FJ Cruiser Transfer Case Swap

2005 Tacoma TRD-OR DCSB AUTO

Hi I’m a new member, I want to share my latest fix. I couldn’t find a lot of info on doing the FJ Cruiser t-case swap on an auto without cutting, welding, or altering the factory shifter.



After cutting the floor, you need to take a little off the shifter box for your stick to clear in the 4H position.



There is a little guess work involved, but it was easier than I thought it would be. After quite a bit of research, I finally got the t case and tackled it in just over 9 hrs. By my self, with beer breaks.

I don’t have pics, but I sealed the floor with with a shifter seal from a Chevy square body 4 spd and bonded it to the floor with automotive seam sealer. It’s been almost two months and it is doing its job. I’m contemplating doing some fiberglass work on the center console and installing a proper boot to blend it all together. I got another project ahead of me, but I will follow up with some pics of the final product!

 

baller. Shot caller. Nice work.

 

There is a huge thread on here about this somewhere on here. Going to be one of my mods. Looks like you did a real nice job. Welcome to TW.

 

Hindsight, I would have done the twin sticks in the cup holders, but I needed to get it out of 4wd. Long story short it got stuck in 4H and after racking my brains for awhile, finally brought it to the dealer. They claimed it was the actuator (1200 dollar dealer item only) on the t-case, quoted me 10 hrs of of labor (splitting the case). So I found an actuator on eBay for 700, and installed it in about 15 minutes by separating the motor from the shifter shaft. So I told the dealer to go screw and I went along with the manual case swap!

 

Please-oh-please do a write-up on this with as many details as possible because the FSM and parts diagrams leads one to conclude that he Tcase has to be split to remove the actuator because of two clips on the actuator's shift rod inside the case. And many have shied away from attempting doing anything from the outside due to problems with getting it "reclocked".

 

Nice work. and I am glad you didn't skip out on a very important step - beer breaks.

 

You do not need to split the case to to change the actuator, you just leave the old shift rod in.
You have to take the little triangle cover off the actuator, and you will see a round gear. Pull out the gear and you can slide the actuator off of the shift rod.

 

Here you can see the little triangle plate you to remove. The gear just kinda rides on the triangle plate.

 

Thanks, but I read all kinds of horror stories about not being able to get that round gear back in the identical spot. I have not attempted one so don't know.

 

You’re talking about timing the actuator.
Just make sure the actuator is in the same position as the transfer case (2H or 4H). Now for that little gear, you really can’t put that wrong, it will only fit in one spot and will only go in one way

 

On my pickup the actuator was not the problem. I believe it was either a bad wire or something internal in the case not allowing it to shift.

 

I'm going to print this and put in my Tcase file.

 

Well done OP! I'm looking to do this to my 4.0 auto taco. Do you have any more details on how to do it? Does the fj case bolt right up and all you need to do is cut a hole for the J shifter? Any detail is much appreciated. I hate my electronic shifter!!!

 

Cover hole with doggo dish


TBH, BEST MOD EVARRRRRRRRR

 

Now this is even more confusing than trying to figure out Why you would put in A manual transfer case but then still have to put in an actuator.... Obviously there's something I'm missing...

No matter how you look at it I've never been wrong when I say all of these new vehicles with electronic everything are nothing but garbage! And somehow they want us to change over to all electric vehicles.. This way there's nothing manual about them whatsoever and supposedly nothing can ever go wrong with them. Yeah right, I don't believe it at all.

 

I think you are missing something, because I removed all the 4x4 electronics from my rig with this mod.


I have no actuator?

ADD and 4x4 ECU deleted.

 

How did you accomplish this? I am doing a sas kit and an fj case with a taco box and want to get rid of all that too. I can seem to find this info. Everyone talks about rst but that dude is non existent anymore

 

Just buy an FJ front diff tube with shaft and transfercase. Done. Countless people have completed that on here, myself included.

 

https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/how-to-deleting-add-system.427258/