New 23 ORP 4x4 stick being finicky

Hey all,

Practicing the 4x4 for the first time on a long straight road, going in and out of 4hi was doing fine. Went into and out of 4lo the first time fine but the second time gave me issues.

Stopped, netural, 4hi into 4lo and now I was stuck. Going into drive or reverse and the engine just reved like I'm still in neutral. Try to pull it out of 4lo "while in neutral" and it would grind. Try to push it further up thinking maybe I didn't get it all the way there and it would grind. With no other option, I shifted to park. The stick made a couple grinding sounds, a click and then allowed me to pull it back out of 4lo.

After this I exercised it a couple more times including the locker without issue except that 4hi was making me place it in neutral to go back to 2wd. After my short drive home I tried 4hi again and it let me go in and out without neutral.

So..... I'm figuring it's probably just because this thing is brand new but I wanted to check in first. A quick search didn't turn up what I had experienced. Thanks!

 

Dash light flashing or solid when felt like it was in neutral.

You don't need to put it in N to go to 4HI. Only LO

 

Ya know, I honestly didn't look at the dash light during the main issue. I had read the manual and knew that N wasn't needed for 4HI, but it was making me use N to get out of it after the 4lo issue. Outside of that 4HI was doing everything fine and it worked fine without N after the drive home.

 

You were probably still in neutral and look at what the lights are telling you.

 

I was still in neutral even though I shifted into drive and reverse and could rev the engine? I mean yeah I believe it was somehow stuck in neutral but even then, it wouldn't let me out of 4LO. Like I physically couldn't get it out, just grinding.

To sum it up. The engine would only rev no matter where I shifted the trans to and the 4x4 was stuck in 4LO.

Yeah I should have looked at what was probably a blinking red light but I was a sitting duck in the middle of the road that couldn't move.

 

Neutral in the transfer case completely disconnects the front and rear axles from the transmission. Not even park will hold the vehicle.

You have to man handle it like I mention in the other thread. Make sure you are in high first before trying for low.

 

Gotcha, I appreciate it. So just to confirm, in a situation like that. I need to just go ham and rip it back out of 4lo? I'm completely fine with that I just want to be sure. I'll be more forceful with the push in the future as well when moving up into 4lo.

 

I mean you're not trying to go through the dash but you also can't treat it like a butterfly.

 

10-4 I hear ya. I don't think I'll need 4lo or locker much in my life "4hi I will" but I wanted to exercise everything monthly. Thanks

 

I never did like the OR shifter. Always had to play with it to go into 4WD. Takes some getting used to.

I prefer the dial in my Tundra fool proof.

 

Yeah, my 21 Tundra was a gem and easy to exercise the 4x4. I traded a month ago for a 2023 Tundra that I ended up hating and my 21 had been sold. I'm liking the old school 4Runner, feels like a smaller version of my Tundra. Just gotta get used to a couple things.

 

Pretend it's a pump shotgun and slam that bitch hard. And fast . Don't pussy foot or fuck around. Commit to the motion and follow through. It's the only way to get no grind.

Also I think you had the transfer case in neutral when you were "revving the engine" with no response.

 

Thanks! So I understand, having the transfer case in neutral would mean that I didn't have either 4x4 option fully engaged? Just trying to discern the difference between transfer case neutral and transmission neutral.

 

In my experience, going from H4 to L4 shouldn't take much more force than a civic or simliar would take to get into reverse. Surely there's a good yt video on this

edit: L4!

 

I hear ya. Been driving stick my whole life but it's sounding like this needs a bit more man handling. Just want to make sure I get it right next time so this doesn't happen again. Although, it could just be a one off occurance I dunno.

 

can u try this -
- left lever in D
- going 20mph in H2, shift the right lever to H4
- come to gradual stop
- place left lever in N
- shift the right lever straight into L4 as if N didn't exist (like you would go from 2nd to 3rd in a honda, as if neutral wasnt inbetween)

 

Like at an angle as if there was no gate? Edit, nvm I understand now just had to think about it more. Yep I'll try that.

 

transfer case will bind more often on asphalt than in dirt though it’s happened on dirt for me on occasion. letting the truck roll freely helps if it’s really binding when trying to engage 4L.

 

Baseball joke used twice.

I also forgot to mention the shifter will move back left on its own when pulling out of low range past neutral.

https://youtu.be/hRIroj-UwH0?si=Ha84S8Ya4QixpIpy

 

It’s a feel thing, in time it will become easy.

 

The transfercase in simple terms is a two speed transmission (high gear and low gear) attached to the back of your 5 speed transmission. Having the transfercase in neutral disconnects the engine from the axles just as having the transmission in neutral does.

If you have the transmission is in gear and you aren't moving then the transfercase is in neutral. It sounds like you did not get 4lo engage and were stuck in neutral on the tcase.

 

Thanks all! I appreciate the info a bunch.

 

It's not the force needed so much as it's the continuity of motion once resistance is felt or the first inkling of grinding begins.

 

Correct, nothing would be engaged.

 

Yep. I was just putting an upper boundary for OP when he goes full ham on it.

 

I hate the gear grinding sounds. I love manual transmissions and lever operated t/f cases.
My limited experiences with slush boxes in front of t/f cases has always been that they can/do grind a bit.
And as MeefZah said, a more fluid motion from 4H to 4L is the key to gittin' it in gear.

I had a '14 Tacoma w/6 speed and dial t/c, and absolutely hated that combo. Stupidest engineering ever.
First gear, low range was too fast for rock crawling and in 2H, 4th 5th and 6th seemed like all overdrive gearing.

Rant off