4LO grinding - 4runner auto

[TEPUI]

I noticed that I had no 4WD so I checked the vacuum lines and found one that was pulled. I connected it again and 4WD worked. However I noticed something I had not noticed before and wonder if something else went wrong. (my 4WD indicator light only works sometimes by the way, so I have to feel the wheels and steering to know if I'm actually in 4WD)

Here's the problem:
With the vehicle stopped and the transmission in neutral I get a very strong grind when moving the transfer case lever from 4H to 4L. If I slowly move the lever toward 4L, I can feel that gears are still turning (similar to bumping the shifter into a gear in a manual tranny without out the clutch depressed...if that makes any sense).

If I grab the transfer case lever and hardly push it into 4L, it moves right in, but i can still feel the grind. I could swear this is the first time I notice this, i don't remember ever experiencing this before the vacuum line got disconnected.

The truck is a 2000 4runner auto (no 4WD button)

EDIT: I should add that when I ran this test the vehicle was cold. Could this be only a consequence of cold transmission oil?

 

[pepsilvr]

By cold, do you mean below freezing? I have a '97 with the same set-up as you. I don't get any grinding when switching to 4L unless I'm moving (even 1mph).

I *do* remember shifting into even 4HI when temps were below freezing was very hard to do (lever hard to pull) Once things got warmed up everything was normal.

 

[TEPUI]

By cold, do you mean below freezing?

No, just cold after starting.

PROBLEM SOLVED! I tried again after driving the truck for a few miles and the grinding stopped. I realized that I was trying to move the transfer case while all the oil was all settled. (i should have thought of that earlier!)