2016 4 runner 4wd light

Good morning, It has been a few years since I had to engage my 4wd. We are getting snow and went to engage the 4 wd. The light initially blinked yellow and then stayed a steady yellow the entire time. Is my 4wd engaged ? for some reason i thought the light was supposed to be yellow... and feel like i am losing my mind. Thanks in advance

 

The 4Hi yellow light is flashing, yes? Basically it indicates that 4Hi is "on" but not engaged. Being in 'park' is not a problem. You need to drive it a little bit, if the knob is still in 4Hi then after some movement the transfer case will shift into 4Hi and the light will go steady; if you are in 2Hi then after some movement the light will turn off. If the light doesn't turn off after doing this, try backing up 100 feet or so, that should work to get things synced.

There needs to be some movement to get the T-case to engage. Generally 4Hi is switched into while you are driving forward, in D / 4/ 3/ 2/ 1 so that's usually a non issue.


Edit: You need to engage your 4wd every 2 - 3 months and drive in 4Hi for a few miles. Waiting years to activate it can cause issues (Gears seizing up, etc..).

 

Just to clarify it is flashed for a short time and then stayed steady. It was not flashing while driving but was yellow

 

Shouldn't it be Green in 4WD hi?

 

Since OP has a Limited, wouldn’t he just be turning on the center locker since 4WD is technically permanently on?

That’s probably what he’s seeing, I bet the center lock light is orange.

(Fun fact, the 4Hi-simulating AWD Lock light changed from orange to green during the 3rd-gen Sorento’s run. Not really relevant but reminded me of that.)

Edit: I’d guess OP doesn’t need to “exercise” 4WD as much as us part-time 4WD folks but just making sure the locker actuator is toggled periodically is probably the way at the minimum.