at1992

Hi,

I have a 1997 Limited Toyota 4Runner.
3.4 V6. I have the Push Button 4WD.

2 month ago my 4WD stopped working during a hard trail.
Here is the symptom:

When I push the 4WD button the Light come ON normally! But the front wheel doesn't spin. The front T-case shaft is free in 2WD and once I push 4WD the front shaft is Locked! but no 4WD.

I did test the VSV seems like I read about 30 to 40ohm on the multimeters which seems fine for me based on FSM.

And also quick fact: 4 days ago I jacked the front end up! Switch to 4WD the front wheel is locked! I spin one side of the front tires and both spin in reverse way! and today I jacked the front again Push 4WD, both tires is not spinning anymore! and this is coming back and forth! sometime is does sometime not! BUT the front is always locked in 4wd and free in 2Wd

What can I do? am I looking at the wrong place? Where should I start?

Thank you

A.

uncleblues

Begin at the beginning, as the Buddha says.
I have manual Aisin hubs. To engage 4 wheel, I turn the hubs from free to lock to engage them. I then move a lever to engage the transfer case to the front drive shaft to either 4 high or 4 low. Your truck has replaced this with an automatic system because marketing decided that they could sell a lot more units if customers didn't have to get out in the cold and wet to get into 4 wheel(end of old guy rant). When you push the 4wd button, it sends a signal to a relay. (You really should read up on how a relay works if you don't know. I suggest Daniel Stern Lighting. 4crawler's site also has a good write up.) The relay activates a solenoid, which is basically a big magnet with a shaft on it. The shaft engages the hubs and transfer case(without looking or knowing I'm guessing that there's one each for the hubs and one for the t-case). So the problem you have is either electrical or mechanical. I have no idea what kind of mileage your rig has, or weather it has received proper and timely maintainence over the years. Or what you consider to be 'hard trails'.
(I can picture you and your buds hootin' and hollerin' up a hill, the cooler slamming around in the back).Things do wear out over the years (see 'entropy'). Experience (gained at considerable cost to myself over many years) tells me something's broken internally. I think you probably knew that but you were hoping for a quick fix that wouldn't cost an arm and a leg. If nothing is obviously broken or bent you won't know that until you or someone you know starts tearing things apart.

Follow The Way, grasshopper.