So how good is our 4wd system?

I come from jeeps and know about their 4wd sytems,not so much on our trucks. Opinions?

 

Well that's a pretty general question... The best I can offer is this quote originally from member FightnFire. The original question was "What happens when you switch on 4WD?"

 

if you have a TRD O/R with ATRAC and E-Locker its very good. if you dont, then its still good. wish we had manual T-cases though.

 

... but seriously. Not sure what kinda answer you're really looking for? Any machine made by man will break if you push it hard enough, and Tacoma 4WD is no exception; though I don't know of anyone ever having broken a CV axle on a non-lifted truck with standard size wheels.

The electric actuators on the ADD and the transfer case can fail - especially if you let the truck go years and years between times that it's been engaged. It is not practical or cost effective to attempt to put manual hubs on a 2nd gen. Yes it could "theoretically" be done; but you'd have to custom build a new CV axle of new design.

Best practice here is to keep the system running by engaging 4wd at least a couple times a year.

 

Not really looking for a specific answer, just wondering what everybody thought of the system itself. Durability of the tcase and all that.

 

Muy bueno señor. Me guesta el 4x4 en el TACO

 

I don't have a locker and I'm running a 4 banger 5spd manual. My truck has impressed the hell out of me with what it has climbed over and through. I even had to pull an FJC off a trail after he went a little too deep...

http://s1179.beta.photobucket.com/user/Sloweburn/media/CIMG1989.mp4.html

 

oh si senor, me gusta el tiburons en el agua. no me gusta el automobile tiburon, ellos un pieza de mierda. me no gusta el grasa chicas en me automobile, ellas muy feo. no es tiempo para que nadie se.

 

Overall pretty reliable.

I've never read of or heard of a failed transfer case on a 2nd gen.

I've heard of electrical actuators going bad. Actually, I had one go bad on my front differential.

I've heard of folks with oversized wheels and front lockers breaking front CV axles. I've heard of broken aftermarket CV axles - most folks think they're not as strong.

Never heard of a broken factory CV axle on stock sized tires.

The rear diff, expecially the electric locking diff, is a bit of a weak point. There've been a number of stories on TW of stripped ring gears, especially when folks get into a stuck wheel spinning situation with one wheel either bouncing or in very slippery, and then suddenly finding traction.

For this reason, folks who're going to heavily modify their trucks for off-roading often prefer to start with the NON electric locker with the so-called "8.4" rear differential, and fit an ARB locker in it.

 

LOL! Im suprised i still understand the majority of this

 

it got me through some deep mud with no problems, even with rugged fails. did get stuck, but the only reason i got stuck is because the front of the frame got stuck on a mud bank. i'm at stock height. got out of the truck and was a little above knee deep in the hole. had to get a friend with mud grapplers to pull me out. embarrassing.

 

yea but i wouldnt drive a wagon just to have a manual t-case

 

i can tell you this, i was out with several jeeps including rubicons and my truck kept up with the rubicons no problem and did better than most of the jeeps. mine is not lifted yet and still has the tires it came with off the lot and i was climbing all sorts of stuff. I was very impressed and the jeep guys were surprised.

 

Yep. Main thing that sucks about wheeling tacomas is that departure angle. On access and double cabs, the breakover angle is nothing to write home about either.

 

good

 

whats the difference between the manual tcase vs switch? I mean they both engage 4h and 4l. My dad had a durango and everytime I tried engaging 4l it grinds. Is it possible to grind with the switch? I'm a 4x4 noobie never owned a 4x4 vehicle but soon one day I will.

 

The actuator is electric rather than a steel bar you push by hand.
The electric motor is more prone to not work than your hand is.

 

Yup. FWIW, the breakover angle on the Jeep Wrangler 4-door is nothing to write home about either.

Gotta yank those so-called mudflaps that don't flex off of the Taco also. The Taco can match anything the Wrangler can do, except the departure angle.

One thing that's better about the Taco is it doesn't have the low "flipover" angle the Wrangler does. I met a Wrangler head on on a narrow 4WD trail and we were trying to figure out the best thing to do, I told him "I'll just put two wheels onto the hillside here, and you drive by." He said, "That's great, no way I could do that." And I think he was correct, no way he could have got that side angle without flipping. Had the same thing happen another time with my 1st Gen, guy in a Wrangler wouldn't go around a boulder in the road because he'd have to put two wheels on the hillside, the Taco did it just fine.

 

Well, with a manual tcase and manual front lockers, sometimes they won't engage if you're not moving. The tcase will, but the manual front lockers won't. So if you're dead stuck already, the front wheels won't engage.

I still prefer the manual front lockers, because you can keep them engaged without going into 4WD with the tcase. In fact, that's how you keep the front diff lubed with manual lockers, you just lock them up once a month.

I'd prefer to still have the option of manual lockers, but it's all electronic now.