4WD issue

[Marktheshark]

Hi all,

Trying to diagnose what’s going on with my 95 series 2001 Prado. 4wd light won’t turn on, when selecting 4H or 4L and accelerating car will make a horrible clicking noise. Thought it might be CV shafts so yesterday we replaced them.
Also when in normal drive car will make same noise.
Any idea what my next step should be?

Thanks!

 

[Bob]

Hi Mark.. the 90 series is a permanent 4wd set up. 4H and 4L simply switch between high and low ratio with the centre differential locked. You should get an orange light with the axles and an X in the middle when engaged. It sounds like you have a transfer box issue to me, but I'm not as familiar with the internal workings of the box.

 

[Marktheshark]

Hi Mark.. the 90 series is a permanent 4wd set up. 4H and 4L simply switch between high and low ratio with the centre differential locked. You should get an orange light with the axles and an X in the middle when engaged. It sounds like you have a transfer box issue to me, but I'm not as familiar with the internal workings of the box.

Light isn’t coming on at all, it’s not engaging. It did but when the noise started it stopped working.

 

[BobMurphy]

The lights are triggered by switches that bear on the two selector shafts that lock the centre differential and select low ratio. It sounds as though these shafts are not moving in response to the Transfer Lever.

Have you removed the Gear lever and Transfer lever recently - its easy to miss the blocks on the end of the selector shafts when replacing the Transfer lever ??

Is it a manual or an Auto - slight differences in the selector shafts and number of switches ??

Bob.

 

[Marktheshark]

The lights are triggered by switches that bear on the two selector shafts that lock the centre differential and select low ratio. It sounds as though these shafts are not moving in response to the Transfer Lever.

Have you removed the Gear lever and Transfer lever recently - its easy to miss the blocks on the end of the selector shafts when replacing the Transfer lever ??

Is it a manual or an Auto - slight differences in the selector shafts and number of switches ??

Bob.

No I haven’t done any work on the car beforehand.
It’s an auto

 

[Gav missin]

Could your light have gone out bulb or something and you're actually riding about with centre lock engaged. Does your truck freewheel far if you knock it out of gear? Or the transmission seem tight at all?

 

[Gav missin]

In neutral jack up a wheel and see if it spins itself.

 

[Marktheshark]

Could your light have gone out bulb or something and you're actually riding about with centre lock engaged. Does your truck freewheel far if you knock it out of gear? Or the transmission seem tight at all?

It’s a possibility. A little bit yes

 

[Marktheshark]

A

In neutral jack up a wheel and see if it spins itself.

And what would that do? I was thinking it might be the front diff that’s buggered?

 

[Marktheshark]

so I’m still not sure what it is. Found a new diff with same 4:3 ratio. But im not sure if that’s the issue… it drives perfectly fine. Only under load somethings clicking hard in front. Can’t be the cv’s as they are new.

 

[Gav missin]

Jacking up a wheel would allow any wind up in the transmission or axles to free itself. This would be caused by centre diff being stuck in. Does it seem like the axles are fighting against each other.