4Lo not engaging, sometimes 4hi

When I reassembled mine I bent those three tangs down a little to make them have better contact with the traces, and everything got slathered in dielectric silicon grease.
If you took the actual motor winding out of it's housing, one of the actuator motors has a small single ball bearing on the end of it. I think it was the TC actuator, but maybe both do?
Just an easy item to lose if you don't know it's in there, and if I remember the video, a pain in the ass to get back in right.

 

Thanks...there were 2 ball bearings, 1 on either end of the motor winding. One was held in place with grease, the other fell out, so I just added some grease to hold it in place when I slid it back in...seemed to go back in just fine and spin ok. The springs were slightly more challenging.

Any idea about the transfer case making whirring noises and slight vibration when nothing else is going on?

 

I thought about that for a second, trying to figure out exactly what you were referring to. Only thing I could think of is if the actuator is trying to complete a cycle, it can't, so it's reversing... then rinse repeat?
The noise is emanating from the actuator right? If it's coming from inside the TC I have no clue.

 

I checked both actuators very closely, they seemed dead quiet, the transfer case itself was whirring and vibrating slightly.

 

I have a 2000, so there might be something I am missing/that's different on your 05. But with the truck stationary the only thing that should be trying to move are the actuators.
someone else should be able to help you, I must be missing something.

 

Salvage yard guy told me there is a motor inside the transfer case....he has a transfer case for 200$ off an 2006 tundra....

 

I'm certainly no expert, but I'll bet a week's pay there is no motor inside.

 

Ya I agree. The whirring I heard with just electric turned on is coming from the transmission fluid tank thing....not the transfer case. Guessing that is normal. Thanks for the schematic, looking over the parts catalog schematics is how I figured out what was what.

 

Some people will tell you anything with confidence just to sell a part.

 

I replaced the transfer case actuator w/ a supposedly OEM I ordered from RockAuto made by Lares. There are some slight differences... There are 3 positions in which the gear inside with the electrical contacts fits, 2 of them, all the way clockwise or all the way counterclockwise, make the 4LO light blink without pressing anything, just turning the truck on. The third position, in between the other two, I had no blinking lights. But when I try to put it in 4HI it won't go in and the 4HI light blinks, stops when I turn 4HI off.

Any ideas?

 

https://www.tundras.com/threads/1st-gen-4wd-issues-diagnosis-prevention-guide.149189/#post-3729752

First post, 4th video

 

I watched that video multiple times before replacing the actuator...it isn't helpful at this stage.

 

waaaaaiiiit, I thought that's what the front/rear differential were for??

edit: oh do they only let the wheels spin while in 2wd?

 

In 4WD on the 1st gen Tundra, with factory differentials, all four wheels are trying to spin at the same rate.

If you're on a slippery surface, that's great, one wheel will slip naturally so they're spinning at the same speed.
If you're on hard surfaces where the wheel will grip, something's gotta give, and you can't tell the truck whether that's your axle, a gear, a joint, a shaft, a wheel, or what.

Best advice: If you're not in slippery environments OR not driving in a fairly straight line (since wheels on opposite sides of the spin at different RPM while turning), don't engage 4HI/4LO.

Sequoia is a different beast, it can handle all-time 4WD (Torsen up front)

Probably the absolute worst thing you can do is drive slowly, on warm concrete or asphalt, at slow speeds, with any 4WD mode engaged. You'll get a few POP POP POP warnings as things bind up, but you probably aren't going to get many before something breaks.

 

@shifty` Is this manual "out in the wild" free to find? (I did try to find it here with search)
Uh, I have been allegedly known to use clandestine means to acquire things in the past. Apparently I acquired it over 3 years ago and I don't remember from where. 77+mb
Not sure why I've kept it considering I have a 2000, I guess some things are the same or relevant...
Saw some interesting things under "Transfer System" that I had not seen before.

 

It’s interesting that if your speed sensor goes bad, you lose 4wd capability.

 

I wonder if 4x4ECM checks speed, and keeps you from going 4HI when over a certain speed, and 4LO if you're moving at all.
EDIT: If your speedometer is working I wonder if that's good enough indication the speed sensor is working?
Like is the Vehicle Speed Sensor responsible for giving data for the actual speedometer reading.

 

Most likely for the over speed condition.

 

I've never tried starting my truck "In Gear" and I don't think I've ever tried it in Neutral either, I guess it would be easy enough to test that system and rule it out.
I'm still locked out of 4LO, that's the reason I just keep soaking up info on this topic

 

There are links to download for the VVTi and Non-VVTi trucks in the community megathread, 4th or 5th line, “Service Manuals” hyperlink.

 

According to the diagram drawn on the TC actuator on the 4wd help thread, all the way clockwise (?) is 2 hi, but the only position that made my truck happy was the middle position, and here the truck reports 2hi, no flashing lights, and I have confirmed by spinning the front driveshaft by hand freely, also it is easy to tell when driving if you are 2 or 4wd...so something must be off with the rod and sprocket going into the TC, I tried to move it with my hands and it wouldn't budge.

Should I try getting the front wheels off the ground, spinning them, and working with the TC actuator gear alignment...?

If that isn't the problem I suspect the front diff actuator is bad, I can't get the cap off with it attached as one screw already started stripping, so my only other option is to take the whole thing off and then I might be able to get the cap off with the vice grips, if corroded I'll just replace. No idea how to change diff fluid with this process either.