Sluggish transmission engagement. Traveling at

How fast are you traveling when trying to engage? Some low range systems will disengage over a certain mph.

Does yours have AUTO hubs, there are some luxory models have auto hubs, these rely on difference in drive on the axles,(wheel spin) others have manual locking hubs, these actually need to be engaged manually, these require you to twist the centre of the hub to engage and disengage the front hubs, these sometimes require you to reverse to disengage properly, Rodeo had both depending on model. Happy New Year

Hi Diamond, These vehicles do sometimes have a problem in disengaging the 4 X 4. Start up and drive it backwards and forwards slowly (3 or 4 miles per hour will do). Gently put pressure on the lever in the direction of the 2 high and after some time it will change. (If nothing has been damaged inside the box, which is unlikely) Regards John

4th gear disengagement:

The 4th gear is engaged automatically after the transmission has shifted through 1st, 2nd and 3rd gears

at certain speeds and loads. By pressing in the button at the rear of the selector level, the 4th gear can be

disengaged, thus providing a three-speed transmission. As a reminder the

? light on the dashboard

glows. By pressing in the button again, the transmission reverts to four-speed operation and the

?
light shuts off.
This is straight out of the owner's handbook. What this indicates is that there may be a problem with the shift solenoid. On the highway, does is seem to rev high? Can you press the button on the shifter and have the light go out? let me know.

You can engage from two wheel drive to four wheel drive at any reasonable speed though I find it's easier on the transfer case if you do that below 45mph. Lift you foot off the gas as you shift so the unit is not under stress. To engage 4 low, you should not be traveling faster than 5mph and then, only on slippery surfaces. When in that gear, it is not advisable to travel much faster than 25-30mph and never on dry ground.

Cruising rpm even after the OD has engaged has a lot to do with the differential gear ratio and tire size.
There will always be a variation between different vehichles due to that alone.
To see if the OD is working, at about 50mph, lightly touch the brake pedal. If the rpms increase for a moment then the OD was engaged. (touching the pedal momentarily disengages it...good thing to know when hill climbing!

Electronic Shift On the Fly (ESOF) Operation
The ESOF system is an electronic shift 4x4 system that allows the operator to choose between two different 4x4 modes as well as 2-wheel drive. The operator can switch between 2WD and 4WD HIGH mode at speed. To engage or disengage LOW Range, the vehicle speed must be less than 5 kph, the brake depressed, and the transmission must be in NEUTRAL.

The transfer case is equipped with an electromagnetic clutch which is located inside the case. This clutch is used to spin up the front drive-line when shifting from 2WD to 4x4 High mode at speed. When the control switch on the instrument panel is turned, the generic electronic module (GEM) recognizes that a shift has been requested and activates the electromagnetic clutch and the relays which power the transfer case shift motor. When the shift motor reaches the desired position as determined by the contact plate position inputs to the GEM, power to the shift relays and motors will be removed. When the transfer case front and rear output shafts are synchronized, the spring loaded lockup collar mechanically engages the main-shaft hub to the drive sprocket. Finally, the front axle collar is engaged and the electromagnetic clutch is deactivated.

Shift Between 2WD and 4x4 HIGH:
Shifts between 2WD and 4x4 HIGH can be made at speed. Listed below are the inputs and outputs needed by the GEM to execute a change between any of these modes.

Feature Inputs:
*4WD Mode Switch (Various resistances).
*Contact Plate Position Inputs A, B, C, D (grounded when closed, open circuit when open).

Feature Outputs:
*4x4 Shift Motor Relay Outputs
*Transfer Case Clutch Relay (grounded when relay is on, open circuit when relay is off).
*4x2/4x4 Vacuum Solenoid (grounded when activated, open circuit when deactivated).
*Cluster Indicators (ground when activated, open circuit when deactivated).

Shifting Into/Out of 4WD LOW:
When shifting into or out of 4WD LOW, the GEM requires that the vehicle speed be less than 5 kph, the brake is applied, and the transmission is in NEUTRAL.

Feature Inputs:
*4WD Mode Switch (Various resistances).
*Contact Plate Position Inputs A, B, C, D (grounded when closed, open circuit when open).
*VSS Sensor (Sinusoid Signal: 0.7V-20V, 2.2 Hz/mph).
Brake Input (battery voltage when brake is depress, open circuit when not activated).
*Transmission Range Sensor (grounded when transmission is in NEUTRAL, open circuit otherwise).
8Start/Clutch Depressed Input

Feature Outputs:
*4x4 Shift Motor Relay Outputs
*4x2/4x4 Vacuum Solenoid (grounded when activated, open circuit when deactivated).
*Cluster Indicators (grounded when activated, open circuit when deactivated).

4WD Mode Switch
A rotary switch allows the vehicle operator to choose between 2WD, 4WD HIGH, and 4WD LOW modes of 4x4 operation.

GEM Module
The Generic Electronic Module (GEM) controls the operation of the 4x4 system

Vehicle Speed Sensor
The vehicle speed sensor (VSS), mounted in the rear of the transfer case, informs the GEM of the vehicle speed.

Transfer Case Shift Motor Sense Plates

The shift motor sense plate, an integral part of the electric shift motor, informs the GEM to the positions of the transfer case

Transmission Range Sensor
Located on the left side of the transmission, this sensor informs the GEM when the transmission is in the NEUTRAL position.

Electric Shift Motor
The electric shift motor, mounted externally at the rear of the transfer case, drives a rotary cam which moves the mode fork and range fork within the transfer case to select between the 2WD, 4WD HIGH, and 4WD LOW positions.

4x4/4x2 Vacuum Solenoids
These two solenoids are attached to the upper RH side of the engine compartment dash, and alternately route vacuum to the vacuum motor which engages/disengages the center axle disconnect collar in the front axle assembly.

4x4 Shift Motor Relay
A module containing two relays which under the control of the GEM, shift the transfer case shift motor between the 2WD, 4WD HIGH, and 4WD LOW modes.

Transfer Case Clutch Relay
An electromechanical relay is used to activate the transfer case clutch within the transfer case.

Good luck and hope this helps,but start with the simple and check the fuses and wire harness. Both white/light blue stripe wires should have 12V in run. The GEM will ground the left side (closest to engine) solenoid to disengage the front axle. It will ground the the right side solenoid (closest to fender) to engage the front axle. If the GEM doesn't see Neutral it will not let the truck come out of 4Lo. If the GEM had water leaking on it it may well be the root of the problem. The shift motor only has power when the GEM sends it a signal to move the shift lever. Once the shift is completed the motor shuts off. There are 2 wires that control the shift motor. A yellow and an orange. The GEM alternates between 12v and Ground to these wires to control which way the motor turns. The GEM uses the transfer case shift relay module to control the power to the motor. There are contact plates inside the shift motor assembly that indicate the position that the shift lever is in. This is what the GEM used to know what the T-case is doing. Any one of these components can fail.

The transfer case is stuck in the low range. If manual shift try shifting from low to high several times to see if free up. If electronic, check all fuses and make sure you hear transfer case change range. Do this by shifting with key on engine off. If no change refer to qualified transmission mechanic.

You can engage the 4x4 into high range while driving at lower speeds, to go into low range, you will need to come to a stop to engage 4 low, and also to disengage 4 low. As for the toggle switches, they are aftermarket that someone may have installed for some type of accessory they may have mounted, i.e. fog lamps, driving lights, auxillary interior light, etc.

Power drive delays the shift points for upshift of the automatic transmission. It will degrade fuel economy, but you'll get more peppy performance.

Winter drive will only engage if the vehicle speed is below a certain threshold (I think 23 miles per hour) - and only if the vehicle is in Reverse, Neutral, or Drive. It causes the automatic transmission to start off in 3rd gear (rather than 1st gear). The purpose is to provide power, but not torque to the tires. In winter driving, torque increases the probablility of the tires spinning. The vehicle will seem to be VERY sluggish when winter driving is engaged - which is completely normal behaviour. It will automatically disengage when vehicle speed increases above the threshold.