Issues disengaging 4H?

Having some 4H trouble in my '22 limited 4x4 (Not TRD). The truck goes into 4h fine and engages properly. However when turning (not full lock, but even a moderate turn) I hear significant clunking from the front end and it's almost like the vehicle brakes itself. I feel significant resistance when turning. This happens on pavement gravel and dirt.

Also, when I come to a stop and try to take the vehicle out of 4h to 2H, the 4H light continues to flash and the drive doesn't disengage. Sometimes it wont stop even if i drive it several hundred meters. Sometimes turning the truck on and off again solves this and sometimes it doesnt.

I'm assuming I am doing something wrong, could anyone advise? Are these issues in 4H normal?

 

Are you on pavement?

 

It happens to me on pavement, gravel or dirt road. I realize some turning on pavement can result in some "scrubbing" but this issue is far more pronounced than that, and happens on multiple terrains.

I have read that people are able to drive around town in 4H and as long as they dont turn full lock, dont experience any issues. If i was to turn into a typical parking lot going 15 miles an hour, the whole front end would stutter, shake, clunk and I would be brought to an almost complete halt. There's no way this is normal right?

 

So the 4X4 only usable when driving in a straight line? And I am also still unsure as to why I am having issues disengaging from 4h to 2h, even at a complete stop.

 

Okay got it, so really 4x4 is just usable in true loss of traction situations, that makes sense.

The manual only states (that I've found) to reduce speed to less than 62mph when going from 4H->2H, I didnt realize I still actually needed to be motion but this makes sense. Thank you for the clarification!

 

no, but you are using a part time system when conditions are not slippery enough to do so. So basically there is too much grip to use the 4x4 system as part time systems are all based on slippage.

it should only be used in snow, ice, mud, etc. just driving on dry pavement or gravel will not allow the enough slippage for the system to not bind up.

if your in snow or slippery conditions that warrant 4wd, then you can turn and not just go in a straight line

 

Got it, thank you for this clarification! I am coming from a full time 4X4 land cruiser so this is new to me.

 

yep, big difference in full time and part time systems. basically if you feel it binding, back off immediately , straighten out and take it out of 4wd, there should be no binding feeling, if there is, the parts are under way too much load and you can damage things.

 

Pics of the cruiser please.

 

Got it thank you. I knew something felt wrong and did immediately back off when I felt this, sounds like this is user error not truck error!

 

Have pics on my home PC ill find them this evening. It was a 1998 with 33's, 2.5" lift and a SLEE front bumper. Miss it already but it was time to upgrade!

 

The manual also states to drive in 4H once a month for 10 miles to keep things lubed....So how do you all recommend that?! No tight turning on pavement?!

 

Exactly. Engage while traveling straight or better yet find a dirt road.

 

I put mine in 4HI while driving less than 50 on a long straight road. If no one around, I’ll stop and put it in 4LO and drive a bit. Do this monthly.

 

Today I was driving on ice roads, put my tundra in 4WD and everything was great. When I switched back to 2wd It took forever for the 4wd indicator light to stop flashing on the dash, about 500-700 meters When it was flashing and I had to turn on pavement it felt like it had already disengaged. Is this the case? Every newer Toyota I own gets progressively worse at engaging and disengage 4wd!

 

Switch to or from 4HI on the go, wait for 3 blinks, back off foot from the pedal, so the moment vector would change and allow for engagement/disengagement.

When I changed transfer fluid to Ravenol MTF-3 it suddenly started working silk smooth. With Toyota oil I had pronounced problems disengaging it in winter temps.

 

exercise it more often

 

ya, me too with this, with all the Toyotas I have had (except the manual level ones in my tacos), I would switch then take foot off gas and it goes much smoother and easier.

 

The truck is hardly 1.5 months old lol

 

exactly , new = tight , ha!

 

Car care nut says to activate 4 x 4 once a month but my take was to put in in, and quickly take it out of 4x.

10 miles a month seems a tad much? My frontier I used 4x a few times in the winter. Nothing “stuck” or ceased. I never excersised on a regular basis.

now I don’t know the absolute inner workings of everything, but the transfer case, all the stuff is always spinning?/ or not?

my take away was to excersise the actuator monthly was the main thing, not so much actually driving,for 10 miles.

again, I’m no where near qualified to give a proper answer. Just rambling

 

I don’t use 4x often but when we get a blizzard I need to get to work. Also have aging parents with health concerns and if I need to get them to the hospital, 4x is nice to have.

 

I was stuck in 2wd this weekend while hunting. I was parked on shore of a lake (gets drawn down 10’ in the winter) used 4h to get out and engaged easy. Disengaging took a little bit longer. I’ve learned from experience the truck likes to be level and steering straight to disengage easier.

 

Varying the pedal and steering input always seems to make it go extremely fast both in and out of 4hi.

 

I got the TRD Offroad package for the stickers!

But actually, I wanted the all the cameras! They are the best feature on the truck.

We are just waiting for snow now.

 

I had ram 1500 with Auto 4WD before, so I would just enable the auto mode, and it would take care of the rest when I drove skiing to Tahoe.

Now I'm a little bit worried, as some parts of the pavement are all dry/salty with perfect traction but some parts are icy and very slippery.

So how would I know when to shift into and out of the 4wd? Seems like a fun exercise...

 

Put a couple of sand bags in the bed in October, remove in April, drive in 2WD.

 

Weight didn't quite always helped. I always had a camper shell and stuff in the bed, and truck will frequently spin the wheels, so I had to use auto 4wd

 

You actively manage it as the road conditions require. That's how part time 4x4 works.

 

I guess that could have come off as snarky, and that's not how I meant it. Just stating that the part time requires you to be more attentive and engaged in what the vehicle is doing. It's like a manual transmission vs an auto. One you have to have an active role in, the other does it on it's own.

For your case, if you put true winter tires on and put a couple hundred pounds of sand at the back of the bed, you may be shocked how often you don't need 4x4.