4wd Light

mattman6

New Member
Joined
Jun 28, 2010
Location
Aiken,SC
I just purchased a 1984 Toyota Pickup and I am pretty new to driving a 4wd vehicle. When I first got the truck the 4wd light was not coming on, but the truck was going into 4wd. Now the light has come on and is not going off. Now I am almost 100% positive the truck is out of 4wd, but me being paranoid I feel that it is not. Is there a quick and easy way to make sure the truck is disengaging from 4wd. I have driven the car on the road and gotten it up to around 50-60 and it doesnt really feel like it's in 4wd, but like I said I am paranoid and want to make sure I don't mess anything up. I have heard turning it will make loud creaking noises, but I am not sure if that means going lock right or left with the wheel or just turning to back out of a parking place. Any help is appreciated!!
 
You are definitely out of 4wd if you've moved the shifter back to 2wd. There is NO electronic 4wd on that truck. Did you take the hubs out?
 
I have been leaving the hubs locked cause i dont drive it too much on the road. Most other 4wd vehicles that I have been around have always been kinda difficult to take in and out of 4wd and this thing just goes in no problem at all. I guess my real concern is the fact that the 4wd drive light is staying on at all times. But like I said i think it is out, i just waz wondering if there was a quickway to do a test to see if it is in fact disengaged or not.
 
unlock the hubs and the front driveshaft should turn freely by hand when in 2wd. The sensor that activates the light runs off a detent in the shifter rail. It is possible that the sensor is gummed up and stuck in the engaged position. You can pull that sensor out and clean it up and it might start working right again. But like rattlecan said, when you move the shifter, you are moving shift collars in the tcase. Not much that can fail on the shifting part.
 
Welcome to Toyota, the hubs will go in and out easily as will the 4wd. No need to run around with the hubs in. Mine will have a different feel/vibration if I drive with the hubs in at highway speeds. The 4wd switch will be the only thing with wires coming from it on the transfer case. Like Sgt says, the switch is probably just stuck.
 
Do check that it is disengaging the front shaft, I have repaired a few after a "professional" had replaced a clutch or had the shift levers out for some reason, and they didn't reinstall the T-case shifter properly, leaving the case in 4wd. It happens

have also repaired a few hubs as well that were not removed/installed properly.
 
I got it figured out, it was just me freaking out. The light seems to just be stuck and when I get around to taking the truck apart i'll look. I bought the truck to fix up, but when my DD has to go to the shop the truck will have to do as a back up.
 
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