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4 X 4 dashboard indicator disappearance in Xterra


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Hi friends,

I have noticed sometimes the 4x4 dashboard indicator disappears in Xterras and the 4 Lo gear refuses to disengage after recovering from a stuck situation. This creates panic and confusion to the driver as one would think the transfer case has failed. Nothing to worry about, if you will understand why and how to overcome the situation. 

1st thing first. Don't try to drive further without doing these steps. This happens when lot of stress is created inside the transfer case and the gear is unable to shift back to 4Hi as the stress is not released. Please understand the gear is not in 4Hi as you would expect after going into neutral and the switching back of the knob to 4Hi. The transfer case is still engaged in 4Lo and if you drive the car assuming its in 4Hi you will only damage the transfer case if you speed up and end up to be towed out of the desert. You can feel this when you try to drive that the gear is still in 4Lo. 

Announce on the radio you have a situation and explain that your dashboard indicator for 4x4 has gone blank and your car is stuck in 4Lo and request the trip lead to halt the convoy for 2 min. 

There are 4 steps you should follow and your car will be fine and the 4X4 indicator will come back online and the transfer case will work smoothly as if nothing happened. 

Step 1: Go back to the 4 Lo position as you would normally do - By putting the gear shifter into N and pushing the knob of 4X4 to 4Lo. Drive a small distance in very slow speeds on flat ground and stop the car.

Step 2: Switch off the ignition and wait a minute to restart the car. There is no need to reset the ECM by disconnecting the battery terminals and it won't help as the issue is not with the ECM. 

Step 3: Complete the procedure to push the 4X4 knob to the 2Hi position. Neutral 1st, then push the 4X4 knob into 2Hi position by pressing the knob. Don't worry - the display will still be not be on but will if you do the next step soon after. 

Step 4: Drive the car forward for half a minute or more by stepping on the accelerator little more than what is necessary. Immediately you will see the dashboard light for 4X4 is online and the transfer case has shifted to 2Hi and you can feel the car gearing is now much more free than when the lights went blank. 

Shift to 4Hi as you would normally do and enjoy the drive. Announce on the radio your 4X4 issue is sorted out and the convoy can continue moving. 

Have a great day. 

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