r2r

The diff lock on my 97 4runner will not engage. The light keeps on blinking.
I do hear the solenoid energizing but it definitively will not lock. If you have any ideas of what it could be, please let me know.

Thanks a bunch!!!

Mad Chemist

How long/far did you drive to get it to engage, sometimes driving in figure eights helps to get things to mesh properly.

r2r

David, thanks for the speedy response. I never had to drive far before to get it locked. Usualy after a few feet the lock indication light will stays lit, and the lock will be angaged. But I will take your advice and try to do some figure eights next time to see if it helps. It's got to be mechenical, because the servo motor doas make that switching noise. What do you think?

3.4Runner

If you can hear the solenoid motor your diff lock is probably working just fine. There is a locking sleeve that needs to line up in order for the diff to lock. The best way is to make some S-turns after pushing the diff lock switch. Depending what the existing alignment looks like, it may lock up faster than other times. If you see a removed 3rd member you can easily understand why you need to have the locking sleeve lined up in order to engage the locker. Another good thing to do is to jack up one of the rear tires and play with the diff lock switch while rotating that tire--you'll quickly see that the locker only engages when the tire is rotated to certain positions.

Same thing with unlocking--you might need to make a few slight turns or play with the accelerator to unload tension on the locking sleeve for it to disengage.