Picking up a 2007 limited V8

Alright, two dumb questions for the guy who never drove anything with 4WD:
1) How do I know if 4lo doesn't engage?
2) How do I know if the diff lock doesn't engage?

What will be tell tale signs, etc?

The closest thing I had to 4wd was my G37xS. It didn't have knobs, switches or buttons. If the AWD blew out, I'd know it, because it probably meant I did something stupid. :tongue1:
 
Trans in neutral, foot on brake, vehicle stopped, shift to 4 low and if it is frozen you'll just hear beeping. It'll never lock in. It is said that when they freeze and people try to engage, this pushes on the actuator and it what eventually results in the fluid leaking from the seal.

The one I bought was on the verge of freezing. First attempt it didn't go in, second it did. I make it a point to exercise the actuator by shifting to 4 low at least once per month and driving it around for a while.
 
Not a chance. Prior owner was a north shore resident.

Thanks for the help guys, I'll have a truck or a reason why I don't tonight!
 
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HKTackDriver said:
Hey guys, I'm new here and have a question and request...

I'm picking up a 2007 limited V8 on Thursday and wanted to do a last minute check before paying for it. I saw there's an issue with the transfer case seal - anyone have a pic of the problem so I can eyeball it? It's at 93,000 miles, so the timing belt may need to be done, do you know how I could check to see whether it's been done without digging into the engine? Anything else I should look into? Got it for $13,500 - if the belt was done, it seems like a great deal. Only defect is a tear on the leather on the side of the drivers seat.

This is going to be a fun toy to play with, I've already learned a lot lurking here the last couple of weeks!
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I got extremley lucky with my 2005 Limited v8 and paid $5,000. Got it through a family member that went to Ford :party: Had it for about a year and no major problems at all. At 105,000 miles and still running strong.
 
i hope it all checks out for you. if you trust KBB at all, private party price on that truck in only fair condition is $17,000. i think you stand to get a really good deal on a solid truck, as long as everything checks out. if you are still unsure, pay $100 and let a toyota dealership check it out.

one more thing to check in addition to the 4-Lo actuator and center diff..

look for uneven wear on the tires. could be another indicator to the extent of the damage. we purchased a maxima last january for my girlfriend. it also has an accident dinged on it's carfax. i was able to track down the police report from the accident and found out that someone pulled into an intersection and hit the rear door at 10 mph when the car was 6 months. crazy enough, i called the old owner who's number was listed on the report. he was happy to share the history of the car with me and the details of the repair from the accident. the door was replaced. no other damage. we we able to negotiate a $22,000 car down to $17,100 just because of the accident tag on the vehicle history. i crawled all over that thing looking for any signs of damage or repair. even put it on a lift to inspect the underside. all checked out and we ended up with a great car for a great price.

the V8 take regular 87 octane fuel. they "feel" a bit stronger on the high test and get a bit better gas mileage, but it doesn't pay out. i run a tank of the good stuff every now and then just to clean things up a bit. may not do anything, but makes me feel like i'm treating her to a nice dinner every now and then, at the least.
 
UPDATE!

I picked up the 4Runner today!

4lo and diff lock work, went right in with no delay!

Problems:

I.just got back from picking up the car I drive there in and found that there are some lights inside not working.
1. Climate control panel does not light
2. Window switches don't light
3. Rear dome light doesn't light.

The dealer also offered to fix the leather seat and knocked hundreds of the warranty price, so I took it.

20131031_152640_zps7043bbb6.jpg~original


Anyone have any guesses before I bring it to them? I was juggling my 3 babies otherwise I would have gone into the fuses or read the manual.
 
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bulbs may easily just be burnt out. I would check those first, very easy and inexpensive to replace.

Nice buy! Glad to hear about the 4lo and CDL.
 
congrats on the truck. i think you made a great purchase. i can't recall if my switches are lit or not. i'll check it out on the way in to work tomorrow.

for the climate control panel...2x$3 bulbs will have it back in business. factory color is the orange/amber. i changed mine to blue, just to be a little different. many people have done it. you can see pictures on here by searching for LED interior lights. the rear window light is likely just a bulb. again, only a couple of dollars to fix it.
 
Bummed

Congrats on your new vehicle! Unfortunately, after reading this post I went off to try my 4lo. I bought my 06 V6 4runner about a month ago and at the time I had not done my research on the 4wd system, never had owned a 4wd system for that matter. Long story short I did not try the 4lo. So, I tried it yesterday and upon trying to shift back from neutral I heard a grinding noise! Ew! Not good. I did try once more and it seemed to engage, but the vehicle did not seem to be running properly, so I switched it back to 2wd. At this point, I tried it one more time while cruising along and then it beeped at me and would not let me do anything. Thank god I purchased the warranty, but this was still quite disheartening for me.
 
only 1 switch button lights up on the drivers side, but if u need more light on them, theres a mod that can be done.
 
Metalmantr said:
Congrats on your new vehicle! Unfortunately, after reading this post I went off to try my 4lo. I bought my 06 V6 4runner about a month ago and at the time I had not done my research on the 4wd system, never had owned a 4wd system for that matter. Long story short I did not try the 4lo. So, I tried it yesterday and upon trying to shift back from neutral I heard a grinding noise! Ew! Not good. I did try once more and it seemed to engage, but the vehicle did not seem to be running properly, so I switched it back to 2wd. At this point, I tried it one more time while cruising along and then it beeped at me and would not let me do anything. Thank god I purchased the warranty, but this was still quite disheartening for me.
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It should run different when in 4 low. And if I'm not mistaken , you're not supposed to switch to 4low while moving ,someone correct me if I'm wrong ??
 
wyanrard said:
It should run different when in 4 low. And if I'm not mistaken , you're not supposed to switch to 4low while moving ,someone correct me if I'm wrong ??
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Let me definite different. It seemed like it was not running well. Meaning it did not seem to be shifting as it should and there was a loss of power. Definitely did not seem normal.

I only tried to shift into it while moving the once and that was after I read on this post that others had done it without issue. I tried multiple times while stopped and in neutral and it beeped at me.
 
Metalmantr said:
Let me definite different. It seemed like it was not running well. Meaning it did not seem to be shifting as it should and there was a loss of power. Definitely did not seem normal.

I only tried to shift into it while moving the once and that was after I read on this post that others had done it without issue. I tried multiple times while stopped and in neutral and it beeped at me.
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Oh. Okay. I gotcha now. And yeah , I cycled my 4wd a few days ago , I forgot how to get out of 4low (it was late and after a long day) so I did about 15 circles in 4low. Haha.
 
WXman said:
I'd recommend driving it home or hauling it on a trailer. Even Mark Henry couldn't pick one of these up.

:drum:
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Viking blood. We lift anything not permanently attached to the ground.:dance:

I confirmed that the driver's side switch does light up. But I'm still missing the dome, any light that's supposed to come on with open doors and the A/C panel backlighting. I'm just going to give the dealership a laundrylist of items so when I drop it off for them to do the leather, it's all done.

I would do it myself, but with twin 16 month olds and a 1 month old, I barely have time to wipe my ass, no matter pull apart the dash to replace some bulbs! I'd rather spend that time buying toys for the truck or actually driving it.

So what's the mod to light up the switches? I'd like to put an LED in the front shining down on the shifter area as well. I had it on my infiniti and it's a nice touch to be able to see that area lit at night by a couple watt bulb.

Now I want to do an HID conversion on the headlights and foglights. Any suggestions?

I'm also thinking about what to do with the tires. I'd like to upsize them, what's involved in going to a larger overall diameter for speedometer, abs, traction control, etc?

Last up is the radio, I'm thinking a touch screen with a large screen. Is this a standard double din or is there a fitment issue I need to be aware of when buying? I have JBL speakers, does the radio need to be a certain wattage to run the speakers? Any concerns?

Sorry for all of the questions, if I can get an answer to one or two, it'll prevent what I'm sure will be duplicate threads!

And thanks for the comments so far! Tomorrow morning's major mod? An air freshener!
 
wyanrard said:
Oh. Okay. I gotcha now. And yeah , I cycled my 4wd a few days ago , I forgot how to get out of 4low (it was late and after a long day) so I did about 15 circles in 4low. Haha.
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Good news which I thought may interest you! I decided to try it again today. First time it beeped at me again, second time it engaged, I drove it around and it seemed just fine. I think I may be good to go. I will continue to test it out a few more times and hopefully all goes well. It looks like it may have just been a bit stuck from lack of usage before I bought it. *Keeping fingers crossed!*:pray2:
 
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