4wd Light Blinking

I have a 2006 Toyota Tacoma TRD Off Road 4x4 with the v6 and 115,000 miles on it. The truck is stock and hasn't had any mods done to it. I bought the truck new and have only put it into 4wd 3 or 4 times over the years. It hasn't been put into 4wd for well over a year. Well I was getting ready to sell the truck over the weekend to a family member and was having issues. I tried searching the forum but hadn't had any luck.

When turning the switch from h2 to h4 the 4wd indicator light on the dash only flashes and never turns solid. I am thinking that I may have some dirty contacts that have seized up somewhere not allowing the truck to fully engage in 4wd being that I rarely use it. Any thoughts would be appreciated.

 

This is why Toyota tells you to drive it in 4wd 10 miles a month.
You don't use it you lose it.

Have you tried moving the truck while the light is blinking? Sometimes you need to move a few feet forward before it engages.

 

Hahaha, yep I should have listened to that part when buying the truck.

I have tried switching the knob with the transmission in neutral and driving a hundred yards or so and then driving in reverse about the same distance. Tried switching the knob to h4 while going approx. 5-10 mph and doing the same forward/reverse motion. I also tried turning the wheels while driving with no luck. I think I have turned the switch 50 times in the last couple days trying to get it to engage.

 

You're trying to engage 4wd in reverse...
No idea about that one, but no way in hell would I try it.


Sounds like either user error or actuator issues. If you were closer I'd take a look at it, but alas your not.

 

What he said.

 

You only drive forward in 4x4? Lol

 

No I don't engage 4wd in reverse. Once I turned the switch to 4h I drove the truck forward a bit and then back up a bit trying to get the light to stop blinking.

 

Are you talking about a 4x4 actuator motor assembly?

 

Pretty much. I also don't just try things to see what happens either.

Heck I still go into reverse after disengaging 4x4. Do I need to no. Will I still do it...yes.

I use that line of talk at work all day long so I know what your saying there.

Yes. It's a common problem with trucks that sit.

 

Thanks for the help. I'll start by changing out the actuator.

 

This should help you...http://www.tacomaworld.com/forum/2n...w-trouble-shoot-4x4-actuator.html#post6447309

 

I had this happen to me this AM. Context - I do not use 4wd nearly as much as I should and we had freezing rain, cold conditions.

Light was blinking after attempting to go from 2H to 4H from being parked. Light blinked entire time to destination. It did not stop even after turning dial from 4H to 2H.

Once I arrived, I did some troubleshooting.

It did not stop even after turning dial from 4H to 2H, whether stopped or moving.

Blinking did not stop by turning off the vehicle, then restarting while in 2H. I was curious if that would cause a computer reassessment of the drivetrain but had no effect.

From park, I then switched to 4L and put the truck in L. Success! Once 4L engaged, I was able to move back in and out of the H drives with zero issues.

In my case, it appears I had to simply "exercise" the system by going to 4L. I'll definitely be using 4wd more often to ensure the actuator isn't going bad as linked above.

 

I had this happen with my 08 after not using it for a few months and getting stuck in a snow storm. I went to replace the CV axles I realized that the front diff was crazy low on oil. New axles and the front diff refilled and the 4x4 works great now. I had checked the actuator connections and everything else before and none of that had fixed it.

 

Check your fluid level ,and try again.

 

While the truck is off, turn the switch to 4h or 4l then turn the truck on.

 

Had the same issue, I did some digging and found out if you don’t engage 4wd on the regular, the transfer case actuator gets stuck. When that doesn’t work the front dif actuator won’t work. So I gave it a couple of love taps and it kicked right into 4wd. Try that before you start ripping parts off like I did.

 

same problem, did you accidently hit the rear differential lock button. My did this until i realized that I had activated the diff. lock.