Flashing 4 LO CEL on. Need Help! (2 Viewers)

[WP2LC]

Driving my wive's 2015 LC this morning and out of nowhere the CEL came on, 4 Lo started flashing, and VSC OFF warning came up on the read out. 56K miles, just due for an oil change about 100 miles ago. I was planning to bring it to shop next week. Its only been in 4 lo 3-4 times and its been 6 months since the last time. Any ideas?
P.S. never serviced the Transfer case or diff oil.
Thanks in advance.

 

[TonyP]

It could be many things. Those lights pop on with many, many different issues. You can swing by any dealer or auto parts store and have them pull codes. That'll help us find the issue.

 

[grinchy]

Try to reseat your gas cap. One click only. Same on fuel fill, do not try to top off. One cause of these lights is fuel evaporator / charcoal canister.

 

[WP2LC]

Thanks guys. I have experienced the gas cap issue before. It was the first thing I checked and it was loose. I took it off and put it back on but that didn’t change anything. I know on my 100 series removing the positive terminal from the battery and replacing it will reset some codes. Don’t know if that’s necessary for the gas cap issue.

 

[gaijin]

Thanks guys. I have experienced the gas cap issue before. It was the first thing I checked and it was loose. I took it off and put it back on but that didn’t change anything. I know on my 100 series removing the positive terminal from the battery and replacing it will reset some codes. Don’t know if that’s necessary for the gas cap issue.

If the gas cap was indeed loose, after tightening it the warning lights will not immediately go away; but they will clear themselves after some time driving.

HTH

 

[Markuson]

If they refuse to go out...stop by a harbor freight or auto parts store & pick up an inexpensive OBD2 code reader...plug it in...(right above your legs/shins as you sit in the driver’s seat) and clear the codes.

If they don’t come back...all good.
If they do come back...Toyota can give you advice.

As TonyP said...practically everything under the sun triggers the 4Lo light among other lights...which is annoying because it prevents engagement when you might need it.

Could be:
-Charcoal evap canister is flooded (not make or break)
-O2 sensors could be failing (there are 4...if you replace one...replace the rest bc it’s labor costs that get ya—May as well replace them all)
-Gas cap
-Fuel tank pressure issues

Many more.

2 cents to all owners:
OBD2 Code readers and reset devices are cheap, and—in my opinion—belong in **every 200’s kit.** Would stink to be unable to shift into 4Lo on some crazy trail simply because of a goofy, unrelated error prevents its use.

This is one of my main complaints about the system in the 200. Error codes should NOT be able to trigger the unavailability of major functions like 4Lo—unless the error is directly related to that particular system. Seems like about 99% of the time...errors have NOTHING to do with 4Lo. Pretty silly.

In my 200, I have a code reader permanently plugged in...and added an OBD2 extension wire that has a power switch built in. This lets me easily use the OBD2 without even pulling over, getting out, or even turning the engine off. If my evap canister or something throws a silly code...I can clear it literally less than 15 seconds. But again...annoying as heck that such measures make sense.

 

[Sandroad]

Your post about the loose gas cap is the issue. As noted above by @gaijin, the lights will reset.

 

[LXinOBX]

P101? If so, let us know - there's a long thread on it.

 

[Cruisin911]

I had the exact same symptoms, with a "Check VSC" error. Code P2441. Pushing it with toyota now to get it fixed. Part of the AIP system. Bank 1 valve stuck shut. Has ZERO to do with 4lo or VSC. Not sure why those errors show up.

 

[SteveP]

I have the exact issue with my car. I think it has something to do with the last fill-up as I was trying to top off a bit for a long trip. I replaced the gas cap and reset via OBD reader. It read P2401, P2402, and P2419 iirc. The lights still coming on after a bit of driving. Will bring to the dealer this week and see what they say.

 

[TonyP]

The evap strikes again.
There really needs to be a TSB on this nonsense.

 

[WP2LC]

Took the truck in to the dealer this morning for the regularly scheduled oil change and tire rotation and of course, the CEL and 4 Lo lights are off for the first time since the orginal incident on Saturday. I’m gonna assume it was the gas cap and it just took some miles for it to reset. Gonna look into the code reader and reset device. Anyone had experience with the inexpensive devices that sync with your phone via bluetooth? I’m curious if they can reset a code or just read them. Thanks to all for the help!

 

[TonyP]

Yes, they can reset codes. I used some cheapo Bluetooth reader and the Torque app on an Android device.