ajjaaron - I think that the repair is pretty substantial - my local mechanic didn't want to touch it, so it went to Toyota. The book rate for the repair is 12 hours of labor, but my dealer beat that pretty well, I think. I think a 4wd shop or transfer shop would probably be able to do it, too. It was explained to me that disassembly is tough, and reassembly requires some tedious lining up of the forks that enter the transfer case from the actuator to ensure smooth and accurate shifting between 4 wheel lo and hi. They had the truck for a day and a half, and the total repair with a new actuator came to 1600 and change - plus they went ahead and replaced the driveshaft seal, too.
Transfer Oil Leak
- Thread starter Cougar
- Start date
transfer case actuator
Hate to add my self to this problem but i got the problem have the oil leak and its getting worse my mechanic replaced the external seal but that didnt solve it. so now i am looking around junk yards for the actuator. wanted to ask why does it take so long to put that box on and off, it looks like their is only 3 bolts to it. Please help me out guys, need some advice
Hate to add my self to this problem but i got the problem have the oil leak and its getting worse my mechanic replaced the external seal but that didnt solve it. so now i am looking around junk yards for the actuator. wanted to ask why does it take so long to put that box on and off, it looks like their is only 3 bolts to it. Please help me out guys, need some advice
eskimochaos
Banned
They need to drop the entire transfer case and open it up to remove it. I think its like 20 hours labor. My actuator was replaced under warranty because it was stuck.
njccmd2002
New member
did anybody find a solution to this problem, maybe something temporal?
Barcelona Red
New member
Solution to leak - Suck it up and pay the big $s
My 2004 V8 4runner 4x4 made it to 95k with no major problems at all. Then, in just the last 3 months and 4k miles the thing has fallen apart. Air conditioner fan clutch ($1,070), transfer case actuator seal leak ($1,863), rear brake rotors warped ($220) and broken driver seat frame ($910) all gone bad. Almost every one of these issues is a subject of a TSB which means it's a common 4runner problem - mostly resulting from poor design. Oh, yeah, I shouldn't forget the normal 90K maintenance costs of over $1,600!
Every time I take it in for repairs they find another major problem. Can't take it anymore so I'm tossing in the towel and getting rid of it. I've spent dozens of hours researching these issues and there is no viable long term fixes other than to take your wallet out and give it to the dealer!
The 4runner was my 7th Toyota. The 4runner has had more mechanical problems than all the others combined! Toyota totally lost sight of what made them great - a focus on quality.
Barcelona Red
My 2004 V8 4runner 4x4 made it to 95k with no major problems at all. Then, in just the last 3 months and 4k miles the thing has fallen apart. Air conditioner fan clutch ($1,070), transfer case actuator seal leak ($1,863), rear brake rotors warped ($220) and broken driver seat frame ($910) all gone bad. Almost every one of these issues is a subject of a TSB which means it's a common 4runner problem - mostly resulting from poor design. Oh, yeah, I shouldn't forget the normal 90K maintenance costs of over $1,600!
Every time I take it in for repairs they find another major problem. Can't take it anymore so I'm tossing in the towel and getting rid of it. I've spent dozens of hours researching these issues and there is no viable long term fixes other than to take your wallet out and give it to the dealer!
The 4runner was my 7th Toyota. The 4runner has had more mechanical problems than all the others combined! Toyota totally lost sight of what made them great - a focus on quality.
Barcelona Red
Pretty much sums it up. I made it to over 180K w\out many problems until now.
Sulfur Smell - Dealer TSB - Fixed
Warped Rotors - Spent over $200 on new ones
Driver Seat wobble - There is a TSB but I missed the window, so I'm living with it.
Frozen caliper - Bought a remanufactured one
Leaking Actuator - Dealing with it now but I'm not paying the dealer. I'm going to pick up a complete transfercase from a salvage yard and do the job myself. I just gave the dealer over $1k last month for a timing belt, waterpump, idler pulleys, tensioner, and etc.
Truck was pretty much bullet proof until the last 25K mi and now has turned into the most expensive vehicle I've ever owned for maintenance and repair. I also think the actuator assembly is horribly engineered. It's ridiculous that you have to drop the transmission and seperate the case. Not to mention the actuator is a $1K part. How can this part cost that much and not have servicable seals? Just give me the 4wd shift lever back.
Toyota should step up and fix all of TSB's if they're out of warranty. I'll never buy another 'early model year' again.
I'm going to fix mine and find another daily driver.
looksstock
New member
Just had the same happen to me (posting up to keep this bad@ss board current) 
After oil/tranny change by dealer (03 v8 4x4 155k miles) I noticed 2 drops of what appeared to be engine oil on the garage floor..was never there before the dealer did the oil change. I figred it was a loose filter or faulty gasket. Took it to the dealer a month later and they threw it on a lift and showed me the shift actuator (drip drip) and the oil pan & filter (bone dry).
They quoted by 1300 for just the part...I asked if they could reseal the existing one and after a few phone calls, they told me there is a reseal kit but iit would be about 10 hours of labor. So, $1000.00 later I'm on my way to pick it up...
Tough pill to swallow, but it's paid for...
After oil/tranny change by dealer (03 v8 4x4 155k miles) I noticed 2 drops of what appeared to be engine oil on the garage floor..was never there before the dealer did the oil change. I figred it was a loose filter or faulty gasket. Took it to the dealer a month later and they threw it on a lift and showed me the shift actuator (drip drip) and the oil pan & filter (bone dry).
They quoted by 1300 for just the part...I asked if they could reseal the existing one and after a few phone calls, they told me there is a reseal kit but iit would be about 10 hours of labor. So, $1000.00 later I'm on my way to pick it up...
Tough pill to swallow, but it's paid for...
MissmyExplorer
New member
Add me to the list of disappointed Toyota 4Runner owners. I have a leak and it is the Actuator seal just as everyone seems to have. My Toyota dealer says they can just replace the seal which is $6.27 but the labor will be about $925. Does anyone have experience on just replacing the seal and not the whole 4 Wheel Drive actuator? I guess it takes a lot of disassembling and reassembly.??? My vehicle is 2003 with 125,000 miles , imagine that! Just like everyone else
All I know is the vehicle I owned before this one was a Ford Explorer that I drove until it had 225,000 before things started going wrong. I agree Toyota must be squeezing their suppliers for cheaper parts instead of going for best quality. I also have a seat bracket that doesn't always catch when the seat is moved.
All I know is the vehicle I owned before this one was a Ford Explorer that I drove until it had 225,000 before things started going wrong. I agree Toyota must be squeezing their suppliers for cheaper parts instead of going for best quality. I also have a seat bracket that doesn't always catch when the seat is moved.
looksstock
New member
Unfortunately, the seal is "inside" so the have to pull a lot of stuff out. I'm not disappointed in the truck - after 155k miles with zero repair issues, this is nothing. The system is full time 4wd and mechanical parts wear..fact of life. What irks me is the dealer's repair price of 11.5 hours becase "we go by the chilton's guide" and then they call me 7 hours later to say "it's ready"...wtf!
My Jeep Grand Cherokee Overland on the other hand...every 3 months it needed something (non warranty) of course.
Hello, I have a 2003 Sport V8 with 124k. Just found the actuator leak. I have about two drops of oil every night. I am planning a trip across country in a week or so. Would you try to rush and fix or should the leak continue to be slow? Also found a used case with 2k miles for $600, how much work is it to swap out my case for a different one.
Thanks
Thanks
V8Limited4wd
New member
so is this going to happen to everyone's transfer case actuator eventually due to the design or is it a defect for random 4th gens?
looksstock
New member
The service advisor at my toyota dealer said I could "..probably wait until my next oil change" before getting it fixed. Up to you, but I would not want to go cross country (during winter) with any issues involving actuators/transfer cases/etc...
'03 4runner Transfer case actuator
So, I just pulled this thing out. It isn't too hard. I'll try to simplify it here, and this is going by memory; Remove the front & rear yoke grease fittings. Remove the yoke 4 nuts each, knock the driveshafts a bit so the yokes come loose, compress the yoke on the driveshaft, grease will come out the open zerk fitting holes so you can remove the yokes. Remove the transmission mount, be sure to brace the transmission. Total here is 4 long bolts, 4 very short bolts at the middle bottom to tranny mount, and 8 bolts to get the braces off. Remove the electrical plug. You need some sort of jack stand unless you are young and feel strong. But unless you are very careful, you'll damage the transmission seal pulling the xfer case off or going in. Lower the jack to the tranny and let everything relax on the front motormounts. Remove the 7 or so 12mm hex head bolts that hold the xfer case to the tranny. Carefully slide the case back and down to the floor. On and off is the hardest part. This is actually no more than 2 hours of real work so far, Everything I described is literally 8 nuts, 2 grease fittings and 16 bolts to have the xfer case on the floor. I bought a little wooden dolley from Harbor freight, perfect for the rebuild. Once the case is out and in the open, turn it on end, tranny side down. 12, 12mm hex head bolts take the short side of the case off. Use a breaker bar and a 3/4" drive appropriate american socket for the FAR (under)side yoke. You might think the upper yoke needs to come off because its right at the top, but you would be wrong. Totally unneccesary. You don't need an impact driver to get the big yoke nut off, and don't worry about the indented nut , just unscrew it. Tap the yoke off. Oil will flow. Oh yea, you should have drained the oil first.Now the case will come apart. Be nice, I used an old STIHL plastic wedge from my chainsaw kit and some wood shims once I cracked the case w/ a prybar at the ONE place that lets you get it started. DO NOT put metal anything to pry the lid up at the sealing surfaces.Use wood shims evenly around the opening case so the upper bearing pulls down nice and evenly. Now the case top is off, which includes what you are after. Turn it over, tt will rest on the actuator, and put the yoke nut back on and the socket, and you will have it standing with its shifter forks plainly visible. There's your 3 circlips and 2 shift forks that have to come off to let the actuator come right out. I removed the circlips by grabbing the back of the "C" tightly with a vice grip and prying on the vice grip, the c clip came right off. Then, undo each shift fork bolt. Take a picture of the setup BEFORE you remove the internal gears/ fork combinations. It generally goes one way, but you can scare yourself if you pull it off willy nilly and just set it down, so take a pic. The internal gears slide up and off, keep the fork right where it is on the gear, handle it as a set. keep them stacked just the way they went off, and there's no confusion. Turn the part on its side, and undo the three 12 mm hex bolts holding the actuator on. Make sure you clean up where the $5 o-ring is. I do not know anything about the seals at the 2 rods, so I am anxious to know if you can really buy them or not. It is ludicrous that you couldn't, because they are not part of the plastic. That isn't what leaked on mine. Mine was the thin o-ring under the plastic cheap, warped lid with the one screw holding it in place. I cleaned the surfaces w/ a rag dipped w/ brake cleaner, and sparingly put RTV on the metal mating surface afte mounting the new o-ring. From there, reverse the order. I'm mechanicallly inclined but do not do this for a living. In between curious neighbors stopping by, and drinking wine, this entire job really took 6 hours. Without a manual. It is not a 22 hour job. It is not rocket science. I have some pertinent pictures if anyone needs them. gmyatko at g mail dot com. good luck. BY FAR, the only hard part is getting the xfer case lined up and put back in. I bought two 110 mm bolts and cut the ends off and used them for guides going in, so not to screw up the trans seal. It slides straight ahead then. You should have as much room underneath as you can possibly make. I used 4 8" plastic ramps, and I could have used another 8". That was the ONLY hard part, transferring the transfer case to a jack while under the truck. I actually made a bracket that I screwed into my existing floor jack, because the tranny adapter that I bought was much too tall with the xfer case on it to maneuver. Thats all I can think of. Put the right gear oil back in. and don't forget to put the zerk fittings back on the yokes when they are in, and pumping them back up with grease. Oh yea, be patient sliding the internal gears back on. They DO slide on, but is a very tight tolerance running and sliding fit. It goes, don't cock it, just very small movements will get it to slide on. I reused my circlips. I even forgot the top one. So what. They aren't needed. If you don't have a manual like I didn't. read up on torque specs. for the various size bolts. And invent your own torqueing pattern when putting the case back together. Your guess is as good as theirs. I used a felt tip marker to write nubers 1 thru 12 on each bolt, and tightened the pattern 1/3 of the torque and then increased it until I got to my required torque settings tha I dreamt up with as much material as I could read up on, and then pulled the final number out of my ars. And I forgot what it was now. Hah! Now that is all.
So, I just pulled this thing out. It isn't too hard. I'll try to simplify it here, and this is going by memory; Remove the front & rear yoke grease fittings. Remove the yoke 4 nuts each, knock the driveshafts a bit so the yokes come loose, compress the yoke on the driveshaft, grease will come out the open zerk fitting holes so you can remove the yokes. Remove the transmission mount, be sure to brace the transmission. Total here is 4 long bolts, 4 very short bolts at the middle bottom to tranny mount, and 8 bolts to get the braces off. Remove the electrical plug. You need some sort of jack stand unless you are young and feel strong. But unless you are very careful, you'll damage the transmission seal pulling the xfer case off or going in. Lower the jack to the tranny and let everything relax on the front motormounts. Remove the 7 or so 12mm hex head bolts that hold the xfer case to the tranny. Carefully slide the case back and down to the floor. On and off is the hardest part. This is actually no more than 2 hours of real work so far, Everything I described is literally 8 nuts, 2 grease fittings and 16 bolts to have the xfer case on the floor. I bought a little wooden dolley from Harbor freight, perfect for the rebuild. Once the case is out and in the open, turn it on end, tranny side down. 12, 12mm hex head bolts take the short side of the case off. Use a breaker bar and a 3/4" drive appropriate american socket for the FAR (under)side yoke. You might think the upper yoke needs to come off because its right at the top, but you would be wrong. Totally unneccesary. You don't need an impact driver to get the big yoke nut off, and don't worry about the indented nut , just unscrew it. Tap the yoke off. Oil will flow. Oh yea, you should have drained the oil first.Now the case will come apart. Be nice, I used an old STIHL plastic wedge from my chainsaw kit and some wood shims once I cracked the case w/ a prybar at the ONE place that lets you get it started. DO NOT put metal anything to pry the lid up at the sealing surfaces.Use wood shims evenly around the opening case so the upper bearing pulls down nice and evenly. Now the case top is off, which includes what you are after. Turn it over, tt will rest on the actuator, and put the yoke nut back on and the socket, and you will have it standing with its shifter forks plainly visible. There's your 3 circlips and 2 shift forks that have to come off to let the actuator come right out. I removed the circlips by grabbing the back of the "C" tightly with a vice grip and prying on the vice grip, the c clip came right off. Then, undo each shift fork bolt. Take a picture of the setup BEFORE you remove the internal gears/ fork combinations. It generally goes one way, but you can scare yourself if you pull it off willy nilly and just set it down, so take a pic. The internal gears slide up and off, keep the fork right where it is on the gear, handle it as a set. keep them stacked just the way they went off, and there's no confusion. Turn the part on its side, and undo the three 12 mm hex bolts holding the actuator on. Make sure you clean up where the $5 o-ring is. I do not know anything about the seals at the 2 rods, so I am anxious to know if you can really buy them or not. It is ludicrous that you couldn't, because they are not part of the plastic. That isn't what leaked on mine. Mine was the thin o-ring under the plastic cheap, warped lid with the one screw holding it in place. I cleaned the surfaces w/ a rag dipped w/ brake cleaner, and sparingly put RTV on the metal mating surface afte mounting the new o-ring. From there, reverse the order. I'm mechanicallly inclined but do not do this for a living. In between curious neighbors stopping by, and drinking wine, this entire job really took 6 hours. Without a manual. It is not a 22 hour job. It is not rocket science. I have some pertinent pictures if anyone needs them. gmyatko at g mail dot com. good luck. BY FAR, the only hard part is getting the xfer case lined up and put back in. I bought two 110 mm bolts and cut the ends off and used them for guides going in, so not to screw up the trans seal. It slides straight ahead then. You should have as much room underneath as you can possibly make. I used 4 8" plastic ramps, and I could have used another 8". That was the ONLY hard part, transferring the transfer case to a jack while under the truck. I actually made a bracket that I screwed into my existing floor jack, because the tranny adapter that I bought was much too tall with the xfer case on it to maneuver. Thats all I can think of. Put the right gear oil back in. and don't forget to put the zerk fittings back on the yokes when they are in, and pumping them back up with grease. Oh yea, be patient sliding the internal gears back on. They DO slide on, but is a very tight tolerance running and sliding fit. It goes, don't cock it, just very small movements will get it to slide on. I reused my circlips. I even forgot the top one. So what. They aren't needed. If you don't have a manual like I didn't. read up on torque specs. for the various size bolts. And invent your own torqueing pattern when putting the case back together. Your guess is as good as theirs. I used a felt tip marker to write nubers 1 thru 12 on each bolt, and tightened the pattern 1/3 of the torque and then increased it until I got to my required torque settings tha I dreamt up with as much material as I could read up on, and then pulled the final number out of my ars. And I forgot what it was now. Hah! Now that is all.
Last edited:
'03 4runner Transfer case actuator
So, I just pulled this thing out. It isn't too hard. I'll try to simplify it here, and this is going by memory; Remove the front & rear yoke grease fittings. Remove the yoke 4 nuts each, knock the driveshafts a bit so the yokes come loose, compress the yoke on the driveshaft, grease will come out the open zerk fitting holes so you can remove the yokes. Remove the transmission mount, be sure to brace the transmission. Total here is 4 long bolts, 4 very short bolts at the middle bottom to tranny mount, and 8 bolts to get the braces off. Remove the electrical plug. You need some sort of jack stand unless you are young and feel strong. But unless you are very careful, you'll damage the transmission seal pulling the xfer case off or going in. Lower the jack to the tranny and let everything relax on the front motormounts. Remove the 7 or so 12mm hex head bolts that hold the xfer case to the tranny. Carefully slide the case back and down to the floor. On and off is the hardest part. This is actually no more than 2 hours of real work so far, Everything I described is literally 8 nuts, 2 grease fittings and 16 bolts to have the xfer case on the floor. I bought a little wooden dolley from Harbor freight, perfect for the rebuild. Once the case is out and in the open, turn it on end, tranny side down. 12, 12mm hex head bolts take the short side of the case off. Use a breaker bar and a 3/4" drive appropriate american socket for the FAR (under)side yoke. You might think the upper yoke needs to come off because its right at the top, but you would be wrong. Totally unneccesary. You don't need an impact driver to get the big yoke nut off, and don't worry about the indented nut , just unscrew it. Tap the yoke off. Oil will flow. Oh yea, you should have drained the oil first.Now the case will come apart. Be nice, I used an old STIHL plastic wedge from my chainsaw kit and some wood shims once I cracked the case w/ a prybar at the ONE place that lets you get it started. DO NOT put metal anything to pry the lid up at the sealing surfaces.Use wood shims evenly around the opening case so the upper bearing pulls down nice and evenly. Now the case top is off, which includes what you are after. Turn it over, tt will rest on the actuator, and put the yoke nut back on and the socket, and you will have it standing with its shifter forks plainly visible. There's your 3 circlips and 2 shift forks that have to come off to let the actuator come right out. I removed the circlips by grabbing the back of the "C" tightly with a vice grip and prying on the vice grip, the c clip came right off. Then, undo each shift fork bolt. Take a picture of the setup BEFORE you remove the internal gears/ fork combinations. It generally goes one way, but you can scare yourself if you pull it off willy nilly and just set it down, so take a pic. The internal gears slide up and off, keep the fork right where it is on the gear, handle it as a set. keep them stacked just the way they went off, and there's no confusion. Turn the part on its side, and undo the three 12 mm hex bolts holding the actuator on. Make sure you clean up where the $5 o-ring is. I do not know anything about the seals at the 2 rods, so I am anxious to know if you can really buy them or not. It is ludicrous that you couldn't, because they are not part of the plastic. That isn't what leaked on mine. Mine was the thin o-ring under the plastic cheap, warped lid with the one screw holding it in place. I cleaned the surfaces w/ a rag dipped w/ brake cleaner, and sparingly put RTV on the metal mating surface afte mounting the new o-ring. From there, reverse the order. I'm mechanicallly inclined but do not do this for a living. In between curious neighbors stopping by, and drinking wine, this entire job really took 6 hours. Without a manual. It is not a 22 hour job. It is not rocket science. I have some pertinent pictures if anyone needs them. gmyatko at g mail dot com. good luck. BY FAR, the only hard part is getting the xfer case lined up and put back in. I bought two 110 mm bolts and cut the ends off and used them for guides going in, so not to screw up the trans seal. It slides straight ahead then. You should have as much room underneath as you can possibly make. I used 4 8" plastic ramps, and I could have used another 8". That was the ONLY hard part, transferring the transfer case to a jack while under the truck. I actually made a bracket that I screwed into my existing floor jack, because the tranny adapter that I bought was much too tall with the xfer case on it to maneuver. Thats all I can think of. Put the right gear oil back in. and don't forget to put the zerk fittings back on the yokes when they are in, and pumping them back up with grease.
So, I just pulled this thing out. It isn't too hard. I'll try to simplify it here, and this is going by memory; Remove the front & rear yoke grease fittings. Remove the yoke 4 nuts each, knock the driveshafts a bit so the yokes come loose, compress the yoke on the driveshaft, grease will come out the open zerk fitting holes so you can remove the yokes. Remove the transmission mount, be sure to brace the transmission. Total here is 4 long bolts, 4 very short bolts at the middle bottom to tranny mount, and 8 bolts to get the braces off. Remove the electrical plug. You need some sort of jack stand unless you are young and feel strong. But unless you are very careful, you'll damage the transmission seal pulling the xfer case off or going in. Lower the jack to the tranny and let everything relax on the front motormounts. Remove the 7 or so 12mm hex head bolts that hold the xfer case to the tranny. Carefully slide the case back and down to the floor. On and off is the hardest part. This is actually no more than 2 hours of real work so far, Everything I described is literally 8 nuts, 2 grease fittings and 16 bolts to have the xfer case on the floor. I bought a little wooden dolley from Harbor freight, perfect for the rebuild. Once the case is out and in the open, turn it on end, tranny side down. 12, 12mm hex head bolts take the short side of the case off. Use a breaker bar and a 3/4" drive appropriate american socket for the FAR (under)side yoke. You might think the upper yoke needs to come off because its right at the top, but you would be wrong. Totally unneccesary. You don't need an impact driver to get the big yoke nut off, and don't worry about the indented nut , just unscrew it. Tap the yoke off. Oil will flow. Oh yea, you should have drained the oil first.Now the case will come apart. Be nice, I used an old STIHL plastic wedge from my chainsaw kit and some wood shims once I cracked the case w/ a prybar at the ONE place that lets you get it started. DO NOT put metal anything to pry the lid up at the sealing surfaces.Use wood shims evenly around the opening case so the upper bearing pulls down nice and evenly. Now the case top is off, which includes what you are after. Turn it over, tt will rest on the actuator, and put the yoke nut back on and the socket, and you will have it standing with its shifter forks plainly visible. There's your 3 circlips and 2 shift forks that have to come off to let the actuator come right out. I removed the circlips by grabbing the back of the "C" tightly with a vice grip and prying on the vice grip, the c clip came right off. Then, undo each shift fork bolt. Take a picture of the setup BEFORE you remove the internal gears/ fork combinations. It generally goes one way, but you can scare yourself if you pull it off willy nilly and just set it down, so take a pic. The internal gears slide up and off, keep the fork right where it is on the gear, handle it as a set. keep them stacked just the way they went off, and there's no confusion. Turn the part on its side, and undo the three 12 mm hex bolts holding the actuator on. Make sure you clean up where the $5 o-ring is. I do not know anything about the seals at the 2 rods, so I am anxious to know if you can really buy them or not. It is ludicrous that you couldn't, because they are not part of the plastic. That isn't what leaked on mine. Mine was the thin o-ring under the plastic cheap, warped lid with the one screw holding it in place. I cleaned the surfaces w/ a rag dipped w/ brake cleaner, and sparingly put RTV on the metal mating surface afte mounting the new o-ring. From there, reverse the order. I'm mechanicallly inclined but do not do this for a living. In between curious neighbors stopping by, and drinking wine, this entire job really took 6 hours. Without a manual. It is not a 22 hour job. It is not rocket science. I have some pertinent pictures if anyone needs them. gmyatko at g mail dot com. good luck. BY FAR, the only hard part is getting the xfer case lined up and put back in. I bought two 110 mm bolts and cut the ends off and used them for guides going in, so not to screw up the trans seal. It slides straight ahead then. You should have as much room underneath as you can possibly make. I used 4 8" plastic ramps, and I could have used another 8". That was the ONLY hard part, transferring the transfer case to a jack while under the truck. I actually made a bracket that I screwed into my existing floor jack, because the tranny adapter that I bought was much too tall with the xfer case on it to maneuver. Thats all I can think of. Put the right gear oil back in. and don't forget to put the zerk fittings back on the yokes when they are in, and pumping them back up with grease.
gmyatko,
Where did you find the replacement o-ring? Is this something we can buy at a dealership parts department? I'm confused because some people say you have to buy the whole actuator, but others have said you can buy the o-ring by itself.
Also, if you installed a new o-ring, why would you also use RTV?
Where did you find the replacement o-ring? Is this something we can buy at a dealership parts department? I'm confused because some people say you have to buy the whole actuator, but others have said you can buy the o-ring by itself.
Also, if you installed a new o-ring, why would you also use RTV?
KB084RUNNER
New member
Did Toyota ever resolve this issue with later models? Will my 08 V6 eventually leak or is this an issue only for the V8 AWD?
I believe the actuator is the same on both the V6 and the V8. But that doesn't mean yours will ever leak. It may not be the best design (with the o-ring and the plastic housing), but still it doesn't seem like everybody is developing leaks.
KB084RUNNER
New member
I looked at the exploded view in my 4runner service manual and it is a job to take the tcase off and split it and pull the actuator off just to replace the o-ring gasket. But it is not rocket science either.
I also looked on line and found a place that will sell an entire new factory tcase for $2045. So I would be hard pressed to pay someone $2k to fix this when I could buy a new tcase and swap it myself. WTF?
I am guessing it would take me about 8-10 hours to do the whole job start to finish. I would also just buy a rebuild kit for the tcase and replace all of the bearings, gaskets and seals while in there. Or maybe find a local shop to rebuild it for me and just do the pull & re-install of the whole case myself.
BTW, the tcase on the V6 is the VF4AM and on the V8 is the VF4BM
I also looked on line and found a place that will sell an entire new factory tcase for $2045. So I would be hard pressed to pay someone $2k to fix this when I could buy a new tcase and swap it myself. WTF?
I am guessing it would take me about 8-10 hours to do the whole job start to finish. I would also just buy a rebuild kit for the tcase and replace all of the bearings, gaskets and seals while in there. Or maybe find a local shop to rebuild it for me and just do the pull & re-install of the whole case myself.
BTW, the tcase on the V6 is the VF4AM and on the V8 is the VF4BM
