Unable to select HL or LL ???

[Chippy Addicted PP Member Find all posts View Profile Close Chippy]

Hi all

I'm hoping someone can shed some light on this one - it's taken be 24 hours to post (23 and a half of those hours spent searching PP to see if anyone had used one, several or any combination of these words in a post before :lol: )

Please enjoy the story - the ending is nothing without the adventure 8)

Went for a little picnic up in the Perth foothills. Gravel / dirt roads, a bit hilly, but nothing worth shifting the stubby lever for. Then we got to a short section with a large pothole, a couple of tree roots and a couple of approx 8" mud steps.

Went for the stubby lever and crawled up the steps - no dramas. Had a little slide towards the top and gave the front OEM bashplate another war wound. Popped the stubby lever back into H at the top and went to move off - but we were carrying a passenger. We had a stick up between the tranny and the exhaust - well, it wasn't even really a stick - more like a gang of teenage twigs pretending to be a stick. Removed it and kept going.

Got to a fairly flat muddy bit about 8 Kms further in and stopped to shift the stubby lever. Now I'm used to the little pic (looks a bit like this) ..

... but it didn't come on.

Tried shifting the lever in and out of lock - no indication that it had come on. Tried it with the auto in PARK or N, tried turning the car off then back on again, tried driving forward and backward a couple of times - no go.

Spent a pleasant 15 / 20 minutes crawling around in the mud - under the car - to see if I had dislodged something. Having a GXL means there's half a dozen spare GRANDE plugs on the wiring loom, still floating around in the space above the transfer case, and nothing looked like it had moved recently.

Stuff it - we packed it in and buggered off home (with the stubby lever in H). Once home I put it up on ramps and whipped both bash plates off (yeah - I know I didn't have to - I just felt like it), crawled around underneath and couldn't find where a plug may have been dislodged.

Took it for a drive around the block. Just before my place is quite a tight S bend. Put the stubby lever in HL and putted through at 20 - 25 km/hr with tyres squealing and protesting at being in 4WD on bitumen :shock:

So 4WD works (or at least the locking of the centre diff works) but the dash warning light doesn't.

Am I looking for a sensor, connector, wiring problem or could it be something as simple as a buggered dash light ?? ops: ops:

Now you can see the reason for the story. In the 6 mths I've owned the Prado, everytime I move the stubby lever, the light comes on. When I forget to put it back the light is there to remind me. At the beginning of the muddy bit it never occured that it may be a blown globe - press on.

So - has anyone had these dash light blow ? Is it a frequent thing ?

...or is it more llikely to be a connection somewhere ?

All guesses welcome.

... and YES Moderators ... feel free to flick this over to ELECTRICAL if it proves to be pissy little dash light problem.

Cheers
Chippy

[Guest Close Guest]

Sounds like you have ripped the sensor cable out of the transfer case or box that operates said light. I do this all the time on my other 4wd.

Have a real good look under there at all the wires n stuff, it is the most likely after your explanation (sticks n stuff).

And good boy for using the search button, Could have told you it had'nt been asked before though :lol:

[Chippy Addicted PP Member Find all posts View Profile Close Chippy]

Hey TP

Yep - the cable sounds more likely that a blown globe - especially after some of the sticks that were around.

... and I do so love that search button - I've just got to get better at defining the search term to narrow the 'found' list down to less than 500 items :lol:

I'll pull the manual out tomorrow and have a look at where the wiring actually plugs in - then at least I'll be looking near the right place.

Cheers
Chippy

[Guest Close Guest]

I think this is what you will be looking for:
Plug D1 Detection switch (Transfer 4wd position)
Plug D2 Detection switch (Transfer 4Low position)
Plug D3 Detection switch (Transfer Nuetral position)

All appear to be on top of the gearbox or in that area.

D1 is a 2 pin (with lock) connector. (Blue in colour)
D2 is same as D1 (That sounds tricky!)
D3 is Gray and 2 pin connector (slightly smaller.

*The search button is your friend, because we aren't*

[Chippy Addicted PP Member Find all posts View Profile Close Chippy]

Thanks TP - had a look underneath and found 'em.

2 blue connectors and a grey one. They all look intact but I'll pop them open tomorrow and hit 'em with the multimeter.

They might just be full of crap after some of the tracks and water over the last week. ops:

Cheers
Chippy

[Blokeman Member Find all posts View Profile Close Blokeman]

Hope you go ok on the tests, TP's advice sounds pretty good. . BTW I had a faulty sender or switch which was replaced by Toyota, everything worked, just no dash indication. So they do fail...

[Chippy Addicted PP Member Find all posts View Profile Close Chippy]

Hiya Paul

It certainly had me buggered.

The other question it brought up was .... how do you tell if the centre diff is locked (or 4 WD engaged in the old language) if the light doesn't come on ? I suppose you could drive through some nice deep mud, and if you get stuck it probably wasn't working.

On bitumen it only takes one little corner and the tyres start to complain - loudly. Out on a slippery track it wasn't something I was prepared to guess.

If it's all intact (even after I open them up and make sure the contacts are all clean) then Toyota will be getting anohter warranty claim - that's one of the reasons I added the extra 3 years.

It's good to know that the senders do fail :?: - at least then I know it's not just me going crazy - ooopppss - too late ! :twisted:

Cheers
Chippy

[Justo Advanced Member Find all posts View Profile Close Justo]

Hate to be a stick in the mud here.!! But after all that it sounds like it could be as simple as your globe being toasted..! :lol:

[Chippy Addicted PP Member Find all posts View Profile Close Chippy]

That would probably make me a lot happier - but it certainly wasn't the first thought in my head - $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$ $$$$$$$$$ :cry:

Cheers
Chippy

[Chippy Addicted PP Member Find all posts View Profile Close Chippy]

OK - found the little bugger.

Got out this morning to run the car up on the ramps so I could have a squiz underneath. Just for the hell of it I gave the stubby lever a nudge into HL and the dash light came on :shock: :shock: :shock:

Pulled the 2 blue and 1 grey connectors apart and they were full of gunk - the leftovers of mud after most of the water has evaporated.

Next question ... what is that grease like stuff they use on the electical connections - especially the headlight connectors ? ... and is it suitable for waterproofing these under-car connectors ?

Cheers
Chippy

[Justo Advanced Member Find all posts View Profile Close Justo]

I would say it would be a great idea.. don't know where you would get it from.! But anything non conductive that is also water repellent would have to be the way to go.. :wink:

[Russ WA Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Russ WA]

Chippy
There is a white lube auto sparkys use on batterys terminals but I don't know what its called.Try a lift kit?
And no I haven't got my car back yet. Its at ARB in Osborne Park tomorrow then off to new town Toyota on Weds.
Still waiting
Russ

[Chippy Addicted PP Member Find all posts View Profile Close Chippy]

Far out Russ - they're certainly not going for any speed records !

I was thinking the white goop they use inside headlight plugs ... but now I'm miles higher off the ground :lol: :lol:

Cheers
Chippy

[MUMSRIG Avid PP Poster! Find all posts View Profile Close MUMSRIG]

You can get that white goop from computer nerds too. The stuff they use for the processor thingy majiggies!

Mitch

[120GXV6 Member Find all posts View Profile Close 120GXV6]

Try Silicon Grease.