push button 4 wheel drive (READ TO BOTTOM)

[hickengineering]

Hey guys, i have a question about my 2000 4 runner limited. This one has the push button part time 4 wheel drive and you can manually lock in 4H and 4L. My question is has anyone had issues with the button feature. Mine has been acting very odd by when i push it the who vehicle goes into a neutral even when the Tanny is in gear, or park. You can shift the transfer case in any position and it will not change, the consol light just blinks. The only way for the drive train to get back in a gear is to shut off the engine and restart.
Any suggestions or is this typical with this vehicle.
Cheston

[Lee]

do you roll forward or back when trying to get it to engage or are you stationary?

try moving.

sometimes id have to give it a little speed and "slam" on the brakes to get it to engage.

that was very occasional though.

[PRA4WX]

Just bought mine, and the previous owner went through replacing the actuator and a couple sensors to get it to operate correctly. That said, my rear diff lock is currently inop....arrrggh!

[bamachem]

that's odd.

typically, when you push the button, all it's supposed to do is just actuate the fork on the front diff to engage the driveshaft to the CV outputs. i didn't think that it did anything in the XF case, but maybe it does.

i thought that there were only changes in the XF case when you moved the stick.

[hickengineering]

It for sure must has something to do with the transfer case as everything goes to neutral and it does not matter what you have the tranny in. Typically this is while going pretty slow and just before i hit ice in a parking lot or on a street i will push it. 9 out of 10 times it has been working but once it acts up there is nothing i have found to fix it except turning off the ignition and restarting the car. I am assuming this is not a commom or typical problem?
Thanks for responces.

[toytech76]

There seem to be alot of problems with the push button 4wd models. I just repaired a 02 limited with push button 4wd and center diff lock. The person driving ended up snapping whats called the intermediate shaft #1 in the front diff. The dealer told them they blew the tcase and charged them a bunch of money for diag and such. they are now going after the dealer for their money back. We also have another 01 limited in the shop that wont disengage out of 4wd. They guy working on it is still trying to figure it out so I will keep you posted. So far I have heard of alot of people having problems with this system so...you arnt alone

[bamachem]

I've thought about this some more and here's how I think things are happening.

When you are in 2WD, the center diff in the XF case is locked and the front diff actuator is disengaged. When you push the button for AWD, the front diff actuates and engages the front axles to the driveline and at the same time, the center diff unlocks to give you AWD.

In your case of going to "neutral", the center diff is unlocking, but the front diff actuator is not engaging. That way, all torque is transfered to the front driveshaft which is connected to nothing, giving a feeling of being in neutral.

For being stuck in AWD, you would have the front diff actuator stuck in the engaged position.

[hickengineering]

I've thought about this some more and here's how I think things are happening.

When you are in 2WD, the center diff in the XF case is locked and the front diff actuator is disengaged. When you push the button for AWD, the front diff actuates and engages the front axles to the driveline and at the same time, the center diff unlocks to give you AWD.

In your case of going to "neutral", the center diff is unlocking, but the front diff actuator is not engaging. That way, all torque is transfered to the front driveshaft which is connected to nothing, giving a feeling of being in neutral.

For being stuck in AWD, you would have the front diff actuator stuck in the engaged position.


Sorry for not knowing much about this vehicle, i build jeeps and cummins trucks but when it comes to this Yota stuff i am lost pretty quick. So how many accuaters beside the one on the front diff do i need look into? Now that i think about it when i use the push button sometimes it takes a while for the indicator light to stop flashing. It has been taking it a while for it to stop flashing when i turn it on also. I imagine that could be an issue with an accuator when the loop is not closing.


There seem to be alot of problems with the push button 4wd models. I just repaired a 02 limited with push button 4wd and center diff lock. The person driving ended up snapping whats called the intermediate shaft #1 in the front diff. The dealer told them they blew the tcase and charged them a bunch of money for diag and such. they are now going after the dealer for their money back. We also have another 01 limited in the shop that wont disengage out of 4wd. They guy working on it is still trying to figure it out so I will keep you posted. So far I have heard of alot of people having problems with this system so...you arnt alone


Yea i would like to hear what you find out. Do you think it is still ok if the vehicle is going into 4H with no issues to contiue with that and just not use the button right now?
Thanks for the replies
CH

[MTL_4runner]

I've thought about this some more and here's how I think things are happening.

When you are in 2WD, the center diff in the XF case is locked and the front diff actuator is disengaged. When you push the button for AWD, the front diff actuates and engages the front axles to the driveline and at the same time, the center diff unlocks to give you AWD.

In your case of going to "neutral", the center diff is unlocking, but the front diff actuator is not engaging. That way, all torque is transfered to the front driveshaft which is connected to nothing, giving a feeling of being in neutral.

For being stuck in AWD, you would have the front diff actuator stuck in the engaged position.


What Andy is saying would make the most sense because most of the 4WD issues that I have seen related to actuators malfunctioning are with the front diff getting tempermental about wanting to be engaged. If you can get someone to look under the vehicle (obviously look from a distance, not litterally under the truck while it's running) while you are in that "neutral" state and see if the front driveshaft is spinning.

[toytech76]

Sometimes they do take a few seconds to fully engage. I know on the one I repaired, if you sat there at a standstill, sometimes it wouldnt stop flashing till I was in motion even tho it did engage. Do you have the center diff lock button as well? If not it really sounds like you are having a tcase actuator problem. They are the weak link in the system. You might want to see what you can get a used tcase for

[YotaFun]

Sometimes they do take a few seconds to fully engage. I know on the one I repaired, if you sat there at a standstill, sometimes it wouldnt stop flashing till I was in motion even tho it did engage. Do you have the center diff lock button as well? If not it really sounds like you are having a tcase actuator problem. They are the weak link in the system. You might want to see what you can get a used tcase for

He has the manual center locking Diff where he pulls on the stick to lock it, 4HL.
Could this be a vaccum line issue?
I remember reading in the past on TOF with people having trouble with there 4WD not engagin and it ended up being some sort of vaccum leak of some sort.
Just a thought.

[toytech76]

I dont believe those use vacuum lines to engage anything. Its all actuators.

[PRA4WX]

I dont believe those use vacuum lines to engage anything. Its all actuators.


Yup.

[hickengineering]

Well thanks for everyone that responded to that, thanks to the GF i have a new rock crawler given she totaled the 4runner last weekend :shake:. So on to the next thread "Swaping a solid axle in a 1999 4 runner" :banana:
Pics to be posted soon.

[YotaFun]

Ouch!
What happen dude?
Sorry to hear about it.

[bamachem]

well, i guess you don't have to worry about that push-button any more...


ooops, you do. if you're going to SAC it, then you'll have fun w/ the AWD XF case. :D

[hickengineering]

Actually don't say anything to the insurance company but sounds like the tansfer case would not go in gear when she was on ice and she ended up putting it into the snow bank on the side of the road.

So now it looks like i can just pay the deductable have the begining of my next rig. So this is a rather stupid question but how decent is that electric locker that is installed on the limiteds rear end. My assumptoin is this will have to go in place of a drop in locker.

[toytech76]

the factory elockers work great! Get one if you dont have one

[PRA4WX]

Mine doesn't! Seriously though, i'm a big fan and would say use it if you can.