4 High on the Fly

Was traveling uphill on a muddy trail the other day and switched it into 4 High as I was going along. I noticed that the 4wd indicator light continued to blink as I was traveling uphill under power. As soon as I let my foot off the gas, the 4wd indicator light stopped blinking and turned solid.

Do you have to let your foot off the gas to get 4 High to engage? If so, what's the reasoning behind that?

 

Sometimes if you haven’t exercised it enough it needs a little per swaying.

 

Remember how fast you were going? 55mph is the limit for 4H engagement, though I'm not sure what might cause it below that. In the tacoma if you didn't use 4wd often the solenoid for the 4H would not engage after a while and just blink at you, but I'm not sure how the T4R transfer case works in this yet...still learning.

 

I was probably going 20mph or so. Definitely under 55.

Maybe I just need to flex it a bit more often.

 

Completely normal. It's almost like built in protection for the drivetrain so it doesn't slam into 4x4 while under a load. Usually just lifting the throttle will allow it to slip in.

 

55 sounds high to me. I seem to remember it being 43. Been a while since I read that though.

I don't ever switch to 4 hi above about 35 or so.

 

^This. And it varies. Sometimes it slips right in even under load. Sometimes it doesn’t. Several variables at play. I make a habit of just letting up on the gas a bit when I turn the knob. You don’t have to. It’s not gonna break itself. But I find that if I do let up, it immediately engages instead of experiencing what you experienced.

 

Thanks gents!

That makes sense.

 

55 and 43 are both wrong. My visor says below 50.

 

Wanted to revive this post to ask about disengaging 4h while under power. We have a 2021 sr5 4wd and I've noticed when we are switching out of 4h to 2h we get an audible clunk only under power though. I'm assuming it's the transfer case. Just weird how it does it while disengaging 4wd vs engaging 4wd. Thoughts?

 

Do you let off the gas when you go back to 2h?

 

This! Just let off a little to make the shift easier.

 

I try to remember to let off the gas completely but more often than not im maintaining a constant speed when i shift back to 2h.

 

Roger that, do you think it would be something to be concerned about that I havent been? I try and ease off the gas alittle when shifting in or out of 4h or 2h but alot of the time im just maintaining speed. We have been getting alot of cold weather and ice lately so that highways go from clear to covered to icy alot right now.

 

Everyone is correct, sometimes you have to unload a little by getting off the throttle. It varies.

Just make sure you aren’t spinning the wheels when you try to engage. That would be ungood.

 

Ok good to know, i never try and engage when wheels are spinning I realize that could cause some major issues potentially. Do you think there is cause for concern otherwise by shifting while under power both in and out? very wet behind the ears still with Toyotas coming from a gm for years which was essentially turn the dial whenever and never had an issue.

 

The truck will let you know. If you select 4H and it doesn’t seem to be engaging, just relax the throttle. It sometimes takes a little bit. It’s not always instantaneous.

Just try to ensure your going straight, not around a corner.

And follow the instruction card in the drivers visor regarding 4L.

In time it will become second nature.

My Tacoma had the lever but my SR5 has the dial and IMHO, it doesn’t engage as quickly as the lever. But both types have the electronic ADD for the front diff.

Enjoy

 

Thanks for taking the time to chat with me. We are really excited about outfitting the sr5 for family adventures and really wanna learn the most i can about the platform.

Sometimes like you said the engagement takes a little bit and you need to get off or give a little for it to engage. Never had an issue with any abnormal noise when engaging under power and really only abnormal noise ive had while engaging 4h is at very low speeds or stopped. As for disengaging it has always disengaged fairly quickly from 4h to 2h, it sure seems that these 4 runners in general are alot more acoustic and pronounced with everything compared to past vehicles.

 

Drive to Neutral back to Drive will also get it engaged.

 

Gears are under load making it hard to shift as mentioned.

An analogy/test that may be helpful for some.

Go to a closed door in your house and lean against it firmly in the direction it would normally open. Try to turn the door knob to open. Stiffer? Doesn't move at all? Lean in harder and try again. Stop leaning and try again.

Same concept.

Jason

 

That is a good analogy thank you. Do you think by shifting it under a load it does actual damage or just reduces the longevity with the increased wear and tear?

 

Manual does say 55. I don't have the balls to do it unless I'm in Neutral not moving!

 

I do it all the time. Just take your foot off the gas for a second, turn the knob, let it do it’s thing.

 

I don't have a knob.....I have a Trail Premium, so it has the TRD manual shift lever. Not sure if that also works at 55.

 

It does into high range.

 

Pretty sure it’ll slide right in. I haven’t had a manual 4wd tx case on a 4runner. But did have a Tacoma and I’d shift in and out at highway speed all the time. I actually prefer manual because you can feel exactly when to give it the final push. Lightly lean into the lever and you can feel when to jam it in to engage.