4 Wheel High Not Engaging

[Happy Sandwich]

Just had a replacement engine and new cutch installed in my 2000 tacoma. The reason for the replacement engine is lives in Afton Canyon. Everything seems to work but the 4 wheel High does not seem to engage, it seem to engage 4 wheel low, I check the 20 amp fuse and it looks okay. Even if 4 wheel low is engage there is no indicator light and the rear rocker don't engage either. So why would 4 wheel low act like its engage and not 4 wheel drive high?

[Desert Dan]

Your have a manual Transfer Case correct?

Does it go into low range?
If so 4x4 should be working.

When in doubt jack up the front and rear of the truck to see if teh front wheels are being driving when in 4x4. You can also see if the locker is working.

Be careful when doing this and don't get under the truck or have some one observe.

It might just be an electrical connector on the 4x4 indicator light?

[AzTacoma]

For what it's worth...

I had a new clutch installed at a crappy chain called Lee Myles Transmissions. I went 4-wheeling a few days afterward and noticed my 4x4 wasn't working. Come to find out they either didn't connect an electrical wire properly or didn't connect it at all and the solenoid wasn't engaging. My indicator light wasn't coming on either because of this. That was just ONE of the issues I had with that place. Could be a similar issue for you.

By the way, I have a 2000 Tacoma also.

[MrS]

...The reason for the replacement engine is lives in Afton Canyon.

Me and a few others have posted a notice about that engine killer in AftonCanyon. Money saving recourse right here at 4XTrips.

BTW my WAG is AZTaco is spot-on about what is wrong.

Bring your truck over to Long Beach and we’ll look at it and maybe fix it. GREAT opportunity to really learn about how our needlessly complicated Taco 4X works. I have a factory 01 manual, and can print the complete wiring for the 4X on your truck.

PM me we can set something for after work or something soon.

[David A. Wright]

It sounds like you're well on the way to a fix. However, I have a couple of questions for my own edification.

I have a '02 Tacoma, which has the option of electric 4WD activation, operated by a button in the side of the transfer case shift knob. The transfer case lever shifts between H-N-L only, 4WD is activated via the button. Not my personal preference, but it works well and is handy on those stretches of highway when you get ice, snow, clear and dry alternating as you can shift in and out of 4WD at speeds up to 45 mph.

A buddy of mine has a '00 Tacoma and has the standard Toyota J-gate transfer case lever.

Now, on the standard transfer case - non-electric activated 4WD - what part does the electrics play? Even on my truck, I would think that operating the transfer case lever is actually engaging gears in the T-case. I mean, Toyota doesn't go through the effort to imitate gear grind when you shift at too high a speed from 4H to 4L, do they? Even on my electronic T-case, I can hear and feel gear grind in the lever if I shift too fast between ranges.

Now, I'd think electronics would play a part in activating/deactivating the front end, doing whatever they do now days that good old fashioned Warn hubs used to do to disengage/engage the front wheels to the axle.

I haven't a clue on the Tacoma if the front drivetrain is spinning (half shafts, differential gears, front driveshaft) when in 2WD. On my old '70 Ford F-250 you could see the entire drive train up front and a quick open the door, drop my head down for a peek underneath while driving down the street at a slow speed (I wasn't fat in those days ... ) told me in an instant if the hubs were engaged or disengated depending on if the front driveshaft was turning and the T-case lever was in 2WD. Not so with the Tacoma TRD - everything up front is completely invisible due to being completely armored and tightly packaged.

So other than rear locker lock out at speeds over 15mph and disabling the locker in 4H and 2WD, what part does electrics play in 4WD activation on the 1995-2004 Tacomas?

[Happy Sandwich]

Don’t know why but the 4 wheel drive engages now started working for my son-law, figures. Anyway we couldn’t get the lockers to work and though we have to disassemble the lockers and clean out the water damage. While checking the electrical lines I found the pug assembly to the locker thorn a part, most likely happen when they replaced my engine.

Couple of weeks back at Afton Canyon my truck failed the Mojave River float test and I had to replace the engine. Ron White is right “You Can’t Fix Stupid”, 30 years of off road pride gone in 30 seconds.