4lo Question

Ok so the other day when off roading (and atleast once before) I tried using 4lo. I put it in N while on 4hi and then turned to 4lo. The 4lo didnt want to grab on to well. I put it in D then it grabbed on. When it grabbed on it kind of made a forced, but not too badly forced sound. It sounded like it could be normal, kinda like when you turn your CRAWL control on, but not as bad. Then it moved and ran fine in 4lo. When turning back to 4hi it again didnt want to disengage very well and made that same kinda popping in/out of place sound. Then this morning I put it in 4hi and drove like 100 meters. I then put it in 4lo (no engagement problems) and drove 5 meters, very slow ofcourse, and heard a sort of belt spinning kind of sound. I stopped and drove another 5ish Meters and kept hearing that belt sound. I disengaged it with no problems and went on my way. The exercise done this morning was on a cold engine btw. So, are those 4lo engagement sounds normal when engaging 4lo offroad? Are those sounds normal when using 4lo?

 

Were you at a complete stop when you tried putting into 4lo? 2WD --> 4hi can be done while moving but 4hi --> 4low must be done at a complete stop

 

I had it in neutral. May not have been super extremely even. May have had the slightest bit of movement from being on uneven ground.

 

Slight movement (like 1 - 3mph) should be okay but it's best to be at a complete stop.

Having a hard time understanding what you mean by 4lo "didn't want to grab on too well"...4lo should either engage or not engage, it won't partially engage. Usually if people have trouble getting into 4lo they will hear and feel grinding coming from under the truck. Once you're in 4lo it should be pretty obvious as their will be a lot more torque

 

Like a while back what happened was that it took a couple tries for it to engage and a couple for it to disengage.

 

Is this a common issue?

 

You're fine. Depending on the position of the truck, current terrain and how often you use 4lo, the transfer case can be a bit clunky when shifting. If the transfer case is slightly bound up, it can also exhibit symptoms you describe when shifting out of 4lo. Letting it roll very slowly with no load on the transmission, while in neutral, can help with binding during shifts. The "spinning sound" you heard was most likely the transfer case spinning while in the lower gear range and is totally fine. The faster you travel in 4lo, the more noticeable that sound will be.

 

Oh I see, thanks!

 

Not normal but not sure if problematic either. So mine just kind of makes a thud in and out. Doesn’t sound forced but louder than a click. And I don’t have a belt sound.

 

That thud is more or less what I hear. When engaging 4hi I dont hear anything so thats why I described it as "forced" which I now see was incorrect. The belt sound was when I drove it on pavement and picked up a little speed, not really offroad where I go REALLY slow.

 

Ah ok so the engagement sound you are hearing is normal. I’ll take my truck out this morning and see if I hear that belt sound.

 

Just took the truck around the block. There is no belt sound but the engine does make a whirring sound due to the engine braking. I noticed it downhill at idle but not under power up hill

 

Thanks for checking that out. Im describing it as a belt sound, but again was probably wrong. It could also be described as a sort of whirring (how a belt whirs when in action) maybe I just explained it wrong. Ill take a video and upload it so you can hear it.

 

Haha ya describing sounds is tough.

Video will do the trick

 

@JoeCOVA

 

Oh man, its not letting me upload the file

 

The belt sound, kind of like a groan noise? If you switch gears and it hasnt completed the actuation it will groan as you switch to drive and move. Got to wait for the dash to illuminate solid. Not saying thats what happened, but I've heard what it sounds like you are describing. Either way, Im sure you're ok.

 

Need to upload videos to YouTube then post link here.

 

I ran it a couple times and it more of a whirr like @JoeCOVA said and the engagement didnt sound very forced this time. Im guessing ti depends on the angle its in.