Know Your Toyota: Properly engaging 4WD

Low range four-wheel drive, often called “four low” uses different gearing to create the torque needed to safely climb and descend steep grades with loose, rock-strewn surfaces or hills involving mud, sand or snow.
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[@cp-ip7vn]

For my manual bros, if you're at a dead stop you need to move forward to fully engage it. Otherwise it will just flash at you

[@chopstx4u207]

Yup, bad information for a manual engagement in this video.

[@mitchelljasmann1337]

#manualtaco gang

[@gregwddriver]

Spent two minutes creeping forward and back to get it to engage. Clutch in, clutch out, neutral, standing on my head, nothing. I finally gave up and proceeded in four-high. I don't know why manufacturers abandoned a dependable lever on the floor.

[@TANDAZJO]

Great video. I'm about to do a beach driving this weekend and it's the first I'm doing it. I have a Tacoma sr5 2020

[@CaptainFALKEN]

*FELLOW TACOMA BOYZ WHERE YOU AT*

[@xavithinksblue321]

Here!

[@Phreshbang98]

YERRRRRRR

[@kzuo2292]

YESSSIRRR 2016

[@FizzleWick1]

2021 cement grey trd off road!!!

[@NebulousCat]

2006 Tacoma Offroad TRD 4x4 with 130,000 and running good.

[@kevinhill.8]

Seems like a simple “shift to N” reminder on the dial for 4L would be helpful and prudent. 🤷🏼‍♂️

[@jhocaps5388]

i have a 2019 tacoma sometimes i hear a clanking sound when I switch from 2wd to 4wd to do reverse parking. is that normal? sometimes i need to it’s slippery! anybody?

[@stay4theride]

I haven’t used 4wheel drive on my 2019 Tundra in over a year. I just used it 20 minutes ago because I was told I had to once a month. I switched it into 4H on a dirt road and then went to a complete stop, put it in neutral and switched to 4L and everything was fine until I switched back to 4H then 2WD to drive back home and when I went to drive off I heard a loud clunk, really LOUD. Used it again an hour later to make sure everything was fine, everything was okay and nothing came up on my dash. Does anyone know what that loud clunk noise was????

[@equalizer2233]

Every 4x4 vehicle Ive owned has made a clunk noise when shifting back to 2HI

[@nicholasgarcia3587]

I’m sorry but this comment made me laugh so hard 😂. I just imagined you being really scared by that clunk. Side note: not a tacoma owner just yet, doing research. But I’m hoping everything turned out okay for you 🙂

[@stay4theride]

@@nicholasgarcia3587 lmao. Yeah that happened on my 2019 Tundra 4x4. Now I have a 2022 Tacoma 4x2 and I absolutely love it!

[@nicholasgarcia3587]

@@stay4theride nice bro! What kind did you ending up getting? TRD Sport? SR5?

[@sergioayon46]

Is true what it says in my owners manual??. It's says that 4WD should be used at least 10miles or more once a month to keep it lubricated???. But then it says don't use 4WD on dry pavement etc.....

[@loganjames4607]

I don't believe that to be true. Front differential and drive shaft are always spinning even when in 2wd. Thus, lubrication in the diff and transfer case will continue to occur. The only reason i can think of for engaging it here and there is to make sure that the actuator on the transfer case is still functioning. Some stories online of people getting stuck in 2, 4 or 4low because the actuator failed. Happy wheeling!

[@haroldpinter8076]

That's why you use your truck to off-road, that's the point of having 4wd lol

[@TyGuyPS5]

@@loganjames4607 It is to keep the actuators healthy. Do it monthly like the manual says. Sergio, thats because roads can damage your gears. Its okay to use it on a really wet road. But best to be used on loose gravel/dirt off road places.

[@toms6193]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/Y3e9lKB6fLt4o6c Everything you need to know about the Toyota Tacoma 4WD system.

[@Ts-zy4bw]

@@loganjames4607 wrong, the front diff doesn't spin in 2wd.

[@MrLovestuck]

how can i use my locker in 2wd? I have a 2017 trd off-road but in order to engage the rear locker the truck must be in 4LO. THAT SUCKS! True 2WD will get you through most anything if you know how to drive.. is this over-rideable?

[@johnf8877]

Big Daddy yes go to forum called Tacomaworld. There is a plug and harness that someone has come up with.

[@clarkemiller8612]

Is it bad to shift from 4lo into 2high even if in neutral and you wait for the symbol to go away. In other words should you shift from 4lo into 4high then wait for the 4lo symbol to go away then shift to 2wd?

[@TROllingNINJA2031]

I have never had a problem doing that, skipping all the steps aside from being in neutral hasn't given any issues i've only ever felt a slight clunk shifting from 4H to 4L but thats normal

[@Retro-Moon25]

You should be ok but always refer to your user manuals.

[@CanadianOffroad4x4]

do one at a time, alot safer and easier.

[@kirwankars8597]

Does that model have F and R diff locks? She didn't explain that. Other Tacomas and 4Runners have it.

[@JonJonGTA]

There's a rear locker but no front locker

[@equalizer2233]

NO tacoma or 4runner has or have come from the factory with a front locker.

[@abymathew295]

I wish there was a proper mechanical gear shifter lever for the 4×4 instead of that crappy rotary dial...🤕🤕🤕🤕🤕🤕🤕🤕🤕🤕

[@dixonbuttes6564]

You all at Toyota realize that it's vastly simpler and better to just have a stick you can pull to shift the transfer case, right? The dialey method really sucks, and doesn't work well. It torpedoes the legend Toyota earned with past designs.