4x4 problems

My 4 wheel drive went out in a really bad rain storm. Truck was not in 4x4, but the 4 wheel drive lights started blinking while driving. I think it all just shorted out. The actuator looks pretty rough, all cracked and rusted. When I stopped to try and get it to stop or shift into 4 wheel drive it wouldn't. The front drive shaft is free turning, so I replaced the transfer case actuator. The lights seem to be behaving a little more normal, but no engagement of 4 wheel drive. Front drive shaft is still free turning. Any suggestions?

 

No clicking? Check fuses?

 

What lights and beeps do you see when you press the buttons?

Did you check the 20A "4WD" fuse in the dash?

 

No I will check that. I assumed if lights were flashing on switch then fusing should be ok?

 

Could be.

Could also be that the circuitry in the dash isn't working right.

But these little things are just stuff to check to rule out the obvious before deep-diving.

 

Fuse is ok. I don't hear any clicking nosies. The dash light blinks and the button light blinks when button is pushed. When i un push the button the lights go off but then a few seconds later starts blinking again even with the button in the disengage position.

 

No beeps at all?

And you're moving when pressing the button, right? I literally just experienced these same systems while in D and at full stop at a stop light yesterday. Flashing, nothing happened. No beeps. But if I press at 55mph+ I get flashing and beeps.

 

On my truck, the 4wd does not work, and the same thing happens. Press the button, light blinks, front driveshaft still spins freely.

However, you can see the voltage gauge dip for a few seconds while the computer sends current to the actuators, and once the computer gives up trying to engage 4wd, that is when the light starts flashing. The voltage dip indicates that current is being applied to the actuators, which is putting load on the alternator.

Can you see that the voltage dips for a second or two when pressing the button? Does the light start flashing immediately? This might help determine if the wires going to the actuators are properly transferring the current that is being sent to the actuators.

 

No beeps, but I don't remember there ever being any beeps. Should there be Beeps?

 

How should i check for voltage drop? Iwas thinking of removing new actuator, leave it pluged in but out of TC and try buttons then. See it its engaging. I'm wondering if its wiring thing?

 

Beeps happen when there's a problem preventing 4WD from engaging, in certain conditions.

There's more info on this in the Owner's Manual. I don't remember it all OTOMH

 

You only get beeps when trying to go into 4lo without being in Neutral.

 

Watching the voltage gauge as you press the 4wd button should provide a very basic assessment. If the voltage drops right as you press the button, that will show that current is being sent to the actuator and the alternator is under load.

As for removing the actuator and trying it, make certain that you can do so without damaging it. I can't think of a way that it would, and I've seen people do that with the front actuator, but I can't guarantee that it would be fine if you tried. I haven't personally done it before, and I'd hate to recommend something that would do damage.

 

This is just some of the content in the Owner's Manual about the beeping, and what it correlates to. I understand, it's not hip to RTFM, but there's diagnostic info embedded in the flashes and beeps of the buttons, and it's an important tidbit of diag info from the system. It'll bark at you if you try to use 4WD at too-high speed, and in other cases where mode hasn't changed within a set period. Absence of a buzzer is a clue; if no buzzing, maybe the problem is the 4WD ECU is bad.

 

I always post this when the 4WD topic comes up. In this case you can follow the video to check the electrics, since you've already changed the actuator.