4wd noise

Yesterday I selected 4WD for the first time. I was moving forward at about 10 MPH. 4WD flashed on the dash and then a very loud clunk sounded and the 4WD stopped flashing. Is this normal?

 

Yes, congratulations you have just engaged 4x4! Just a tip, under the presumption that you are new to part time 4x4 vehicles you should be aware that you should not turn tightly while moving forward or backward on any surface that isn’t slippery with 4x4 engaged. If the tires aren’t able to slip on the surface, you’ll have the potential to bind the drivetrain and break stuff! Essentially if you’re not slipping, don’t use 4x4. Someone else on the forum already has broken an axle on their new truck doing this, and I don’t think it’s covered under warranty due to improper use.

 

also its best to either select 4WD and wait before moving or slowly move forward until it engages or it will make a loud clunk which , I would think is not great for gears meshing.

 

Thanks for the replies and reminder. I do wish Tundra had the option of AWD but I am glad I will have 4WD for our slippery winter roads here in northern Minnesota

 

i've always heard it's fine to switch from 2WD to 4H at any speed under ~60mph. Did it all the time on my Tacoma without any issue.

 

I'll echo everything said so far... I broke a hub on an old Explorer by turning too sharply on pavement with the 4-wheel engaged. In my past two Tacomas I considered gravel to be the most grippy surface I'd engage 4WD on... even on that you could feel the binding in a sharp turn but the tires could slip when they needed to. Never broke anything in a Tacoma. I always try to engage/disengage 4H while moving on level terrain and a neutral throttle since it gives the transfer case a chance to find a good mesh point and hopefully be unloaded. I don't like the clunks

Wintry roads can be tricky if they're not completely snow/ice-covered. The dry spots are too grippy, but you want the 4WD for the slippery spots. It ends up being a judgment call I guess, and IMO AWD is better for those situations and for snow/ice in general (contentious I know).

I may or may not have engaged 4WD at 75mph once in a Tacoma... was driving down an interstate and a snowy patch snuck up on me so I wanted the extra stability. It did fine, but I haven't made a habit of it.

 

Don't worry about engaging when going down a straight road when it's slick out. Toyota has a nanny that won't let it engage 4Hi if you're going too fast. I'll click mine in/out several times while driving over a snowy mountain pass. It's tight turning you need to watch out on pavement with 4hi locked in.