binding

i threw my 2.7 access cab into 4 wheel for the first time today and as soon as i got back onto pavment if i turned the wheel more than two inches it started binding up and the front tires were hopping. is this normal?

 

To some extent - YES it is normal and you should avoid running in 4WD while on pavement (especially dry pavement) and avoid making tight turns while in 4WD also. You can 'get away' with running in 4WD on dry or wet pavement as long as you drive in a straight line only. The driveline can and will BIND UP and the vehicle will buck, lurch, and hop. If you allow this to happen too many times - you can damage things.

Your best bet - is to put the vehicle in 2wd when you're gonna enter back onto pavement and/or if you're gonna make any tight turns (like, turning into a parking space, etc).

 

Janster is correct, but it sounds like you were getting some binding a little premature ? Two inches seems miniscule when one thinks of binding, if this is the case you might an issue that the dealer should be looking at. Turn the 4wd off, drive down the road, make some turns, no binding should occur. Go off road, engage 4wd, make sure the fronts are pulling, while off road, turn off 4wd, make sure fronts are not pulling, while in 2wd, drive on pavement and maake sure you do not bind, if you do there are two things, it's not disengaging, or worse there is damage, both cases require a trip to the dealer. good luck and be safe.

 

see, i'm used to the old get out an lock the hubs 4wd and it seemed like i could drive all over with those. i used to be into off roading pretty big, but i guess i never noticed that happen in my other vehicles. so what if i'm driving up a hill in the snow and i need to use 4 wd and on this hill is a sharp turn?

 

It depends on the 4WD system.

My jeep is solid front axle with hubs/u-joints/manual hubs. They're pretty forgiving (for the most part). Tacomas have CV joints and the biggest concerns with turning too sharply is putting stress on the CV joints. I've seen guys on the trails make tooo tight of a turn and blow out their CV joints.

You just gotta be aware of what the truck is doing. Making a tight turn on a slippery surface is far better than on the pavement. Making a tight turn while you're *moving* is better than when its not moving (or moving slowly). Take notice to the truck and if it starts bucking/lurching - you need to back off and don't force it.

There are many factors involved with why it binds up - weight distribution, suspension geometry, traction, etc.

 

Janster, you are spot on ! I hears years of wisdom when you respond, I look forward to many more.

 

Jedi, did you just call Janster old? ooooooooooooh......

 

Well it does say senior member under name, I just figured... well you know

 

if you're right, maybe we should have tcbob change the title to senior citizen

 

Thanks! Glad to help!!

As I've come here to gather and add wisdom from everyone here! That's what its all about.

 

Never noticed the 'senior' thing. Guess that goes by birthdate and not post count or how long you've been here..? That's funny...

NOooooooooooo........not Senior Citizen!! I'm not THAT old!!

 

haha it goes on when you hit 100 posts, if you WERE that old, i'm sure you'd be asking me for more tennis balls to put on the legs of your walker lol

 

I was thinking of you guys today.... We got about 1" of snow today (so it appears). I think we actually got more than and it just didn't 'lay' (it melted early than froze later).

Driving to work, I honestly didn't think I'd need 4WD. Traffic was backed up and running 40mph on the highway - so you know it was slick. In 2WD, I stepped on the gas and the azz-end came out a bit. OOooooK - looks like I'll need 4WD then.

Later driving home - it's cold and everything is frozen over. Although, the highways and some roadways were treated with salt and were melted. It was at night and you couldn't tell the difference between black ice and/or water on the roads. I kept the 4WD on the whole time. I made a tighter turn at the gas station but I was going probably 5mph.... I was paying extra attention to the truck and what it was gonna do. All went well.

This is my first *snow* in this tacoma.... every vehicle is different in how it handles. I gotta *feel it out* to know how this paticular truck handles in the snow. So far, I'm not disappointed at all! But then, with 210lbs in bed, limited slip - I can't go wrong.

Damn salt...my truck has been violated!!!

 

i feel like i need some more weight in mine, 150lbs doesn't seem like enough