2006 Prado Center Differential Issue

[fredrickz]

Hi veteranz
I've got myself a used prado v6 from 2006 with 140k mileage on it. The problem is that when pressing the center diff lock button, it just keep on flashing the orange indicator and never gets steady. I can hear a beeping sound from underneath at constant internal but the lock never engages. I've tried with both H and L gears, driving them forward and reverse but it still didn't engage. The diff lock hasn't been used at all by the previous owner. Can someone shed light on this issue? Since it has got a knocking sound trying to engage, where should i start looking for the issue? Could it be because a gear or something is stuck since it hasn't been used at all for atleast 2 years? Thanks

 

[Ridgiedidj]

Hi veteranz
I've got myself a used prado v6 from 2006 with 140k mileage on it. The problem is that when pressing the center diff lock button, it just keep on flashing the orange indicator and never gets steady. I can hear a beeping sound from underneath at constant internal but the lock never engages. I've tried with both H and L gears, driving them forward and reverse but it still didn't engage. The diff lock hasn't been used at all by the previous owner. Can someone shed light on this issue? Since it has got a knocking sound trying to engage, where should i start looking for the issue? Could it be because a gear or something is stuck since it hasn't been used at all for atleast 2 years? Thanks

Gday Fred.
Sounds like a shift actuator issue esp since it hasn't been used for awhile. You'll need to locate the black box under the car usually on or near the transfer case. This need to be carefully dismantled and cleaned. Best get on YouTube there are many clips explaining what you have to do. Anyone can do it just watch and listen carefully before doing it. Also check that your main earth/ ground wire is not corroded. This is also around the same area. Good luck.

 

[fredrickz]

Gday Fred.
Sounds like a shift actuator issue esp since it hasn't been used for awhile. You'll need to locate the black box under the car usually on or near the transfer case. This need to be carefully dismantled and cleaned. Best get on YouTube there are many clips explaining what you have to do. Anyone can do it just watch and listen carefully before doing it. Also check that your main earth/ ground wire is not corroded. This is also around the same area. Good luck.

I took the risk and did open the actuator and found that the motor was stuck. After some manual turning and using a 9v battery, the motor started spinning. It took me a lot of time to find the timing as all the online videos had it tell me differently. Two to three days of work finally did help me find the timing. The oil seal also broke off when i took out the actuator. But fortunately we have a company that does o rings and seals only and i was able to source it from them. So everything is fixed for now.. thanks for the input.