Hi All - I have a 2006 TB EXT with selectable 4wd. 167k miles.
I noticed that I have no 4x4 while on a snowmobiling trip. Drove up to northern NH in a snow storm, and made it just fine. I drove on some snowy roads with the selector knob on "AUTO" for most of the trip. Shortly into the trip, the "Service Stabiltrak" message and light came on. This has happened to me in the past, but I chalked it up to road grime / rocks/ ice gumming up the wheel sensor rather than there being an issue with the vehicle. That had been the case in the past for the many years I've owned this TB. This time, it stayed on, and it immediately came back on after making a stop for fuel and then getting back on the road.
I parked at the bottom of a snow, icy hill when I reached my cabin in NH.. When I attempted to leave later that night, I found myself stuck.
I put the truck in 4HI, but only the rear wheels would spin. Next, I tried 4LO, same thing. There was nothing I could do to get the front wheels to spin. The lights on my selector knob are functioning properly. I was able to get into 4LO and could feel the rear wheels spinning in low gear, but not the front. Eventually, I called AAA to winch me up the hill.
For the rest of the trip, I left the selector knob in the AUTO position, and the "Service Stabiltrak" light / message appears when navigating a turn into a gas station with some ice patches on the road.
When I returned home, I tried some diagnosis. I successfully shifted into 4HI and 4LO, then drove up and down my cul-de-sac. While cutting the wheel to turn around at the end of my cul-de-sac, there was no "skipping" of wheels, so I know that 4x4 was not engaged even though the rear wheels did shift to low gear while in 4LO - again, front wheels won't spin.
In my garage, I hear the distinct 2 noises when shifting from 2HI to 4HI. So, I'm ruling out the actuator and the transfer case encoder motor. Since the lights on my selector switch function properly, I'm ruling out a switch problem.
Next I jack up the front left side of my TB, turn the the ignition to ON without starting it, then shift from 2HI to 4HI. Again, I hear the 2 distinct "whirring" noises. Next, I am able to freely rotate the front left wheel. HOWEVER, the front drive shaft does not move while I rotate the wheel.
The TB drives perfectly (except for no 4wd), with no "clunking" noises from the front end. In fact, there was nothing the screamed to me a 4x4 issue until I found myself stuck trying to come up an icy hill. Perhaps the Stabiltrak light / message was something other than an errant piece of road debris stuck in the sensor? Now, I'm wondering what I can do further pinpoint the problem.... I'm hoping that it's not a transfer case failure. I would think there'd be some drivability issues or some troubling noises coming from the front end? Perhaps the fork pin that has been known to break in these vehicles? TIA for any help!!
I noticed that I have no 4x4 while on a snowmobiling trip. Drove up to northern NH in a snow storm, and made it just fine. I drove on some snowy roads with the selector knob on "AUTO" for most of the trip. Shortly into the trip, the "Service Stabiltrak" message and light came on. This has happened to me in the past, but I chalked it up to road grime / rocks/ ice gumming up the wheel sensor rather than there being an issue with the vehicle. That had been the case in the past for the many years I've owned this TB. This time, it stayed on, and it immediately came back on after making a stop for fuel and then getting back on the road.
I parked at the bottom of a snow, icy hill when I reached my cabin in NH.. When I attempted to leave later that night, I found myself stuck.
I put the truck in 4HI, but only the rear wheels would spin. Next, I tried 4LO, same thing. There was nothing I could do to get the front wheels to spin. The lights on my selector knob are functioning properly. I was able to get into 4LO and could feel the rear wheels spinning in low gear, but not the front. Eventually, I called AAA to winch me up the hill.
For the rest of the trip, I left the selector knob in the AUTO position, and the "Service Stabiltrak" light / message appears when navigating a turn into a gas station with some ice patches on the road.
When I returned home, I tried some diagnosis. I successfully shifted into 4HI and 4LO, then drove up and down my cul-de-sac. While cutting the wheel to turn around at the end of my cul-de-sac, there was no "skipping" of wheels, so I know that 4x4 was not engaged even though the rear wheels did shift to low gear while in 4LO - again, front wheels won't spin.
In my garage, I hear the distinct 2 noises when shifting from 2HI to 4HI. So, I'm ruling out the actuator and the transfer case encoder motor. Since the lights on my selector switch function properly, I'm ruling out a switch problem.
Next I jack up the front left side of my TB, turn the the ignition to ON without starting it, then shift from 2HI to 4HI. Again, I hear the 2 distinct "whirring" noises. Next, I am able to freely rotate the front left wheel. HOWEVER, the front drive shaft does not move while I rotate the wheel.
The TB drives perfectly (except for no 4wd), with no "clunking" noises from the front end. In fact, there was nothing the screamed to me a 4x4 issue until I found myself stuck trying to come up an icy hill. Perhaps the Stabiltrak light / message was something other than an errant piece of road debris stuck in the sensor? Now, I'm wondering what I can do further pinpoint the problem.... I'm hoping that it's not a transfer case failure. I would think there'd be some drivability issues or some troubling noises coming from the front end? Perhaps the fork pin that has been known to break in these vehicles? TIA for any help!!