Proper operation of 4X4 ?

dude.....we need to ride on your land sometime!!!

 

Is locking yalls rear end different than the posi unit on my chevelle. Well let me rephrase that, how is it different than a spool on a hot rod. Reason for rephrase is because I technically have a limited slip as most posi are yet I have changed the spring and other parts needed to make it more sensitive to torque making it lock up almost any time I press the loud pedal. In cars with spools we can drive at any rate of speed that we choose as long as we go slow on turns. I don't understand why yalls trucks would have a speed limiter on them with the rears locked. Just wanting info.

 

I had heard mention of it before but couldn't understand why. Thanks.

 

...and that is because the locker can only be engaged while in 4lo (from the factory) unless you have a Prerunner. I have yet to see anyone go that fast while in 4lo.

 

I engage my 4WD while on the highway (7mile straight stretch) while it's pouring out and I've gone 65mph. I do it to keep things lubricated (as mentioned in manual). Every so often, I'll find a very small patch of dirt and put it in 4lo..... There just isn't enough 'dirt' around here to put it in 4hi and get things moving. It's bad enough, my 4lo stretches are lucky to be 20 feet long.

 

Same here and the only time I really use 4X4 is during hunting season, snow, and in the mountains.
I should probably clarify what I was calling pavement as well. My city's version is to occasionally drop oil, then pea gravel and hope enough traffic smashes it in the center of the road before it all ends up in the gutters.
Lucky me as it looks so good on the wifes and my white vehicles.
So when I backed out of the drive and it had that binding feeling while basically driving on a gravel road it got my attention.
I've driven on patchy pavement in 4H at moderate speeds for years in several Toyota 4X4 vehicles and never had any problems.
I'm still going to see if the dealer will let me drive a new one around the lot to compare to mine in 4H.

 

I have driven 4x4's here in West Virginia for years. Some bad winters I have left my Tacoma in 4Hi for a month at a time. Most of my driving is on the interstate to go to work. If I even think the road is a bit slippery I put it in 4hi because a two wheel drive truck gets out of control easily, esp. across a black ice covered bridge. My old 95 Tacoma had 149,000 miles and never had any driveline problems. You can drive in 4hi on pavement but only if it is slick due to road conditions.

 

disagree - we run on snow, rain, ice, sleet etc up here all the time. If your afraid you might lose control, lock it in.

 

True, w/ lake effect squalls you can go in/out of whiteout to dry pave and back in a couple miles. Not gonna keep shifting 2wd to 4wd over and over. I just leave it in 4hi as long as no tight turns and conditions overall warrant its use. Got at least 2500 mi in 4hi no issues.

 

Thanks to all that replied. I'll just keep doing as in the past and cross the fingers that these new ones are as tough as my past trucks. I'm still going to see if the dealer or a friend with another Tacoma will let me drive it to compare to make sure mine is alright.

 

When you backed-out, did you make a turn?

Ideally, you shouldn't use 4WD on high traction areas (pavement, stones, rocks, etc). You just gotta be careful when you do..... There are a lot of factors that can cause things to bind up - turning, suspension & sway bar/position etc. If you're in 4WD on high traction areas, avoid making any turns.

If you ever feel things beginning to bind up - STOP IMMEDIATELY. Don't force it. Depending on the situation - straighten the wheel and backup a few inches. OR - straighten the wheel and take it out of 4WD. Then continue.... Sometimes you might need to rock it back-n-forth (wheels straight). It all depends on the situation. When the system is *bound up*, it's not gonna disengage out of 4WD until you relieve the pressure in the driveline.

In most cases - it's the front end CV joints that are binding up. Even if you're offroading on soft dirt - NEVER turn the steering wheel to full LOCK. That's just asking for your CV joints to blow-out. I've seen it happen on the trails.

 

Yeah I cut the wheel some backing out of the drive. The back wheels were in the soon to be pavement gravel and the front end was still on the concrete driveway. The back started spinning and the front seemed to be a very big boat anchor and the truck basically lurched to a stop without pushing on the gas that much. I pulled back in and went to 2H again backed out to the gravel and experimented with 4H, 4L, and locked. Everything seemed fine. I drove to a dirt field a short distance away and played again. I just couldn't understand why it wouldn't spin the tires in 4H in the loose dirt. I guess it grabs pretty good with these rugged trails?

Anyway I'm still going to drive a friends or one on the lot to compare.

 

Thank you for posting that. (from my growing list of things I didn't know till i found this fourm)

 

Thanks for the reply and I should have read the locking rear end thread all the way through as a lot of this was covered there as well. My truck is fine by the way. I just need to take more time off from work and play off road and loosen it up some.

 

Thanks for the invite, but the only tires I'll probably be wearing down in Vegas would be on the plane and the rental.

 

So what happens if you don’t do this? On my previous Toyota truck I’d go 7 or 8 months (through the summer) without ever engaging 4WD. Then it always worked perfect in winter. I had the truck for 20 years without a problem. That’s basically my plan on my new truck. I’d have to go way out of my way to do the 10 miles every 1000 for the purposes of keeping things lubed up in summer. I also don’t see how it could make that much difference. Maybe if you didn’t engage 4WD for ten years that could be a problem.