Stuck in 4hi

[DeserT4R]

Tonight I had to put my runner in 4hi due to tire spin while backing up a steep incline. When I drove the few 100ft to my destination it would not get out of 4hi. After a brief panic I was able to get it out by putting it in 4lo, drove it about 50ft, turned around and put it back in 4hi, then back to 2wd. All were done while in neutral as required.

We had plans of going off road around Kolob canyon but this little fiasco has me worried we won’t make it back to LV. Should I be worried? This is my first 4wd so I’m a bit new to all of this.


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[DesertCanyons]

Shifting to 4 hi and 4 lo

Read the manual and make sure you are engaging it properly. It can seem tricky until you know what to do. Is it a SR5 with a dial or a Trail edition with shift knob?

 

[DeserT4R]

I have and make sure I do it right. It’s a Shift knob. Would I be ok to use 4wd tomorrow or should I wait to take it in since home is 150+ mi away?


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[DesertCanyons]

Testing 4 hi and 4 lo

Test it a lot and make sure 4 lo and 4 hi are working. You can drive all day in 4 hi so long as you don't turn sharply on pavement. Being stuck in 4 lo might be a problem. I've had similar problems with mine when I first started to use it.

 

[DeserT4R]

I’ll test it some more tomorrow...but might wait for the 4lo until I get closer to home. Thanks for the info!


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[AggieOE]

Technically, you should be fine in 4-high at all times (just watch tight turns and don't go above 80-mph). As others said though, just make sure you're engaging/disengaging it correctly.

 

[JSparky]

It's hard to tell exactly what happened. Backing up steep driveways can be a pain, if there were tires spinning and whatnot you more than likely introduced some bind in the driveline, which is perfectly normal, but can make engaging/disengaging 4wd less smooth.

Either way, the simplest explanation is that you may not have your 4wd shifting procedure down correctly. I'd suggest reading up on that and testing it in a dirt lot near your house, it'll only take a few minutes to determine if it's shifting protocol or something more serious. Lots of people have difficulty with this so don't feel discouraged. This thread has links for the manual:

http://www.toyota-4runner.org/5th-gen-t4rs/225872-did-you-break-4wd.html

 

[zerowkul98]

This is eerily reminiscent of the 4th gen's 4WD actuators freezing up. Both my 03 and 08 never had it happen, simply due to the preventative "once in a while, use it" practice.

When I got my 2016 about a month ago and saw it was a stick 4WD lever, I was relieved, thinking this would be one less concern (along with the lack of timing belt, and the hope of better brake caliper design, as I had to change mine out 3x with my old 4Runners), but now I'm thinking this might still be a worry.

 

[On Point]

i'd bet this is all operator error. you can shift from 4hi to 2wd while moving. try doing that at a slow speed.

 

[johnbt]

"and don't go above 80-mph"

Why?

My manual doesn't say anything about an upper limit.

John

 

[3wbdriver]

"and don't go above 80-mph"

Why?

My manual doesn't say anything about an upper limit.

John

Well, for openers if you're locked in 4wd you are already in road conditions that would dictate you don't want to be doing 80. There is a big difference in friction between a Limited's AWD system with a center differential and the part time 4wd system that locks the front and rear axles in sync when engaged. I can even feel the bind with the 4wd locked on dirt trails, much less dry pavement.

For [MENTION=164477]DeserT4R[/MENTION], it will shift between 2wd and 4hi easier if you are rolling. The change to and from 4lo while stopped and in neutral is due to the fact you are change to a much lower gear range and they won't want to mesh if you are rolling. It is even common to hear some gear grind while stopped when shifting between 4hi and 4lo or vice versa.

 

[wfo9]

100% operator error. nothing to do with the truck.

There are some splines that need to align up in the front disconnect that often require the truck to be moving to go in and out of 4wd. (4Lo is totally different as you have to already be in 4wd and N to go in and out of 4LO).

Shift in and out while rolling along. If the lights flash try turning the steering wheel from side to side a bit. Very simple.

 

[johnbt]

"Well, for openers if you're locked in 4wd you are already in road conditions that would dictate you don't want to be doing 80. There is a big difference in friction between a Limited's AWD system with a center differential and the part time 4wd system that locks the front and rear axles in sync when engaged. I can even feel the bind with the 4wd locked on dirt trails, much less dry pavement."

Ok, so no upper limit according to Toyota. I do most of my suggested 10-miles-per-month-in-4wd on the Interstate and there isn't any bind I've noticed.

Thanks for the suggestions, but I've been driving part-time 4wd off and on for decades, plus having had a 2001 Forester AWD with limited slip diff on the rear axle. The '86 Subaru in my sig line was really touchy on any pavement in 4wheel-hi and all but impossible in 4wheel-lo.

 

[DeserT4R]

Based on the feedback and review of the manual, I engaged and disengaged properly. I may have turned the wheel a little hard while backing up but I don’t think so. The road out of here is gravel I can try switching back and forth between 2wd and 4hi to make sure everything is working as they should. There wasn’t anything about system temp... should it be warmed up before engaging or does that not matter?


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[carlomagne]

Stop worrying and just trust your Toyota. The light will shut off soon. I used to question everything in the beginning but learned that everything will turn out just fine.

 

[3wbdriver]

There wasn’t anything about system temp... should it be warmed up before engaging or does that not matter?

Doesn't matter.

 

[JSparky]

Based on the feedback and review of the manual, I engaged and disengaged properly. I may have turned the wheel a little hard while backing up but I don’t think so. The road out of here is gravel I can try switching back and forth between 2wd and 4hi to make sure everything is working as they should. There wasn’t anything about system temp... should it be warmed up before engaging or does that not matter?


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Temperature is not an issue. In my experience with various part time systems the quickest way to get 4hi to engage is, while your driving in a straight line, lightly dip off the throttle and gently roll back on, helps everything get lined up. It should engage in a matter of seconds. Goodluck