Manual 4x4's, anyone?

ah I stand corrected for the grey wire mod, like I said its been years lol.

Speaking of towing, anyone know if you can flat tow a 4WD with manual axles? Ive heard alot of "no" and a few "yes" for flat towing any taco (ADD or Manual hubs).

 

It's in the manual but I'm pretty sure it's a no.

 

But what is the difference? Just that mine has a (vacuum? or are they electronic these days?) actuator and yours is mechanical? I don't really know what I'm saying -_-

 

I meant to say flat towing, missed the flat for some reason.

 

Exactly! yours is electronic and mine the j shift is full mechanical.

 

It doesn't matter what gear you're in to engage 4x4, just don't try it over 60mph! The easiest technique I've found in every vehicle I've had is to to blip the throttle and let the RPM's fall down, pull the lever/push the button and it engages much smoother and easier that way. Or just putting the transmission in neutral with your wheels straight and your foot off the brake then engage it that way (this can be done coasting or stopped). Both these steps I use to engage and disengage my 4HI. Most important thing is to make sure your wheels are straight when engaging 4x4 if you can help it, if the wheels are turned it puts everything in a bind and it goes in much harder and usually clunks or grinds in disapproval. And yes, reversing in 4x4 is definitely doable!
Other than that please, please, please don't use it on wet roads that aren't slick or dry roads! I see so many people using 4x4 in their trucks/SUV's on that stuff and it just tears the hell out of the 4WD system, it's especially bad in winter when people put their vehicles in 4x4 and forget about it. Unless it's a AWD or full time 4WD setup, it's not designed to run on dry pavement and will shorten the life of your transfer-case, front differential, front driveline, u-joints, and axle joints. Friday, a first and 3rd generation Tacoma and 4Runner came in and it was a very warm day so the snow was melting good and the streets were just wet but the vehicles were in 4x4! I just had to disengage them pulling out of the shop. The customers probably put them right back in but I just can't stomach turning out onto the street and feeling that front end get all bound up!

Now, go enjoy your truck and have fun! This forum is a plethora of helpful information, but it can also have a very negative impact on your bank account if you're not careful!

 

Got a little carried away here but there were some unanswered questions in the thread; sorry for some redundant info...

The shift pattern resembles a j, and why it's called that (I believe)

From: 2wd hi
back to 4wd hi
Move right, then forward to neutral
Then forward to 4wd Low


4hi:
basically for snow on the highway, unpaved roads, light duty or high speed off-roading (>25mph)

4 Lo (25 mph max speed):
for the more serious stuff; it has much better traction and effectively lowers all gears by ~ 2 1/2 times (2.57), so say in Hi in 1st gear the engine redlines at ~ 20 mph, in Lo it will happen at like 8 mph, 2nd @ 45mph in high & 18 mph in Lo, and so on. It does this with a set of gears after the transmission in the transfercase; they call it hi & Lo, but you could call it 1st (Lo) & 2nd (hi) but then everyone might think you need to start from 1st like the transmission then try to shift when moving...
If you are going up some crazy steep stuff you can go safely at a snails pace in Lo or just go super slow to get use to how the truck goes through varying terrain. I did that; recommend it.

Locker:
So in 4 Lo, if one tire in front and one in back don't have traction, then they'll slip/spin & you don't progress. Engaging the locker temparlarily physically locks the rear axles together so both rear tires rotate forwards (or backwards) at the same speed, so hopefully that rear tire was not turning has traction and can now move you along.
It is a "get you out" or get you through it item, for the most challenging spots. So 3 of the 4 tires (both rear tires and one front) have full engine power (vs limited slip differentials) .
Mine didn't come with one (it doesn't have the TRD package) and referred to an "open differential" or "open diff" meaning only one of the two tires recieve power, works just like yours when the locker is not engaged. I want to get an aftermarket locker, and you get them for the front, but was not a factory option.

LSD/posi/etc:
Limited slip differentials (also know as posi-traction & other names) uses clutches in the differential to apply some power from the spinning tire to the tire not really moving with traction. I "think" some 2nd gens (

$73 2005-2015 Toyota Tacoma With 4L Right Petrol intake air snorkel kit high performance system compatible kit Replacement black Rotational Molding (2005-2015)

2005-2015) have them in the sport package...

differential:
that round thing between the tires the driveshaft goes to; it has gears inside the allow the two wheels to turn at different speeds; why is this needed? If it were a solid axle, the truck would not turn very well; tire slippage would need to occur because the outside tire is traveling a path further than the inside tire (& visa versa) in turn.

Capability & mods:
You should be pretty happy/impressed with the capability of it stock, especially with that locker; prolly best to get use to the truck and see what it can do before changing anything.
Only exception to that is maybe, frame sliders, offroad bumpers (rear bumper with protection between the rear wheel to bumper). Most folks get some bad body damage then get protection after, but that is depends on what you're doing with it. If you can't slide into a tree or large rocks (like you don't have those things close to or in the trail/road) then that might be overkill.
The stock suspension and tire size are what the truck was designed for; anything else has tradeoffs, but it can worth it; just depends on what you want and are okay with what you're giving up. The varying types of lift kits have a big range pros and cons themselves.

Stock tires & chains:
If you have street tires and wanna keep them and get through mud just get a set of snow chains (not cables); they do great in the mud just like the snow (they make nasty ruts in mud/dirt but aggressive mud tires also do). They are kinda of a pain to put on and take off but definitely worth the trouble; at least when your street tire aren't cutting it. Just wear gloves and a parka, mostly so they don't pinch/scrape you and you stay pretty clean laying in the mud... a tarp too probably

A lot people want your truck:
If you don't know (but you probably do) that is highly desirable Tacoma you have; not that many 1st gen TRD 5spd V6 4x4s out there, most came with automatics and the 01-04 tend to be the most sought after.

If anything above needs clarification just let me know.

Anyway welcome to the forum! Lots of good info on it, oh and in the owners manual is great too. Most people love these trucks and keep them practically forever.

 

Manual says no but don't say why, lots of people do and say the manual says no for liability only. Who knows. I've never towed one, flat towed my samurai all the time behind my f150. It is also a no-no I believe. Unlock the hubs, tcase in neutral, tranny in 2nd. Hitch up and go to the trails.

 

@Indy badass sammi! They are on my wheeler build bucket lists!

 

Thanks, it was nice but has since gone to a new owner. 4.62 and ARB in the diffs, 5:1 in the tcase, on board air, 12k winch, 3 or 4 inch reverse shackle lift, 31's etc. That thing would climb a tree if I wanted it to In low range I could take off up hill from a dead stop, uphill, without touching the gas. It crawled really really well.

I got into them while trying to find a side by side atv for elk hunting. Even burned down and thrown down a hill those things are retarded money for what you get. With the sammi, it's about the same size, has heat, has a roof, has a stereo and I think I was into that entire project about $2500.

Looked a bit different when I bought it, but for $900...





The importance of having doors and roof on when it's nasty out. Nothing like having baseball sized chunks of mud whizzing past your head and sticking to the inside of your windshield. Wider fender flares later did wonders as well.



Actually on the trail so don't flame me, it's a crossing and the trail picks up around the bend.



And what the winch was used for more than getting unstuck. Neighbors decided to take down their trees and didn't know what they were doing. Kept felling trees onto my house until I started yanking them out.