Center diff locked, won't release...?

[Jaymboze Member Find all posts View Profile Close Jaymboze]

Hi guys,
I have a 150 v6 auto with the centre diff locked....!
Was working on the car with the front end raised while I installed some adjustable upper control arms.
All went well, but as soon as I got the car back on the ground the center diff lock, abs, and stability lights are on and the center diff is locked and will not release.
Tried driving forward and back in high and lo range but no joy, it's still locked.
Checked all fuses and connections I can see under the car but no answer to the problem.
The only thing I can think of was I may have pulled a bit hard on one of the abs wires in the front of the car when working on the uca's.

Any ideas...?

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

It is all electronic, try disconnnecting the battery to reset everything.

Hutch- Prado 150 with some TJM Kit.

[Anth120playdo Banned Find all posts View Profile Close Anth120playdo]

Diff & abs may not be related. You shouldn't stress abs lines, always disconnect them first. If its broken that will cause a light to come on.

Why the centre diff lock is locked? Is that light on also? Weird, perhaps you have shorted a wire somewhere.

[Jaymboze Member Find all posts View Profile Close Jaymboze]

Tried the battery thing with no joy.
Center diff lock light is constantly flashing and diff is locked.
No idea what caused it but it cannot be driven as is...!

?....

[Jaymboze Member Find all posts View Profile Close Jaymboze]

Called roadside assist who came within 40 mins but could not diagnose the problem.
He tried the basic diagnostic tool they carry but did not detect any fault code.
Car now being picked up by flatbed tow truck tomorrow morning and taken to local Toyota dealer.
Can only hope it's a cheap and easy fix...

[leethal1 Member Find all posts View Profile Close leethal1]

hey if centre diff lock lock light is flashing it is not engaged, it's constantly on when engaged, in mine it's in the process of engaging when flashing, I would thing you have pulled a wire off a sensor somewhere. have you tried it to see if there is any wheel skip?

[lortap Lurker Find all posts View Profile Close lortap]

I suspect you will have forgotten to reinstall your wheel speed sensor (a small wire near your brakes). I can almost guarantee this is problem. This will show up dash lights for ABS, traction control, Hi,LO range, potentially handbrake (if its rear wheels) and probably some other stuff.

[Jaymboze Member Find all posts View Profile Close Jaymboze]

Wheel speed sensor not removed so that's not the fault.
Yes the wheels skip when turning so it's locked for sure.

[Steve M Addicted PP Member Find all posts View Profile Close Steve M]

Some thing not ligned up properly with new arms eg sensors not detecting some thing they were prior ?? Just guessing here. Cheers Steve

[Jaymboze Member Find all posts View Profile Close Jaymboze]

Well the answer was pretty simple.
A damaged cable running down to the drivers side abs sensor...!
Cable looked ok but not working.
Dealer fitted a new cable and all is back to normal.
The BIG question is why did the center diff lock engage by itself...?
Toyota tech has no idea, seems to think its a computer issue in the vehicle software, because there would be no real reason for this to happen.
So, if you break an abs cable it basically disables your vehicle, unless you can drive on the dirt back to a dealer.
I Kept the old cable so I can make up a spare to keep in the car in case this happens again...

[Jaymboze Member Find all posts View Profile Close Jaymboze]

Oh yeah, the total cost of the repair was less than $180.00 including parts and labour.
A big thanks to the service guy at Castle Hill Toyota for getting this repair done ASAP as we need the car for a 2 week trip to broken hill and south OZ this week.

[Steve M Addicted PP Member Find all posts View Profile Close Steve M]

Good going and not to bad on the hop pocket.... Have a great trip... Cheers Steve

[Jaymboze Member Find all posts View Profile Close Jaymboze]

Good going and not to bad on the hop pocket.... Have a great trip... Cheers Steve

Thanks mate.

[lortap Lurker Find all posts View Profile Close lortap]

I think you'll find that the centre diff lock is not actually engaged; its just the centre diff lock light flashes on the dash when a wheel speed sensor is disconnected. I had the same issue and drove my car around 600 km on tarmac with the centre diff lock light on and there was no problem. No sense that the gearbox was binding up, or steering affected.

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

My centre diff lock light lit up on the way home from the shops. After reading the various replies, have not been off road for over a month, have not had it serviced since March, have not done any work underneath, not driven over anything that should matter.

Pressing the button causes the dash light to flash, pressing again causes it to stay on. Tried low range, high range, forward, reverse, pressing the button, but the light either stays on or flashes. Will try disconnecting the battery.