Should I replace 4Hi to 4Lo actuator

Probably not an easy yes/no answer, but this is the situation. The 2013 has been fairly reliable, but started giving me challenges when switching between 4Hi and 4Lo last year. We purchased some land on a mountain and will be moving there, 12 hours away from our current location, sometime in the next month.

So, last week it got stuck in 4Lo again. I tried a lot of the tricks, none seemed to work, so I made an appointment for next week to have the actuator replaced. Luckily, I have a very trustworthy mechanic who told me to keep trying it in Neutral and guess what - it came out.

So, would you put the big money in for this repair for a vehicle of this age or just stop using 4Lo? The total miles are around 170,000 and only just a little bit of rust starting. I hear that the engines are bullet proof and I did put in the $500 to replace the transmission shift sensor last summer. But this actuator replacement I have heard could run around $3k.

 

Depends on your situation. If you never use 4Lo then why bother. I have the same situation with the wife’s Sequoia because she never exercised it.

I do most of my off road in 2wd or sometimes 4H. There are many on this forum who need 4L, front & rear lockers, MTS and crawl control to off road.

 

So your vehicle is probably worth 15,000 on the low end, so a $3,000 repair isn't really crazy, especially when you consider that a new one will cost you close to 50k. If there's nothing else wrong with the vehicle, I would probably just make the repair unless you're looking for an excuse to get rid of it.

Also, I'd shop around, you may be able to get that done cheaper.

But, not using 4L is also an option. I really never use it on mine, though I do prefer that it work haha.

One question though. You mentioned your mechanic told you to keep trying it in neutral. Are you not shifting from four high to four low with it in neutral? That is the proper procedure. If you're not in neutral when you try to shift, that could be your issue right there.

 

When it didn't initially come out of Lo while in neutral, I did try to get it to come out while in park - so hoping that did not mess things up. But at that point I figured it was probably already messed up enough to need repairs.

I never got the manual with this when I got it second hand, so it sounds like I should double check all the different recommendations on ways to use it. Recently discovered what the benefit of A Trac was for using YouTube.

But sounds like this forum is the best place to learn all the features and what it is capable of. I did see a YouTube video from a mechanic who works mostly on Toyota and Lexus vehicles who said that they have rebuilt/replaced motors on many other Toyotas and Lexus, but only once in a 4Runner and that was a case of poor maintenance. Sounds like the engines for this generation are very reliable despite many of them soundling like a box of rocks even when brand new.

 

That's the struggle - if I stayed up here in Massachusetts I would probably never put it in 4Lo. But we purchased land on a mountain in VA where the soil is mostly clay and turns to grease when it gets wet. That 4Lo option might be more successful at getting me out of rough spots. There is a very wet spot on our entrance road (we have built a log bridge over it since) that was about one to two feet deep in mud with some good size rocks in it. 4Lo did help crawl over those when we lost momentum (and a few teeth fillings) when we discovered them under the mud.

 

Sounds like you answered your own question. If you have the transfer case with the electrical actuator like SR5’s, my understanding is that they have to remove and disassemble the transfer case to replace the actuator, hence the high labor costs.

 

They all have to be stopped and in neutral. I’m guessing it is because it’s an auto…maybe the little bit of thrust in D is enough to not let gears slide together, so it’s locked out. I’ve never tried to force my manual transfer into lo in drive. However, I can be in neutral and be moving 3-5mph-ish and get to slide in, if Im quick about it.

Did you shift your tacoma transfer into 4lo with the clutch in?

 

You really need the owner manual and other documents for your model year.
You can go to Toyota.com and download them for reference:
https://www.toyota.com/owners/resources/warranty-owners-manuals.4runner.2013

 

Yes. It's in the manual. Vehicle must be stopped with transmission in neutral before shifting in or out of 4Low. That's with the lever or knob, and I believe the Limited is the same as well.

I imagine in your Taco you had the clutch in when shifting? That's essentially putting it in neutral. I'm surprised it worked when you were moving though.