1. Welcome to Tundras.com!

    You are currently viewing as a guest! To get full-access, you need to register for a FREE account.

    As a registered member, you’ll be able to:
    • Participate in all Tundra discussion topics
    • Transfer over your build thread from a different forum to this one
    • Communicate privately with other Tundra owners from around the world
    • Post your own photos in our Members Gallery
    • Access all special features of the site

4 x 4 flashing; switch does nothing; but i can jumper it??

Discussion in '2nd Gen Tundras (2007-2013)' started by faronf, Oct 3, 2019.

  1. Oct 3, 2019 at 1:03 PM
    #1
    faronf

    faronf [OP] New Member

    Joined:
    Sep 14, 2019
    Member:
    #36107
    Messages:
    6
    Gender:
    Male
    Good afternoon all, my name is Faron, i have owned my 2011 Tundra for 5 years now and I am having a similar issue to others whereby the 4x4 light flashes and the 4x4 switch will not engage the front diff.
    Background:
    Initially, the problem started and it was temperamental, sometimes working and other times not... Eventually it just stopped working all together. The 4x4 light flashed as well as the VSC light would come on; cruise control also stopped working. I did some research on Youtube and in other forums and checked for problems in the hi/lo actuator on the transfer case, everything there seemed to test out fine. I removed the front diff actuator and found the vacuum line (vent line) was broken off at the housing and upon further inspection it was apparent it had been invaded by moisture as the armature inside was rusty and not moving freely. I rebuilt the actuator tested and reinstalled it and I still was unable to have any success. Having mounted the truck on stands, I engaged the drive line and jumped the 6-7 pin on the transfer case actuator with +/- current to see if the front diff would engage and voila! the front diff engaged (actuator working!) I then reversed the current flow to reset the drive line back to 2 wheel drive. After the front diff actuator repair, doing a battery reset to clear memory and codes had the effect of removing the VSC transaction control dash light, also upon road testing, I now have my cruise control operational. Sadly I am still not able to get the 4x4 light to stop blinking and moving the switch either way has no affect at all. I took it to a Toyota dealer but the service center there was just an oil change and light service bay. The gentlemen there put his level 3 code reader on it and reset some error codes. The codes did not come up again, but again, no resolve to my problem. Given we have already had 1 large snowfall this year, i'd better get it resolved, does anyone have any ideas? I am short on budget and feel like it could be a astronomical service bill if I take it in to another Toyota dealer. Given that I've had some success repairing that front diff actuator, I wonder if there is something simpler that I am missing here? Any help would be appreciated.
     
  2. Oct 3, 2019 at 2:34 PM
    #2
    avt007

    avt007 New Member

    Joined:
    Dec 2, 2018
    Member:
    #22497
    Messages:
    80
    Gender:
    Male
    First Name:
    Rob
    Vehicle:
    2010 Silver Tundra Double Cab
    Put a meter on the actuator connector and see if it's getting voltage. If not, start chasing wires back to the switch. Check fuses too. Be aware that the voltage may be present when the actuator is unplugged, because there's no load on the circuit. If you can, measure the voltage with it plugged in.
     
    faronf[OP] likes this.
  3. Oct 3, 2019 at 2:35 PM
    #3
    Kerch71

    Kerch71 Surgical Precision

    Joined:
    Apr 5, 2018
    Member:
    #14195
    Messages:
    1,712
    Gender:
    Male
    First Name:
    Matt
    Mechanicsville VA
    Vehicle:
    2015 CM SC TRD Pro/ICON/Total Chaos Build
    CM TRD Pro glass panels, Icon 2.5, TC long travel UCA/LCA, Toyota supercharger, Airlift rear suspension, Warn winch, custom front and rear bumper, Coachbuilder roof rack, lengthened chassis 12", 37" Nitto Grapplers, custom graphics, Magnaflow Flowmaster 4" SS Exhaust
    Try switching the brake stroke sensor. It can cause the light to come on and persist, at least that's what my mechanic friend has seen on Tundras, including mine.
     
  4. Oct 3, 2019 at 2:57 PM
    #4
    faronf

    faronf [OP] New Member

    Joined:
    Sep 14, 2019
    Member:
    #36107
    Messages:
    6
    Gender:
    Male
    As a side note, I forgot to mention that when I turn on the am radio I can here a power frequency distortion through the radio...kind of a series of shorts beeps and then a long one (then it repeats) I'm wondering if there is a grounding issue somewhere? I'll see if I can get a measure on that voltage, seems to me I did try measuring voltage on the connector with the ignition on and got nothing...but i have been away at work so haven't crawled under the truck in 3 weeks now.
     
  5. Oct 3, 2019 at 7:08 PM
    #5
    faronf

    faronf [OP] New Member

    Joined:
    Sep 14, 2019
    Member:
    #36107
    Messages:
    6
    Gender:
    Male
    Kerch71, curious, did your indicator just flash or was the 4x4 also not engaging?
     
  6. Oct 3, 2019 at 7:53 PM
    #6
    Tundy White

    Tundy White New Member

    Joined:
    Aug 18, 2019
    Member:
    #34816
    Messages:
    18
    Gender:
    Male
    First Name:
    Jesse
    Ontario, Canada
    Vehicle:
    13 DCOR
    Levelled and Debadged
    Sorry just for clarification.... You turn the 4x4 switch and nothing happens? No sounds, no engagement, nothing?
     
  7. Oct 3, 2019 at 9:57 PM
    #7
    avt007

    avt007 New Member

    Joined:
    Dec 2, 2018
    Member:
    #22497
    Messages:
    80
    Gender:
    Male
    First Name:
    Rob
    Vehicle:
    2010 Silver Tundra Double Cab
  8. Oct 4, 2019 at 12:09 AM
    #8
    ZappBrannigan

    ZappBrannigan The mind is willing but the flesh is weak

    Joined:
    Dec 31, 2018
    Member:
    #23724
    Messages:
    2,124
    Gender:
    Male
    Canada, by way of Hawaii
    Vehicle:
    2018 1794 MGM
    NVS light bar
    That was a very nice video.
     
  9. Oct 4, 2019 at 7:45 AM
    #9
    faronf

    faronf [OP] New Member

    Joined:
    Sep 14, 2019
    Member:
    #36107
    Messages:
    6
    Gender:
    Male
  10. Oct 4, 2019 at 8:27 AM
    #10
    faronf

    faronf [OP] New Member

    Joined:
    Sep 14, 2019
    Member:
    #36107
    Messages:
    6
    Gender:
    Male
    Good video. That fact that I'm able to jumper it into 4x4 by applying power to the transfer case electric motor shift actuator, tells me there is no power getting to it when the 4x4 dial is turned or during ignition. It would seem the mechanics of the system are working properly after i had repaired the ADD actuator though. Damn I wish I had a lift or a pit to work under, tracing those line could be a real pain in the ass. I wonder if it could be the switch itself?
     
  11. Oct 4, 2019 at 8:47 AM
    #11
    avt007

    avt007 New Member

    Joined:
    Dec 2, 2018
    Member:
    #22497
    Messages:
    80
    Gender:
    Male
    First Name:
    Rob
    Vehicle:
    2010 Silver Tundra Double Cab
    The switch has two diodes in it. So in 2wd, only the black wire is grounded. In 4HI, both wires are grounded. In 4LO, only the yellow wire is grounded. A bad ground, bad switch contact or bad diode could screw that up. If that isn't it, it could be an ECU problem. Check the 3 fuses in the diagram. Picture1.jpg Picture4.jpg Picture5.jpg
     
    ZappBrannigan likes this.
  12. Oct 4, 2019 at 8:50 AM
    #12
    avt007

    avt007 New Member

    Joined:
    Dec 2, 2018
    Member:
    #22497
    Messages:
    80
    Gender:
    Male
    First Name:
    Rob
    Vehicle:
    2010 Silver Tundra Double Cab
    Here's the whole wiring diagram for your truck.
     

    Attached Files:

    ZappBrannigan likes this.
  13. Oct 4, 2019 at 9:18 AM
    #13
    faronf

    faronf [OP] New Member

    Joined:
    Sep 14, 2019
    Member:
    #36107
    Messages:
    6
    Gender:
    Male
    Thanks avt077, I've got some homework to do by the looks of it!
     
  14. Oct 18, 2019 at 2:34 PM
    #14
    Haltercraft

    Haltercraft New Member

    Joined:
    Jul 27, 2019
    Member:
    #33761
    Messages:
    14
    Gender:
    Male
    Any luck with this problem? I've got the 4Hi flash and no ADD engagement...was thinking of pulling it to have a look. Did you have any problem with clearance while removing the ADD? Looks like there's only an inch or so of space to pull it out.
     
  15. Jan 2, 2023 at 6:17 PM
    #15
    azcoues

    azcoues New Member

    Joined:
    Oct 15, 2020
    Member:
    #53592
    Messages:
    3
    Gender:
    Male
    Vehicle:
    2007 Tundra 5.7 crewmax 4x4
    Hey, I know is thread is 3 plus years old ,but I've got the same issue. Did you ever get it figured out? Thx
     

Products Discussed in

To Top