sknightjr1
New member
Thanks!
Transfer case, actuator and water
- Thread starter sknightjr1
- Start date
aha2988
New member
could you post a pic of the flooded actuator I know mine has been under water but it hasn't flooded to cause issues. Is there anything that indicates where or how the seals failed?
sknightjr1
New member
Honestly when I was removing the screws to open it up, several of the screws were very rusty. I have examined the actuator case and found no apparent cracks. The only thing I can think of is the inspection hole, the water that came out of the case was blueish in color and inside the inspection hole appears to be some sort of blue button, this hole had no seal on it to speak of except what was inside.
I need to find a new unit. Anyone suggest a good salvage place to find one? Also is it just easier to get the t-case with actuator or is the replacement process not that bad opening up the t-case? If I can tear down a Dana20 and perform the bronco gear mod, i think I can handle this. I have a Jeep as well.
I need to find a new unit. Anyone suggest a good salvage place to find one? Also is it just easier to get the t-case with actuator or is the replacement process not that bad opening up the t-case? If I can tear down a Dana20 and perform the bronco gear mod, i think I can handle this. I have a Jeep as well.
aha2988
New member
It's going to be a dealer Item only unfortunately you can purchase just the actuators I believe. I couldn't find anything on the web about it. A picture of what your looking at replacing could help. I've seen a few guys on the forum go into the case and speak of it being very doable I'll see if I can find a link to one of those threads real quick
aha2988
New member
http://www.toyota-4runner.org/4th-gen-t4rs/33984-transfer-case-actuator-leaking-2.html
I found this It's not about the actual actuator leaking but the transfer case leaking gear oil at the actuator seal but it talks about how to get that actuator off and perhaps service the one you have I would think that the water was shorting out some circuits perhaps if you get it clean and dry you can get it to work again?
theres a thread on here somewhere that shows the transfercase pulled appart while it's still attached to the transmission but i can't seem to find it.
I found this It's not about the actual actuator leaking but the transfer case leaking gear oil at the actuator seal but it talks about how to get that actuator off and perhaps service the one you have I would think that the water was shorting out some circuits perhaps if you get it clean and dry you can get it to work again?
theres a thread on here somewhere that shows the transfercase pulled appart while it's still attached to the transmission but i can't seem to find it.
sknightjr1
New member
Well now that I looked at the actuator closely, water either came in through the plug or the breather hole. My bet is breather tube, I remember seeing water in there, a lot of water.
aha2988
New member
probably the breather tube lol how deep did you get dang lol
sknightjr1
New member
DEEEEEEP! the water didnt come inside cab or prevent me from opening door but none the less, deep.
aha2988
New member
I would definitely go ahead and pull everything apart dry and clean everything then try to see if that fixes things then you can diagnose from there. I would plan to flush your transmission fluid, transfer case gear oil and your rear diff fluid as those are all susceptible to water entry if you've flooded a breather on the transfer case.
chmura
New member
So does the actuator have a breather tube? I changed my tranny fluid a week ago I did not see anything. I will inspect it when I get under there.
Transfer case should be a sealed unit and water crossings shouldn't affect it. Maybe your seals were bad or something. My 4runner is new to me and I haven't took it off road yet.
I did plenty of deep water crossings in my previous Tacoma and have not had an issue with any of the electronics. Water got as high as the top of the front bumper.
I hope this 4runner is the same.
Transfer case should be a sealed unit and water crossings shouldn't affect it. Maybe your seals were bad or something. My 4runner is new to me and I haven't took it off road yet.
I did plenty of deep water crossings in my previous Tacoma and have not had an issue with any of the electronics. Water got as high as the top of the front bumper.
I hope this 4runner is the same.
aha2988
New member
the transfer case isn't a sealed unit nor is the tranny and yes the actuator has a breather. as well does the tranny and transfer case have a breather to allow for the expansion of fluids at high temperatures
your front and rear diff's have breathers also the only raised or extend breather is the front diff; however, I have seen some newer 4r's with a raised rear diff breather from factory next to the front diff breather under the hood
chmura
New member
I will be doing the rear diff breather mod in my 4runner soon as I did in my previous Tacoma.
I know the transfer case has a breather. But the actuator itself is bolted to the transfer case. So it would be redundant to have a breather at the actuator AND the transfer case.
I guess I have to put my 4runner on the lift and check it out for myself.
Singtoe
New member
4RunnerAquasport
Senior Member
I know very little about the actuators. Tagging [MENTION=582805]aemravan[/MENTION], who has had one apart and might be able to shed some light on the subject.
aha2988
New member
My comment in this thread didnt age to well, I had actuator failure so I can tell you want happened/s.
inside that little black box on the back of the transfer case. there's two actuator motors. (think tiny RC car electric motors) they drive gears that push the shift rods in an out through the back of the transfer case.
As the rods move into the case, they push against sensors that tell the 4wd computer that the shift position is reached killing power to the actuator motor.
the black box is not sealed to well. The 4wd low actuator motor is at the very bottom of the case and gets the most access to water and corrosion. the next thing to fail are the motor shafts and plastic gears themselves.
anywho, any failure to the mechanical components and then the sensors and 4wd computer dont activate correctly and you get warning lights and shifting problems.
if your lucky you can find a donor transfer case at Car-parts.com in your area. A manual FJ transfercase swap isnt so expensive either. replacing the actuator box isnt really an option.
I'll second the explanation above, well put and on point.
One thing I would say though, is that replacing the actuator isn't AS bad as some folks put it.. From a cost perspective, yes, the FJ t-case is a great option. However, you have to figure in the fact that you will lose the AWD capability, since you'll only be able to run in 4hi/4lo on slick/loose surfaces. So situations where you may have some snowy slush pop up here and there on a wet surface gets you into the territory of potentially binding your t-case enough to break it.. or just staying in 2wd :driving:
To replace the actuator, you do need to drop the case and split it in half since the 2 actuating rods are bolted to the shift forks/have c-clips holding them in. Once that is apart there are literally just 3 screws holding the actuator in... replacement is super easy, though pricey.
I've ran the FJ t-case for a while, but ultimately went back to the regular actuated transfer case for the time being while I find some time to see if we can retrofit a manual shifting actuations in place of the electronic motors.
Oh yea, I'll also say that even if you're sourcing a used transfer case with a working actuator, it is VERY recommended to take it apart, pull the actuator, and replace the 2 small shift rod seals, and the larger o-ring where the actuator mates to the case. More than likely these will be dry and if not leaking already, will leak very soon, which will ulimately get you in the same situation where you get gear oil into the actuator and eventually kill it.
One thing I would say though, is that replacing the actuator isn't AS bad as some folks put it.. From a cost perspective, yes, the FJ t-case is a great option. However, you have to figure in the fact that you will lose the AWD capability, since you'll only be able to run in 4hi/4lo on slick/loose surfaces. So situations where you may have some snowy slush pop up here and there on a wet surface gets you into the territory of potentially binding your t-case enough to break it.. or just staying in 2wd :driving:
To replace the actuator, you do need to drop the case and split it in half since the 2 actuating rods are bolted to the shift forks/have c-clips holding them in. Once that is apart there are literally just 3 screws holding the actuator in... replacement is super easy, though pricey.
I've ran the FJ t-case for a while, but ultimately went back to the regular actuated transfer case for the time being while I find some time to see if we can retrofit a manual shifting actuations in place of the electronic motors.
Oh yea, I'll also say that even if you're sourcing a used transfer case with a working actuator, it is VERY recommended to take it apart, pull the actuator, and replace the 2 small shift rod seals, and the larger o-ring where the actuator mates to the case. More than likely these will be dry and if not leaking already, will leak very soon, which will ulimately get you in the same situation where you get gear oil into the actuator and eventually kill it.
Last edited:
my 4Lo isn't working for a long time. I noticed that the breather hose was disconnected for not sure how long. I don't do off roads or cross flood waters but I understand that moisture can still sip in. When I switch it to 4Lo i can hear the transfer case actuator beeps. I already tried to tap, heat gun, wiggle without success.
Would it be ok to put a couple of sprays of WD 40 right into the breather hose inlet and hopefully lubricate the gears inside??
My 4Hi is working fine but wondering if a couple of WD 40 sparys will damage the electronics inside.
Pls help!
Thanks!
Would it be ok to put a couple of sprays of WD 40 right into the breather hose inlet and hopefully lubricate the gears inside??
My 4Hi is working fine but wondering if a couple of WD 40 sparys will damage the electronics inside.
Pls help!
Thanks!
vonRunner
Member
Well this thread was revived at the perfect time lol. I'm in the exact same situation as the OP.
I went camping/wheeling last weekend and crossed a couple deep water crossings. On the way home my 4Lo light started flashing and beeping, and then the check engine light and VSC lights came on with it. The vehicle isn't in 4Lo and when I turn the dash selector switch to 4Lo it stops the flashing/beeping, but it doesn't actually engage 4Lo. Crawled under the vehicle and the actuator breather hose was cracked at the end and not attached. I then opened up the actuator box slightly and some water came pouring out. Vehicle drove home fine aside from it not shifting into 5th gear (assuming this is some safety feature since it thinks it might be in 4Lo).
Connected the code reader and got the following:
It'd guess it's safe to assume the 4Lo/4Hi actuator motor is fried, so I've decided to replace the whole unit. My local dealer has them on sale for $1,100 which is pretty ridiculous (part #36410-60093)... After further research I found a handful of Japanese eBay retailers offering the same part # as "Brand New Toyota OEM" in the $400-500 range. The accounts all seem to be legit with very high numbers of positive reviews, but eBay has always sketched me out. Is there anyone on here who has bought one of these, or know someone who has?
I went camping/wheeling last weekend and crossed a couple deep water crossings. On the way home my 4Lo light started flashing and beeping, and then the check engine light and VSC lights came on with it. The vehicle isn't in 4Lo and when I turn the dash selector switch to 4Lo it stops the flashing/beeping, but it doesn't actually engage 4Lo. Crawled under the vehicle and the actuator breather hose was cracked at the end and not attached. I then opened up the actuator box slightly and some water came pouring out. Vehicle drove home fine aside from it not shifting into 5th gear (assuming this is some safety feature since it thinks it might be in 4Lo).
Connected the code reader and got the following:
- P2772 - 4WD low switch circuit range
- C1201 - Engine control system
- C1223 - ABS control system fault
- C1249 - Stop lamp switch circuit open
- C1340 - Center differential lock signal
It'd guess it's safe to assume the 4Lo/4Hi actuator motor is fried, so I've decided to replace the whole unit. My local dealer has them on sale for $1,100 which is pretty ridiculous (part #36410-60093)... After further research I found a handful of Japanese eBay retailers offering the same part # as "Brand New Toyota OEM" in the $400-500 range. The accounts all seem to be legit with very high numbers of positive reviews, but eBay has always sketched me out. Is there anyone on here who has bought one of these, or know someone who has?
Similar threads
