Transfer Case Grinding - 2000 4Runner LTD

[4RunnerCollegeKid]

Hi all! I'm new to the forum, but far from new to Toyotas. Here is my problem:

I drive a 3rd generation 2000 4Runner Limited and am having issues with the transfer case. If it matters, my 4Runner has a factory rear locker and is the version that has a push button 4WD High selector on the side of the transfer case lever. Throughout the weekend, I have been going between 2H and 4H as needed (without using the push button) and everything has worked fine. Today, as I got back onto plowed roads, I moved the lever back into 2H, the dash indicator went out as it should have, and drove for about half an hour with no issues. About half an hour into my drive, I noticed the four wheel drive dash light blinking, as it does when the transfer case lever has been moved but 4WD has not yet been engaged/disengaged. Thinking I had bumped the push button and accidentally told it to engage 4H, I pressed it in and out and confirmed that I had not bumped anything. The light went out. A few seconds later, the light was blinking again and I started to hear a high pitched whiny grinding noise coming from either the transfer case or the front end. As I slowed down, the grinding continued and there was a loud clunk which shook/bucked the whole car. I got over to the berm, stopped, and shut the car off. I turned it back on and the dash light continued to blink. Trying to experiment, I pulled the lever back into 4H and set off again. I never heard it engage the front wheels and the dash light continued to blink. I then moved the lever back to 2H and a few seconds after began to hear grinding again followed by three more loud clunks that shook the truck. I pulled over again, then proceeded back to home with the dash light blinking, the transfer case lever in 4H (only position where grinding wouldn't happen), and the car actually only having power to the rear (as confirmed on a snowy road). Once back home, I drove around a parking lot putting the transfer case lever into all of the positions. In all cases, the dash light remained blinking, I never felt/heard the transfer case engage or disengage and the truck stayed in two wheel drive. In 4H, it drives no problem, in 4L, it begins to grind, in 2H, I could not get it to grind in the parking lot, but am guessing that it would if I got up to road speed again. The car is drivable, but the transfer case isn't working and I use four wheel drive regularly.

While I am fairly knowledge about vehicles and can do many repairs myself, I am a first year student at Allegheny College in PA and no longer have a warm garage in which to work or a parent's car to drive while mine is out of commission. Any help or insights you can provide are greatly appreciated.

Thank you,
Bennett

 

[Skidmarcx]

That's just way too much to read... Search function is your friend

 

[4RunnerCollegeKid]

I have been doing lots of searching to no avail. Sorry for all the text, just trying to be descriptive.

 

[Skidmarcx]

From what I know it's usually an alignment issue in either the front diff or tcase... You might try manually engaging the front diff by applying vacuum at the control valves on the driver side inner fender... With any luck it might pop it into place... If the tcase is out of alignment I'm not sure what to do... I just got fed up with the whole electronic thing and swapped the tcase for an SR5 model which is fully manual... It's a direct swap for around $150... From there you just need to figure out a means of engaging the front diff I used a pneumatic push/pull valve... No more BS to deal with

 

[4RunnerCollegeKid]

Thanks! I will see about messing with the front differential vacuum lines you mentioned.

 

[4RunnerCollegeKid]

From what I know it's usually an alignment issue in either the front diff or tcase... You might try manually engaging the front diff by applying vacuum at the control valves on the driver side inner fender... With any luck it might pop it into place... If the tcase is out of alignment I'm not sure what to do... I just got fed up with the whole electronic thing and swapped the tcase for an SR5 model which is fully manual... It's a direct swap for around $150... From there you just need to figure out a means of engaging the front diff I used a pneumatic push/pull valve... No more BS to deal with

Hi Skidmarcx,
I'm going to be putting in a replacement used transfer case (diagnosis details below) and would like to do the swap to the manual case. Are you able to give me more details on how you addressed the front diff issue? From what I understand, the manual case has no ECU and therefore the front diff does not have a way of knowing to engage/disengage. Is there perhaps an electronic workaround for this by rewiring to the manual case setup? What kind of valve did you use and how did you use it? Any information about your swap details, difficulties, and successes would be very helpful.
Thank you!

Here is what they found:

The actuator on the back of the T-case has gone bad and only works intermittently. Rather than other models with a fully manual T-case, in my truck to engage H4, this actuator uses a motor that moves a rod in the case to put it into H4 unlocked. You then lock the front driveshaft by manually moving the lever. The actuator either has a failing motor or rust has put pressure on the shaft not allowing it to turn.

The actuator costs about $1,200+ and labor is $600+ (9 hour job) to remove the transfer case, split it, and replace the actuator. You cannot just pull out the actuator from the case because there is an internal setup of clips and shifting forks that needs to be undone by splitting to get it out.

My options are the above really expensive job or just buy a transfer case from a junk yard and put it in. If I were to go with the junkyard option, I could either buy the same type of t-case as is in my 4Runner (semi-electronic with 4H unlocked/AWD) or the more robust and common, but lacking AWD (which I don't use anyway) fully manual case. I am inclined to go with the fully manual, but then there is the issue that the manual does not have an ECU and you would have to mess with the electrical system to get the front differential vacuum to engage.

Any other thoughts? Any insights for the conversion from semi-electronic to manual?

 

[Skidmarcx]

Super easy to do... I used a pneumatic push/pull valve to control the front diff since I did a 4WD conversion... In your case you've got it all there with the VSV arrangement on the inner fender... Just use a toggle switch to control them... No need for ECM integration at that point. The tcase is a direct swap just need the shifter and knob since they are different.

*edit* not sure if the 2000 year model is different either way driveshafts aren't that expensive used... I still think it's worth doing

 

[4RunnerCollegeKid]

Thank you, this is a lot of great information! Before I go and spend the money on another t-case, I'm going to test the forward t-case switch as per this post:

YotaTech Forums - View Single Post - 4WD won't disengage on 99 4Runner LTD

I'm fairly convinced the problem is the expensive actuator, but if the switch is the problem then it is a really cheap fix. If the switch isn't bad then new case it is. Luckily, my dad has a '97 with the manual t-case so we can compare stuff as we go to make sure I buy the right parts for mine during a swap.

Thank you again for all your help Skidmarcx.

 

[practical]

2000 4Runner, transfer actuator

I'm the Dad of the Collegekid. Brought the 4Runner home (2000, Limited, auto tranny, multi-mode t-case w/ full-time 4wd). I'm removing the sensor switches and testing and cleaning... no bad ones found yet. Am cleaning all connectors, inspecting vacuum lines. All is working perfectly. Have not been able to replicate the Dealer reported intermittent failure of the t-case actuator where by the dealer hit the housing with a hammer to unstick and achieve movement. For me it works consistently when engaging the 4wd button on the shifter. Couple questions:
- As I started to remove the triangular inspection plate (3 cap screws) from the t-case actuator, oil began to seep out. I was surprised having expected the gear housing to be greased but not a reservoir for fluid. Accordingly, my reason for wanting to pull the plate was to squirt a little WD40 in there to provide a bit of lube to the gears. Any concerns here about apparent diff fluid in there?
- Up front the front differential actuator is vacuum controlled. (I'll be checking/cleaning the sensor switch there too). All the rubber vacuum lines for the VSV Vacuum Switching Valve system appear to be fine and the system is working. However, I note the small diameter steel vacuum lines bridging under the engine (connecting to the rubber lines at both ends) are really rusty. Any reason to not do some preventative maintenance is by-pass those steel lines with rubber ones?

Overall, I am a little unsettled that I can't replicate the sticking t-case actuator per hammer test reported by Dealer.

Thanks very much for any guidance.