How to work out the 4x4 system?

The manual says to drive in 4wd for several miles each month to exercise it and keep the fluids running.

I don't have any off-road areas to drive around in, I am only on the roads

How am I supposed to drive in 4x4?

Can I switch to 4Hi for straight ahead highway driving?

 

Yes

 

Straight ahead driving in 4hi is ok. Just remember to disengage when you need to turn sharp. The engagement and disengagement is part of the system that requires some operations to prevent seizing, so it’s ok to be turning it off and on a bit as well.

 

Also, there are plenty of guys that never use their 4x4 for years then turn it on and it works fine.

 

Owners manual has info.

Also, your sunvisor has lots of 4X4 Info

 

I rarely switched my 2nd gen into 4x4 March to November. Worked perfectly every time I needed it during the winter months for snow and ice for 13 years.

 

I also take to a short dirt road nearby once a month and engage the following in sequence:

- 4-HI
- 4-LO
- lock rear diff
- unlock
- disengage 4-LO
- disengage 4-HI

5-times through takes about 100 feet and 5 minutes.

 

Its good to take in and out of 4 wheel drive every month some people never have issues and rarely use it, but using 4 wheel drive helps to keep actuators from going bad. I think they get corroded on the limit and detection switches and makes them not engage.
At least you dont have to take the transfer case apart to put an actuator on the third gen tho if it does go out.

 

Is there any tolerance for turning when driving on a paved road in 4Hi? I know you should make any corners, but what if the highway turns slightly around a bend? Will I break the 4x4 if I am in 4Hi?

 

You will be fine. You won't breake it lol. No parking lot turns.

 

Gradual Highway turns are okay but dry pavement in parking lots or turning on to perpendicular roads will bind it up quite a bit

 

Find your local Rover dealer and go commando on their demo track late at night. You’ll twist their lockers and score YouTube likes from TWers when they see a Taco ripping it up on their security cams.

 

Dont be too worried, its meant for turns and such. The idea is that you shouldnt Do hard turns because the two wheels have different turning radiuses. If say you were on gravel road or snow where slippage is possible, go ahead and turn hard if necessary. Just try not to lock the steering wheel on dry pavement.

 

Your 4X4 system is subjected to enormous stresses, even when driving properly off-road, so they build it very tough. Toyota doesn’t publish anything, so I think you need at apply a little of your own judgment.

Large sweeping highway bends are not going to damage anything as the tire scrub will be minimal, especially when compared to what the transfer case goes through on a gravel road with decent traction. Just avoid driving around tight corners. Certainly engaging it on a rainy day or wet pavement will help increase the margin further.

 

When you've had to have a transfer case rebuilt you are a little more cautious. I have. And I will still drive on pavement for very SHORT distances in 4X4 in rare cases if necessary. But even then I don't corner. I strongly urge you not to do this enough to give your 4X4 system a workout each month, this means several miles of driving.

Find a gravel road and drive for a mile or two in 4X4 every once in a while. Ten miles once a month is probably more often than necessary, but If you don't use 4X4 for months or years you stand a chance of it not working when needed. During the fall and winter I'm on gravel Forest service roads quite often. I will shift into 4X4 at least once a week for a mile or 2. During the summer months I may go 2-3 months without shifting into 4X4. I've been driving 4X4's since the 1970's. Had to have 2 transfer cases rebuilt because they were used in 4X4 on pavement and have had one Jeep not shift into 4X4 because the 4X4 wasn't used for nearly a year. So yes, you need to use 4X4 from time to time, and no, don't do it on pavement.

I don't even shift into 4X4 off road until needed, then right back to 4X2. Anytime you are driving in an area where traction is good, even in many off road situations, you strain the chain in the transfer case. Over time it stretches and will eventually start slipping on the gears. See photo.

The damage is cumulative. It doesn't break unless you are really doing something stupid like making sharp turns on pavement. But over time you WILL cause parts to wear out sooner than they should even from occasional use on dry hard surfaces. And wet pavement isn't any better. Gravel roads work great. Hard packed dirt roads aren't any better than pavement, you need loose dirt, mud or sand. Driving in grass is good.

 

Thanks everybody.

To "exercise" the 4x4, do I need to engage all of the 4-Hi, 4-Lo, and rear lockers?

Or will just flipping it into 4-Hi on a straight ahead highway once a month suffice?

 

Go find a gravel parking lot or a grass lot and play with ALL the 4WD features. This isn't rocket science.

 

I had my bearings in my rear diff replaced by the Toyota, and asked them could have caused this and no answer was given besides these things just happen sometimes. I was thinking maybe engaging 4hi on dry pavement in straight lines caused it but who knows. I go wheeling every 3 months now and have had no issues since the new bearing went in so yea.

 

There is a chain and sprocket gears in the transfer case that are used when it is engaged, maybe its that you are hearing?

https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/transfer-case-chain-can-anyone-else-hear-theirs.202533/

 

How fast are you going?