Strange sound off roading...TE

[3mta3]

Was on the beach today in the deep sand with my new 11 TE. When I crossed over the ruts, at a normal speed, an odd grinding sound like a traction control wanting to kick in was heard. I had the roll over safety off and the traction control off too. I was in 4wh. I have the kdds. Is that the sound? It was quick and only when when it got bumpy. Anyway, It sounds bad. Any thoughts, is it normal? Thanks!

 

[Ryan_S]

KDSS is silent. So it wasn't that.

Did it sound like ABS? Did you have MTS (multiple terrain select) on?

 

[3mta3]

KDSS is silent. So it wasn't that.

Did it sound like ABS? Did you have MTS (multiple terrain select) on?

Yes, sounded just like ABS kicking in but I did not have MTS on... Any ideas?

 

[adio3x]

Was the slip light coming on? You have to manually turn that off.

 

[3mta3]

Was the slip light coming on? You have to manually turn that off.

Yes, tc was off, don't remember seeing any lights, may have but not sure.

 

[024RunnerSE]

Traction control is still on. You can't turn off traction control, only VSC unless you hold down the button for 3 seconds I believe.

 

[3mta3]

Traction control is still on. You can't turn off traction control, only VSC unless you hold down the button for 3 seconds I believe.

That must be it. No way to turn of tc? It sounds like abs and sounds bad. Like I am bottoming out on something. If it's not bad I guess I can get used to it. Anyone concur?

 

[westwind77]

Traction control is still on. You can't turn off traction control, only VSC unless you hold down the button for 3 seconds I believe.

WRONG!

One press turns TRAC OFF - Pressing and holding for 3 sec turns off BOTH TRAC and VSC.

Now, keep in mind that when you hit a certain speed (35 maybe, I tested and forgot now) TRAC will turn itself back ON. I have not tested the speed reactivation with both TRAC a& VSC off yet though.

It is possible that as you crossed the ruts if the 4R was sliding around a bit vs the wheel position that VSC could have activated, probably a low possibility but make sure to turn both off next time just make sure.

 

[Ryan_S]

TRAC does not always come back on at 35. I think it depends if you are stopped when you turn it off. Ive turned it off and it stayed off well over 35mph.

 

[024RunnerSE]

WRONG!

One press turns TRAC OFF - Pressing and holding for 3 sec turns off BOTH TRAC and VSC.

Now, keep in mind that when you hit a certain speed (35 maybe, I tested and forgot now) TRAC will turn itself back ON. I have not tested the speed reactivation with both TRAC a& VSC off yet though.

It is possible that as you crossed the ruts if the 4R was sliding around a bit vs the wheel position that VSC could have activated, probably a low possibility but make sure to turn both off next time just make sure.

Dude, you got it back wards. One press turns off VSC when 4WD is engaged. 3 Second press kills it all.

Doesn't make sense to have VSC when you have 4WD on. Now on my 3rd gen with the multimode 4WD, the VSC is on in AWD, but when you hit the CDL button, it locks the CDL and disengages VSC. VSC only monitors vehicle dynamics while TRAC monitors wheel spin and work together. VSC doesn't engage if the vehicle is not sliding. TRAC is at work when there's different wheel speeds. Trust me, I've used and abused TRAC, A-TRAC and VSC since they came out on the LC100s back in 2000.

OP, what you heard is normal and nothing to worry about. When going over ruts and bumps, one of your tire had less resistance and spun a little faster than the others and TRAC kept it from stepping out of line. In the sand, you always want all 4 wheels spinning so if you have your multimode set for sand, of course it's adjusting correctly also.

 

[harper7]

Dude, you got it back wards. One press turns off VSC when 4WD is engaged. 3 Second press kills it all.

Doesn't make sense to have VSC when you have 4WD on. Now on my 3rd gen with the multimode 4WD, the VSC is on in AWD, but when you hit the CDL button, it locks the CDL and disengages VSC. VSC only monitors vehicle dynamics while TRAC monitors wheel spin and work together. VSC doesn't engage if the vehicle is not sliding. TRAC is at work when there's different wheel speeds. Trust me, I've used and abused TRAC, A-TRAC and VSC since they came out on the LC100s back in 2000.

OP, what you heard is normal and nothing to worry about. When going over ruts and bumps, one of your tire had less resistance and spun a little faster than the others and TRAC kept it from stepping out of line. In the sand, you always want all 4 wheels spinning so if you have your multimode set for sand, of course it's adjusting correctly also.

What are you just guessing??
He's totally right!He ACTUALLY owns one and it's in the manual.
One touch turns TRAC off or hold it for 3 seconds and turns TRAC and VSC off.On the Limited the switch is on the overhead,all the way to the left and the symbol looks like a vehicle with squiggly skid marks behind it. You'll get lights on the dash meaning they are off.

Here's another post explaining it....http://www.toyota-4runner.org/5th-g...part-time-4wd-trail-edition-3.html#post714173

 

[3x4runnerOwner]

Weird...that almost sounds like the the hill start assist (HAC) kicking in.

 

[JB.]

Dude, you got it back wards.......

What the vehicle does is pretty simple. Complication and disagreement seem to be mostly due to inconsistent terms and TRAC seems to be the main culprit.

TRAC is something that can de-throttle the engine. ATRAC only brakes spinning wheels.

So the button turns off two things than can affect engine output -- TRAC/VSC. As you said, the ability to maintain traction by controlling differential wheel spin stays active but ATRAC -- not TRAC -- is the term that describes that.

Now the operation of the button makes more sense, right?

 

[westwind77]

TRAC does not always come back on at 35. I think it depends if you are stopped when you turn it off. Ive turned it off and it stayed off well over 35mph.

35 was just a 'guess' as I did not remember the exact speed, but it was the same speed each time it did turn back on. Good point on the stopped vs moving and turning it off, I believe I turned mine off when around 5 or 10 mph.

I think an experiment is in order to see it is the same each time (stopped, moving, speed, etc.)!

Dude, you got it back wards. One press turns off VSC when 4WD is engaged. 3 Second press kills it all.
Doesn't make sense to have VSC when you have 4WD on.

Seriously? How about you don't talk about stuff you don't know about.
So having VSC active when in 4wd does not make sense to you? So you would not want VSC active when you are driving on a snow/ice covered road in 4wd? I have gone around a corner in the snow IN 4wd, felt the back end start to drift, and instantly VSC kicked it and solved the problem. Sure, if you want to go back to high school and so 360's in a snow covered lot then it makes sense for VSC to be deactivated when in 4wd, but for the rest of us who value our life, and the lives of others, having VSC active in 4wd is a great benefit.

What are you just guessing??
He's totally right!He ACTUALLY owns one and it's in the manual.

:thumb3:

 

[Ryan_S]

I believe it is 35 if you turn it off while moving.

While stopped, infinite?

 

[3mta3]

I believe it is 35 if you turn it off while moving.

While stopped, infinite?

Ok, cool, lots of info but the bottom line is the sound is not of a broken truck. I only ask b.c this is my second 2011 trail. The first one was a mess and I had to take it back. It was damaged in transit, it was bent across the roof slightly bending the frame. It was not noticeable until I climbed up and noticed the Dint all the way across just slightly. Barley noticeable but the sunroof would not close. Never tried it on the test drive since it was covered in transit wrap. It was a general consensus another car or truck was set on this one or dropped down in transit resulting in a bent frame and rack. dealer swapped me out a new one.

 

[westwind77]

TRAC does not always come back on at 35. I think it depends if you are stopped when you turn it off. Ive turned it off and it stayed off well over 35mph.

Well.....I ran tests today.....and it does ALWAYS turn itself back ON. I turned it off in P, drove up to 30 and it the light went off (did this 3 times). Stopped, but kept it in D, turned it off, drove up past 30, turned itself on each time (3 times). Drove at varying speed below 30 and turned if off, each time the 4R got over 30 it when back on (light off) Pressing the button over 30 will NOT turn TRAC off.

This is just what happens in my 10' who knows if software changes in later models changed the way it works. Just FYI.

 

[Ryan_S]

@westwind: this is straight from the manual and how it works on mine (2010 TE)

n Reactivation of the TRAC (TRC)/VSC systems (4WD models)
If the TRAC (TRC)/VSC systems are turned off, the systems will not turn on
even when vehicle speed increases.

this is how mine works. are you sure you are turning both TRAC and VSC off?

 

[westwind77]

TRAC does not always come back on at 35. I think it depends if you are stopped when you turn it off. Ive turned it off and it stayed off well over 35mph.

One press turns TRAC OFF - Pressing and holding for 3 sec turns off BOTH TRAC and VSC.

Now, keep in mind that when you hit a certain speed (35 maybe, I tested and forgot now) TRAC will turn itself back ON. I have not tested the speed reactivation with both TRAC a& VSC off yet though.

It is possible that as you crossed the ruts if the 4R was sliding around a bit vs the wheel position that VSC could have activated, probably a low possibility but make sure to turn both off next time just make sure.

@westwind: this is straight from the manual and how it works on mine (2010 TE)

this is how mine works. are you sure you are turning both TRAC and VSC off?

Well sir, that is where the miscommunication is......I never said I turned VSC off, I just turned TRAC off (one quick press, not the 3 seconds to deactivate both). I am sure the manual (and you) are correct if you turn off BOTH...but TRAC by itself will turn itself back on at 30. Even in your post above you said you turned TRAC off and it still reactivated, did you mean to say you turned off TRAC & VSC?

 

[Ryan_S]

Not to beat a dead horse. But pushing said button once turns off VSC. Holding turns off TRAC.

VSC might turn itself back on. I don't think I've ever just turned that off by itself.