Tod Problems !! Help

[MSHardeman]

i read somewhere when i first bought the vx that each bar represents aprox 15% of the power being regulated - might have been in the owners manual

I thought the same thing too, but Ldub showed me a trick in Moab one year. We (well he) was under my VX in the parking lot of The Stoop installing a 3" lift and he had me crawl under there with him and look at the front drive shaft. It looked like it had been sand blasted, but only on the side that was facing the ground. That could only really happen if the front drive shaft didn't turn and the "sand blasted" side was the side that was always facing the ground getting blasted by dirt and rocks being kicked up off the road.

I guess one way to tell would be to mount a little GoPro camera under the VX and drive around to see if the front drive shaft turns under normal driving conditions.

[evillecutter]

I guess one way to tell would be to mount a little GoPro camera under the VX and drive around to see if the front drive shaft turns under normal driving conditions.

that is a great idea

[pbkid]

Im almost positive that the front wheels are under power any time the vx is above 10 or so mph. Proof- go get your vehicle 'emissions tested', they set it on 4 huge rollers. All 4 wheels were definately spinning on the vx. In my 4runner, only the rears spin on the testing device.

[tom4bren]

I guess one way to tell would be to mount a little GoPro camera under the VX and drive around to see if the front drive shaft turns under normal driving conditions.

The low tech solution would be to put a piece of duct tape around the drive shaft making a flag. When you drive, if the front drive shaft is spinning, the loud whirring sound lets you know. If you make the flag long enough to slap the floorboard, then you'll REALLY know.

Actually I'm just kidding. I don't know how much weight it takes to throw a drive shaft out of balance ... & I don't want to find out with MY VX.

[Y33TREKker]

The closest condition that I saw in the US manual indicated that it may be your "4H switch circuit being shorted to ground".

If you can find the equivalent JDM version of the VX repair manual, that circuit and it's equivalent JDM components may be a good place to start. The flow chart for diagnosing that circuit suggested that the problem could possibly be associated with:

- a faulty TOD indicator lamp bulb
- a failed ECU
- a simple short somewhere in the circuit between the ECU and the "4H" switch
- or, a problem in the "transfer assembly"

Given some of the TOD problems I've seen and experienced on my '01 US VX, it might be worth a try to simply disconnect all of the electrical connectors on your transmission, clean both the male and female ends with an electrical cleaning spray, add some dielectric grease to the weather seals to make sure all connectors are waterproofed as well as possible, then reconnect everything and see what happens.

My TOD system flaked out big time once while driving during a very heavy rain that caused standing water. It still acted strange for awhile after the rain stopped, and when the excess water was gone, everything went back to normal. After that episode, I followed the previous steps to waterproof the connectors on my transmission, and have never had the problem again.

It'd be worth the time and effort on your own to determine if it's something simple like that before looking into more expensive repairs and having to deal with your uncooperative Isuzu dealer...in my opinion anyway.

[PK]

The low tech solution would be to put a piece of duct tape around the drive shaft making a flag. When you drive, if the front drive shaft is spinning, the loud whirring sound lets you know. If you make the flag long enough to slap the floorboard, then you'll REALLY know.

Actually I'm just kidding. I don't know how much weight it takes to throw a drive shaft out of balance ... & I don't want to find out with MY VX.

Or the old trick for the mates wedding car - tie an elastic band around the shaft with a steel washer at the end of it.
Faster he goes, the more noise it makes.

PK

[RickOKC]

The low tech solution would be to put a piece of duct tape around the drive shaft making a flag. When you drive, if the front drive shaft is spinning, the loud whirring sound lets you know. If you make the flag long enough to slap the floorboard, then you'll REALLY know.

Actually I'm just kidding. I don't know how much weight it takes to throw a drive shaft out of balance ... & I don't want to find out with MY VX.

When I worked for a mechanical contractor, the techs put zip ties around drive shafts as a prank.