highmilesrunner

in switching from my 97 SR5 4x4 to my new 2000 limited, the 4wd engagment is a little different. before, i just stopped and pushed the lever into 4high and a little green light came on and i was good to go. to disengage, i pushed back into 2wd and after a second, it came out.

so now, with the push button, i need to ask if all i do is push the button and i'm good to go? it seems that when i do that, the little outline on my instrument panel blinks (evidently showing its going into 4wd), and i can tell the front wheels are pulling. is getting disengaged as easy? b/c the last time i did that, i had to put in reverse to get it back into 2wd. is this normal??


thanks,
chris

spaber05

It's a little tedious sometimes, I find my quickest engagement/disengagement comes at around 10 mph. You shouldn't have to put it in reverse, rather just keep moving forward, maybe even shift into neutral and be patient. Thats about it. Good luck.

highmilesrunner

i'm glad to hear that its common. i am just unfamiliar with this system as i've only had the 2000 about a week. thanks much spaber

Speedy

Blipping the throttle when going in and out of 4WD with the push button system helps A LOT as well.

edzo

on a limited

1)
full time 4wd.
push button is full time 4wd you can do in all conditions and leave it there if you want. in fact this model 4runner is a full-time 4wd with 2wd capability if you want to think that way. leave it in 4wd forever, it won't hurt a thing and it will make for a better handling 4runner

lights will blink until the computer is certain it is engaged. it will not engage until you ease up on it somehow. for instance if you are accelerating and hit the button it may keep blinking until you let off gas and coast a bit, then lock

unlocking and going to 2wd is the same deal. hit button, may need to vary the speed somewhat before it disengages

2)
part time 4wd.
pull the lever. this is part time 4wd. part time means you only want this mode part of the time when you are on actual loose surfaces, as it is a true old-school 4wd mode and if you turn corners on dry pavement it will bind and wear your tires down. only for dirt roads. I find in snow that I prefer full time 4wd, and on dirt and rocks I prefer part time 4wd.

3)
4wd low.
shift to neutral, then shift this. you might need to turn engine off as on some systems the gears are still spinning, but normally all you need to do is stop, neutral, shift to 4lo, and then go

getting out of it is the same, but you still may need to stop engine if your gears are spinning. you'll def hear a grind if they are. mine does this and I don't know if it is normal or something needs adjustment but it doesn't bug me
I just turn off the motor, shift, and go on

4)
locker.
while in 4 lo and going under 5mph, push the button. this may take a bit to engage as well, as it tries to find sync. then clang, it is engaged. if you are stuck and trying to get the locker engaged just slowly shift from forward to reverse and nudge the gas a wee tiny bit, it will eventually lock up. this one is fussy as it really needs to find the proper mesh but it will lock. new ones or if it has never been used it may take a while. they loosen up over time and get better at engaging sooner

highmilesrunner

very good info edzo. much appreciated!

mkgarrison5

hey also a good habit is to put it in reverse and back up 10-15ft after you take it out of 4x4. i know it may not be necassary but i have always been told its good practice to help make sure everything is not binding. (due to lack of terms)

dirtoyboy

No, that is not normal. You should not ever have to turn off your truck to engage/disengage 4wd

spaber05

yeah I would have to agree, if you have to turn it off there's got to be something wrong there

edzo

it is only when switching from 4lo back to 4hi

you have to be stopped and in neutral to begin with

but mine, something is still spinning. it is fine going from 4hi to low,
but not when I am done crawling and need to go back to hi

oh well...I have lived with it. every other mode is great

TFJ-4runner

To go from awd I had to put it in park then put the lever in 4-low...97 Limited