Boneheaded move today. Is it screwed

So I read that it’s recommended to drive 10mi a month in 4wd.
I tried it today and drove like 2 miles then slowed down and made a right turn.
It started to get stiff but got through with a lil jerk/noise.
I then tried to reverse while the wheel is turned and it got stuck before jerking and making another noise.
This is when I just stopped and googled and realized I wasn’t suppose to do that.
So after reading I stopped, put the truck on neutral then disengaged 4hi.
The blinker for 4hi kept blinking forever and I assume that it was just stuck so I turned off the truck. After turning it on the 4hi indicator was gone and I tried to drive but it binded again and made a loud sound before jerking again.
So I repeat the process, put in neutral rengage 4hi then disengaged and finally the 4hi stops blinking.

I have turned on 4hi and drove it straight just to test and turn it off while in neutral. It seems to be fine.. at least I think? I can’t tell if 4wd is actually on as I don’t want to drive on pavement with it on anymore.

should I get it checked out at the shop? Did I break my differentials?

 

You don't have to go into neutral to use 4hi. It's meant to shift into and out of 4hi while in motion.

It's fine to drive on pavement in 4hi, but you need to not make sharp turns. Read your owner's manual and it will explain it.

 

That’s one way to make sure everything is lubricated in the system haha.


Everything is likely okay but don’t do that again!


Just find a straight spot of highway and switch on/off 4hi every month.

 

Thank you il remember that. And I was looking for it but I guess the previous owner lost it as I couldn’t find it anywhere.

 

Thank you, that eased my mind a bit lol.

 

Should be available online, from the dealership, or in the Toyota app if your vehicle is new enough.

 

Oh didn’t think of that, il look it up online. I just got this 2015 TRD pro like a couple days ago lol

 

Hell yeah, brother!

 

2 things I require when buying a used vehicle are an owners manual and a spare set of keys/fobs.

 

You can find your manuals here.

https://www.toyota.com/owners/warranty-owners-manuals/

Just uncheck the box; you don't need to create an account.

 

Also it's good to wait and do this on rainy days if you are going to do it on paved roads.

 

I use rainy days as an excuse to run it in 4WD occasionally . Typically on long straight sections where binding won't be an issue. Wish we had a center diff on our trucks. My old 4Runner had one and it was nice not having to worry about varying road conditions.