart to try and fix it. I've since given up fixing it and am swapping to a manually shifted FJ case.
 
Good to know regarding the vacuum line. I knew there was a chance that it just served as a vent, and now I really know. I suppose I just got lucky this time and loosening those bolts just allowed enough wiggle room to let the actuator get unbound and even without hitting it with a hammer.

Thanks for clarifying the details that’s helpful.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Members online

No members online now.
Total: 239 (members: 0, guests: 239)

Forum statistics

Threads
278,309
Messages
3,554,071
Members
248,016
Latest member
Advally Service

Share this page

Trending content

Back
Top