AboutTed Ritter Expertise I have more than 26 years experience as toyota technician, I will be able to answer most questions related to the toyota product line up to the present year models, I specialize in difficult to diagnose problems but when posting a question please keep in mind that some situations require the used of special test equipment and diagnostic procedures especially as the newer models become more technologically advanced, so without actually having the car on hand I may only be able to try to steer you in the right direction and in some cases may have to refer you to the toyota dealer but at least you will know what you may be dealing with. Please don't hesitate to ask any questions, I will have an answer for you in most cases. When posting a question keep in mind that I reside in the US, although I get questions from all over the world I may not have an answer for models that are not sold in the US, I will do a reasonable search to try to match your model to the US model,please refrain from asking about diesel powered vehicles, I have no information for them. In most cases I will not answer questions about major modifications of OEM components, engine swapping or aftermarket products,please post a question not a statement, please provide enough basic information such as year, model, what engine and if anything has already been done to fix the problem, the more information I get the more I can help without having to ask you more questions.
Experience Toyota technician since 1979,expert in electrical systems,OBD systems,engine repair, driveability problems,EFI systems,ASE certified,Toyota master technician. Certified Hybrid Vehicle technician.
Education/Credentials Toyota master technician, ASE certified in eight catagories, Hybrid vehicle certified.
Question QUESTION: Over the weekend I had to use the 4 wheel drive on my 1989 Toyota SR5 pickup. Now I can not get it to shift out of nuetral with the 4x4 shift lever. When I move the 4x4 shift lever it doesn't feel like it is connected to anything. Will driving the truck with the 4x4 in nuetral cause damage to the transmission? Since the truck has over 322000 miles on it I do not want to spend a lot on repairs.
ANSWER: Is it an automatic or manual transmission? Is the 4x4 indicator light on the dash on? If the transfer case is in neutral it shouldn't move at all so I don't think it's really in neutral, check the shifting linkage for the 4x4 shifter underneath.
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QUESTION: This is a manual transmission and the 4x4 indicator light is on. How do I check the shifting linkage as it is internal to the transmission?
Answer Yes, that's correct, my mistake, the shifting mechanism is inside the transmission and the transfer case but since the 4x4 light is on the front differential is locked to provide front wheel drive and it's not in neutral, the indicator light switch is connected to the front differential, when 4x4 is selected the vacuum operated actuator on the front engages a splined sleeve inside to lock the front differential. You can remove the shift lever from the top to inspect why it feels like it's not connected, once the shift lever is removed it can be inspected, you can see the shift rods inside, try moving them manually to see if 4x4 can be disengaged, something happened to this transmission and I'm not sure what, either the shifter is broken or possibly one of the shift forks inside the transmission.
