10mi of 4x4 per month - According to Manual

You are correct, good sir.

 

brb. gonna go lube my transfercase gears

 

I'm new to Toyota but in my Ranger it was a live axle truck. Meaning everything turned except the t case, which was in "neutral"

If Toyota is breaking the link between axles AND t case power input I am getting rid of this truck. That's about the dumbest idea I have heard yet and explains why they are worried about failure.

 

Just Googled Toyota's A.D.D. system, apparently Toyota has used it since 1989/1990 in trucks and 4Runner, the main difference being that the shift fork in the front differential was activated by a vacuum actuator whereas now it is an electronic actuator.

 

Curious - At one time (and this could be very old information), but I believe some trucks had a slightly overdriven front end relative to the rear (meaning that the front turned slightly faster than the rear as it takes a slightly longer line than the rear in a corner). If this was the case, it would put the truck into a bind even going down a straight road anytime the tires weren't slipping (example: dry pavement). Anyone know if this is still the case?

 

I have not put my truck in 4x4 yet, owned it about 1 1/2 months now. I know the manual says not to put the truck into 4x4 on a dry road. Sounds like putting it in 4x4 in wet conditions is okay? I do not have many roads that are 10 miles in a straight line out where I live.

 

Don't overthink this. Just put it in 4hi every so often when you are on a straight-ish stretch (wet, dry, snow, dirt, zombies, 1 mile, 10 miles, 1/2 mile, 1 month, 4 months, 2 weeks, whatever). Just don't "never" do this.

 

well the warden gives it a workout for about 4-6 months of the year up here. I told her to use 4H whenever she wants during winter and to hell with the mpg. she understands 4WD binding and compensates for it during winter. we bought a 4WD truck for our winters up here, use the dam thing.

 

i went a while without engaging 4H on my 2015. yesterday i went to lock it in so i could haul ass home on top of the levees, and i had to play with it for a while before it "clunked" into place. good thing i wasnt in a bind. when i would switch the dial to 4H, the 4wd light would just blink repeatedly; therefore it was not engaging into 4H. so i left the dial in the 4H position, cut the truck off, cranked it back up, and put it in drive and it went right into 4H.
i put it back into 2H when i got on the pavement, and when i got home, i was able to engage/disengage the 4wd without any problems.
just goes to show you how fast those actuators can start sticking without any use.
learned my lesson.

 

I'd much prefer a manual lever like my Wrangler had.

 

i hear you. i feel the same way.
that lever is going to work every time.

 

You will find out that you will definatly use 4x4 more than 10 miles a month

 

My Montero Sport had a physical lever that engaged 4 hi and 4 lo. You could always tell you were in 4 lo by driving, but it also had switches that tended to get hung up. I never knew if those were only for the dash lights or if they actually engaged anything.

 

Not in Illinois!

 

If anything find a grass field and drive it around in 4x4 for a little while, that will do it, and beside wont hurt if you dont use it for a month, it mainly means if you dont use it for a whole year.

 

mine was having trouble engaging into 4H after not using it for only a few months. maybe its just my truck in particular but its a 2015 so its fairly new

 

Drive at the strip?? In a pick up?? That's weird.

I engage my AWD in hi and lo 2-3 times a week up a dirt/gravel fire road 20% hill too, even more fun when its wet or raining or better snow! The more often I engage the less time it takes to click into LO.
Then stomp the gas - my dog absolutely loves it. Like a bucking Bronco woohoo hold on. Taco turns into a beast off road in 4wd-Lo - I have a manual too so start out in 2nd and hit it, first bump front tires off the ground. One reason I bought this machine. Its fun to drive!

 

I engage my 4WD .....weekly

 

I would like to give it the 10 miles a month workout but all of my driving is city..
i try it on my paved street for maybe 50 feet once in a while while driving straight forward and even then sometimes get the typical clunk when i switch back from 4hi to 2wdhi
It does get use during the winter and up at the cottage..

So would the collective wisdom be to not even try it for very short distances in the city (paved) and just wait till the right conditions (snow, dirt roads are available?)

Do want to break anything trying to meet the 10 miles a month