4 Low actuator not engaging on 08 4Runner V6 4WD

Ok, considering an 08 4Runner Limited V6 4WD. The problem it has is that it will not engage 4Lo. Bring it to a full stop, put the transmission into Neutral and turn to 4Lo. The light blinks but it never engages. I tried a few times but nothing. If you put it into gear it'll give the warning beeps while 4Low light continues to blink. Went for another drive and tried again, still can't get it into 4Lo.

I've read that some get it to work eventually. Wondering how likely this is resolvable for little to no cost or if this is going to be very expensive. Any thoughts or insight?

 

This may sound stupid... but it worked for me. Over time, if 4LO isn't used, the fluid can make the actuator stick... Put it in neutral, put on your parking brake and smack the actuator with a rubber mallet. Once it was in 4LO, I went in reverse, then drive, then reverse, then drive, then neutral and switched to 4HI and back to 4LO and it engaged.

 

Just fixed mine yesterday after months of trying. You just gotta beat the piss out of the black actuator with a mallet.

 

Earlier this summer, I bought an '08 with a tad over 62k miles on it. I'm not sure if any of those miles were off-road! And I also highly doubt 4lo was ever used as well! As you can imagine, my truck did NOT want to go into 4lo!

A buddy suggested I try this method: on the top of a hill out in the country, go through the proper procedure to engage the 4lo per the instructions in the owners manual. With the gear shift in neutral, allow the vehicle to roll backwards a short distance and turn switch to 4lo. I had to try it a couple of times, but when I did it the second time, I heard a very distinct "clunk", which we could also feel. When I shifted into drive, the error beeping was gone and 4lo was engaged. Give it a shot!