New to 4WD????

I keep seeing 4WD problems posted here and I keep thinking maybe it is sometimes caused by inexperience?? There must be quite a few owners who are new to 4WD.

So, I made a short list:

When you put it in 4WD, give it time to fully engage. If you do not, and hammer it, it can bend the shift fork which will forever be a problem until you replace it. It will pop back out under heavy load.

Do not drive in 4WD on a hard surface. Causes binding and something will eventually give. Might be the popping noise??

4 WD low is engaged in neutral with slight motion for easiest engagement. It will go in stopped but might occasionally not until you move slightly.

It's much easier on your truck if you let up on the gas slightly when you have to go to 4 WD high on the fly.


My one 4WD problem many years ago was accidental/not paying attention. An old man (I was young then) went into a deep ditch by my house. I pulled him out with my old '81 ford 6 cyl. When I was ready to pull him out, I pulled the 4 WD lever but did not get it fully engaged. It pulled him out easy enough, but the 4 WD was not fully engaged and it popped out. What it did was bend the shift fork slightly. After that it would pop out under load. It was years before I ever fixed it since the quick fix was hold the lever to keep it in gear.

Good points.

Also to clarify hard, dry surfaces - asphalt, concrete, chip seal, heavily compacted gravel/dirt. Now if there's ice/snow or even water on top one can get away with it. I wouldn't recommend 4WD though on even wet asphalt/concrete, short of maybe for added traction of pulling a boat out of the water/such.

The biggest thing to keep in mind is turning, if your driving straight there wouldn't be a problem with it as long as it's engaged , it's when you turn you need some slip.

This is the same for the e-locker.

Spent a lot of time east of the Cascades, some beautiful country.

our trucks have open diffs. Unless you pull the rear locker.

Driving it on pavement will not effect it. Its not recommended but with open diffs its fine. Nothing is locked together and it will function appropriately.

Do not engage 4x4 while on the throttle. You can engage it while moving, if its under load say goodbye to your iwe's. wait for the click before you get on the throttle.

Follow this and your iwe's will last a while. They are not bullit proof and they will go eventually but it will extended their life.

Huck said:

our trucks have open diffs. Unless you pull the rear locker.

Driving it on pavement will not effect it. Its not recommended but with open diffs its fine. Nothing is locked together and it will function appropriately.

Do not engage 4x4 while on the throttle. You can engage it while moving, if its under load say goodbye to your iwe's. wait for the click before you get on the throttle.

Follow this and your iwe's will last a while. They are not bullit proof and they will go eventually but it will extended their life.

Click to expand...

I don't believe running part-time 4wd on wet/dry pavement is a good idea. The only time I'd use it in the wet would be on relatively straight roads at speed with heavy amounts of standing water. Making 90* turns from one street to another on wet pavement in 4wd forces significant wheelspin, which is hard on the driveline.

Even with open differentials, you're still demanding the front and rear driveshafts turn at the same speed, while the average path of each pair of wheels (front/rear) don't lie in the same arc.

The front and rear are not locked together either, it's all open diffs no different than the rear axel in 2wd. Each are free to turn at different speeds. Hence open diffs.


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Huck said:

The front and rear are not locked together either, it's all open diffs no different than the rear axel in 2wd. Each are free to turn at different speeds. Hence open diffs.


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Click to expand...

Yes, but the average wheel speed on each differential must equal the driveshaft speed. The front and rear driveshafts must move at equal speeds on a part time transfer case (no center diff) locked in 4wd.

So you're still asking the driveline to deal with the fact that the average speed of the front wheels must be equal to the average speed of the rear wheels. The problem is the average arc scribed by the front wheels isn't the same as the rear.

Owners Manual (starting on page 151):

Note: If 4X4 low is selected while the
vehicle is moving above 3 mph (5 km/h),
the 4WD system will not perform a shift.
This is normal and should be no reason for
concern. Refer to Shifting to or from 4L (4X4
Low) for proper operation.

Using the Electronic Shift on the
Fly 4WD system (If Equipped)

2H (4X2)
For general on-road driving. Sends power
to the rear wheels only and should be used
for street and highway driving. Provides
optimal smoothness and fuel economy at
high speeds.

4H (4X4 HIGH)
Used for extra traction such as in snow or
icy roads or in off road situations. This
mode is not intended for use on dry
pavement.

Note: Do not use 4H (4X4 HIGH) on dry,
hard surfaced roads. Doing so can produce
excessive noise and increased tire wear. 4H
(4X4 HIGH) is only intended for consistently
slippery or loose surfaces.

4L (4X4 LOW)
Uses extra gearing to provide maximum
power to all four wheels at reduced
speeds. Intended only for off-road
applications such as deep sand, steep
grades, or pulling heavy objects. 4L (4x4
low) will not engage while the vehicle is
moving above 3 mph (5 km/h); this is
normal and should be no reason for
concern. Refer to Shifting to or from 4L
(4x4 low) for proper operation.

Note: Do not use 4L (4X4 LOW) on dry,
hard surfaced roads. Doing so can produce
excessive noise and increased tire wear. 4L
(4X4 LOW) is only intended for consistently
slippery or loose surfaces. Use of 4L (4X4
LOW) on these surfaces may produce some
noise (such as occasional clunks), but will
not damage drive components.

Note: The AdvanceTrac system has the
ability to take over control of the transfer
case clutch and disable it during driving
maneuvers when necessary.
Shifting between system modes

Note:Momentarily releasing the accelerator
pedal while performing a shift will improve
engagement/disengagement times.
Note: Do not perform this operation if the
rear wheels are slipping.

Note: Some noise may be heard as the
system shifts or engages; this is normal.
Note: 4X4 high mode is not intended for
use on dry pavement.

You can move the control from 2H or 4H
at a stop or while driving. The information
display may display a message indicating
a 4X4 shift is in progress. Once the shift is
complete the message center will then
display the system mode selected.

Shifting to or from 4L (4X4 low)
Note: Some noise may be heard as the
system shifts or engages; this is normal.

Note: 4x4 low mode is not intended for use
on dry pavement.
1. Bring the vehicle to a speed of 3 mph
(5 km/h) or less.
2. Place the transmission in N (Neutral).
3. Move the 4WD control to the desired
position.
The information display will display a
message indicating a 4X4 shift is in
progress. The information display will then
display the system mode selected. If any
of the above shift conditions are not met,
the shift will not occur and the information
display will display information guiding the
driver through the proper shifting
procedures.

If SHIFT DELAYED PULL FORWARD
displays in the information display, a
transfer case gear tooth blockage is
present. To alleviate this condition, place
the transmission in a forward gear, move
your vehicle forward approximately 5 feet
(1.5 meters), and shift the transmission
back to N neutral to allow the transfer case
to complete the range shift.

ELECTRONIC LOCKING
DIFFERENTIAL (IF EQUIPPED)
Note: The electronic locking differential is
for off-road use only and is not for use on
dry pavement. Using the electronic locking
differential on dry pavement will result in
increased tire wear, noise and vibration.

The electronic locking differential is a
device housed in the rear axle that allows
both rear wheels to turn at the same
speed. The electronic locking differential
can provide additional traction should your
vehicle become stuck. You can activate
the differential electronically and shift it
on the fly within the differential operating
speed range. The differential is for use in
mud, rocks, sand, or any off-road condition
where you need maximum traction. It is
not for use on dry pavement.

The following conditions will affect the
electronic locking differential:
• The electronic locking differential will
not engage if your vehicle speed is
above 20 mph (32 km/h) in 4x2, 4x4
Auto, or 4x4 High modes
• The electronic locking differential will
not engage if your vehicle speed is
above or 56 mph (90 km/h) in 4X4
Low
• The electronic locking differential will
not engage if you press your
accelerator pedal beyond 50% during
an engagement attempt
• In 4x2, 4x4 Auto, and 4x4 High modes,
the electronic locking differential will
automatically disengage at speeds
above 25 mph (41 km/h) and will
automatically reengage at speeds
below 20 mph (32 km/h)
• In 4L (4X4 low), the electronic locking
differential will automatically
disengage at speeds above 62 mph
(100 km/h) and will automatically
reengage at speeds below 56 mph (90
km/h)
• The AdvanceTrac system has the
ability to take over control of the
electronic locking differential and
disable it during driving maneuvers
when necessary

When you switch the system on, if you do
not meet the required conditions for
electronic locking differential activation,
the instrument cluster will display the
appropriate information guiding you
through the proper activation process.