4w light on

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Joined
May 23, 2004
Threads
62
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386
Location
deep south TX
I am brand spanking new to the world of four wheel drive. I recently purchased a 1989 fj62 that runs ok. The 4w light is on and it wont go off at all. where can i start.
 
The place to start is with reading the owner's manual. Then buy the factory service manual set. You need them, and your mechanic probably doesn't have them. To can order from the parts dept. at your local Toyota dealer.

Without these you're flyin' blind.

Mike S
 
You didn't give us much to go on here.

Have you tried shifting it OUT of 4wd? The lever should be the small one to the right of the gear selector. (Well, it is on my 87 anyway) .

Are your hubs locked?
 
the small lever on the right is on H2. the hubs are not locked. there is a button behind the stearing wheel that says 4H, i push it and nothing happens. thanks for all your help. im going to the toy dealership to buy the manuals. i love this truck!
 
Have you tried to turn the front drive shaft w/the truck in park and your hubs out? If it turns then it isn't in 4wd-the indicator on the t case is probably stuck. If the shaft doesn't turn then the actuator could have a vacuum leak or you may have a more major problem.
 
thanks for the tips sanjuan ill look into it as soon as i get home. if it is stuck in 4WD will i do more damage if i keep driving it around town? like i said this is my first 4wd dont know much about nothing!?!?
 
You don't want to tool around in it in 4wd. 60s and 62s don't have the computer control systems to determine which wheels needs power and can't constantly adjust the way modern AWD does. What happens is you put a lot of wear on your tires, drive line, etc. Long term it's going to hurt, especially if the PO got rid of it after driving it like that for a while...might be why he sold it in the first place?

The 4x4 system is pretty agressive in a 60/62. If you're on dirt roads or roads that are wet, you're okay - there's slippage figured into every wheel. Get the factory service manuals as soon as you can - it'll help you track things down as needed, and with a little patience it'll save you a ton of money that you'd spend on mechanics.
 
well i performed the procedure recomended by sanjuan and the shaft did not turn. i guess it is stuck in 4WD, that would explain why so much gas. good looking out guys. i appreciate it very much. thanks for the advice ill try not to drive as much till i find the source of the problem.
 
If your hubs are unlocked you should be ok to drive around even if the t-case is in 4wd. There are 3 switches on the t-case. Two of them are on the hi-low shift shaft and the other is on the 4wd shift shaft.

The one on the 4wd shift shaft turns the light on the dash on and off.

One of the switches on the hi-low is a neutral switch. The other turns on when you are in low range and turns on the 4wd system regardless of the position of the button on the dash. This switch maybe stuck on...Try unplugging the two switches on the hi-low and then start your truck (the engine needs to be running to supply vacuum to shift the t-case). If the button on the dash is out the t-case should shift back to 2wd and the light will go out. You can verify 2wd by checking to see if the front drive shaft turns when in park and hubs are out.

Another possibility is that the vacuum solenoids for the 4wd shift are not working correctly. This is somewhat common. If just one solenoid is working someone may have just been swapping the hoses to shift the 4wd and may have never swapped it back to put it in 2wd.

The solenoids are on the top of the firewall just to the right of the center of the truck. Make sure all the vacuum lines are hooked up.

If you have an air compressor you can take the two lines that run down to the t-case off the solenoids and use a blow gun to puff some air down them one at a time. This should shift the t-case in and out of 4wd. You don't have to maintain any pressure in the lines...just a quick little puff. I wouldn't use too much pressure as you might damage the diaphragm. Mine takes very little pressure to shift.
 
thank you for your help vortec ill check it out. i called toy dealer for repair manual. said they run about 130.00 bucks. does that sound right. agin thanks for all help.
 
[quote author=hightide link=board=29;threadid=16835;start=msg164577#msg164577 date=1085604653]
thank you for your help vortec ill check it out. i called toy dealer for repair manual. said they run about 130.00 bucks. does that sound right. agin thanks for all help.
[/quote]

That's about right. There are three manuals - or one manual and two addendums. You should get the lot for that price. I disagree on the Haynes, I have not found it that useful, compared to the Toyota SMs.
 
I could be wrong, but I think there is only one FSM for the FJ62. I don't remember for sure, but I think mine cost about $100 directly from Toyota's Materials Distribution Center. Their phone number is 1-800-622-2033. You may be able to buy it from Toyota's website as well.
 
There's only 1 FSM for FJ62. The problem w/ the 4WD light staying on is probably the 4WD/2WD solenoid gone south. Normally it's the 2WD that burns out but you'll have to replace the combo if your want to stay OEM to the tune of $300. For a short term solution just swap the two vacuum hoses from the solenoids (leading to the T/C vacuum switch) - the 4WD indicator will go out and you'll be in 2WD. To switch to 4WD swap them back. The solenoids are located on the firewall just to the passenger side of centerline - one's brown the other blue (don't remmember off hand which one's which). There are alternate components that can be used check the site for the link.

Can't emphasize enough that you need the FSM it will walk you through the trouble shooting. The section you'll need this time is in the TC section.

Good luck.

Ming
 
Not sure which I like best... the infamous FJ62 solenoids, or the fact that Ming beats me to it every time!! :cheers:

here's a little trip down memory lane for you sir... http://www.cruizers.com/ubb/Forum1/HTML/006583.html with a picture, which should look familiar to a couple of you. :)

Just swap your hoses and then check your driveshaft (engine running), when it spins free you're back in 2wd.

There is a writeup in 3FE-land over on Yahoo somewhere, where one can find suitable solenoids at a junkyard for considerably cheaper than one for your FJ62. I believe they're out of a VW bus, iirc.. but it's been a while. hth!
 
Sweet, white letters are facing the wrong way, but sweet. It is kind of dirty right now, that pic has convinced me to go wash it during lunch today. Thanks for posting that.

Edit: Do you mind if I steal that pic?
 

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