Red88Runner

I need a little help diagnosing what's wrong with the front end on my 88 4Runner, V6, 5 spd. I had a suspicion that my front wheels weren't working in 4wd, so I put the truck on jackstands and checked it out. The shaft is turning from the transfer case to the front differential, and the right CV shaft is turning, but the right wheel is not turning. Nothing moving on the left side. I've got the automatic hubs, which are probably part of the problem, but why no movement on the left side? Is there trouble in my front differential? Any insight would be appreciated.

Weasy2k

4wd HI isnt really FOUR wheel drive....its 2wd...

Just like if you only have a 2wd 4runner and you put it in the air one side would turn depending on the resistence in the diff.
You still have an open differential so only 1 front and 1 rear tire would really be moving on the side with the least amount of effort.

You can TRY this but be careful....go into 1st and 4wd see which 2 wheels are spinning and put a force on the tire...i ently put my foot on there and slowly push harder...with that you will put a load on that side and the other wheel may start to spin....
You can also hit the gas pedal as this will cause enough force to move 2-4 tire...if you had a locked diff and one tire was spinning then yea i can see the problem!

INFINITY

if your cv shaft from the front diff is moving then i would look into your hubs. open them up and see if the cv shaft to wheel hub splines are stripped. i have had this happen before. try the previous posts recommendation and go from there. i switched the truck over to manual hubs and it fixed the problem i had before because the splines were smooth as glass.

Red88Runner

Thanks for the input. I didn't think about the load/no load effect. Pretty stupid of me. I knew the differentials work like limited slip diffs, but I thought they would at least all turn if I just got them all off the ground.

gilby4runner

i know this really isnt good for your front end but take it to an open parking lot and engage the 4wd. make tight turns and see if it starts grabbing. This will let you know if your 4wd is engaging. Dont go fast 5mph is enough.

TC4RNR

try this quick test, you don't need any tools for that: put in 4WD hi, put in first gear, drive straight back and forth(15 feet each way, very slowly) few times. shut it down. go under the truck try your hardest to turn your front axles by hand. if you can NOT turn any of them, that means the diff engaged the axle. that means the problem is between the axle(CV) shaft and hub. if axle can be turned, that means the problem is between diff and axle.

Red88Runner

Thanks for all the troubleshooting tips. I'll try them and see what I can figure out.

DAS_GTI

Yeah... those Toyota auto hubs are garbage. That's most likely where your problem lies. I would recommend switching to Warn manuals (or Aisins if you can afford them).

If you have Toyota Automatic Hubs (NOT Automatic Drive Disconnect, you can see if you have hubs because they will protrude more than the ADD, which is much shallower in the wheel), you can pick up the Warns from various sources (Amazon.com, gowarn.com, etc.) for about $130 for the pair.

If you have the Auto hubs, you will need the spindle nut conversion kit, which Warn sells for $60, but you can get from Downey (http://downeyoff-road.com/) for $20. The kit covers both sides. Just call them up, as they don't have online ordering. Order their catalog ($5)... worth every penny!

While you're in there you might as well replace the bearings and seals (inner and outer).

Good luck!

typical8o8

i bet that the side with the cv axle spinning is the one with the broken hub. the axle is likely locked on the other axle and with open diff, the other side spins. there was no ADD in 1988 so they must be auto-hubs. either way, do a manual hub swap. you can get the kit from wabfab. follow these instructions: http://www.4x4wire.com/toyota/tech/autohub/

apalmer1

Ill second the auto hubs being garbage. The ADD is garbage too though. I got hit by a bit trucka while ago, finaly got everything fixed, adn then my add sensor shorted out in a parking lot. they are such garbage that dealerships actually stock them all the time lol. unfortunately i didnt know how to switch the sensor so i had a place do it, and they put in the wrong add sensor and speed sensor so now its even more fed up.