4hi binding on pavement

So I have the needle bearing issue with my truck so I was on a straight away and engaged 4hi to stop the vibrations and forgot to go back to 2wd before hand. I took a 90 degree turn going left and my truck binded into a complete stop. I was able to get back to 2wd and go to a parking lot and look at everything. My question is how screwed am I regarding front differential damage?

 

I did that accidentally when my truck was new... it's been 5 years since and nothing seems to be wonky.

 

next time when it binds up real bad, go in reverse for a bit taking the same path your wheels travelled to relieve some stress on the diff before switch back into 2wd

 

I doubt there is any real damage. Most people will experience this sometime or other. Just be aware of the potential problem and avoid binding it up again in the future.

 

Thanks for all the replies. I was cursing a storm trying to get out the parking lot where I got binded.

 

i’ve done that once and my truck was fine. don’t make a habit of it but your truck will be fine.

 

I did this once when I first got my truck ..was a noob to 4x4 turned in a parking lot in 4x4 the truck skipped and made a pop sound … I was sure I had broke something . 4 years later it’s still working … I wouldn’t advice to do it again but these trucks are tuff . If u are really concerned about it change the fluid and see if any metal debris come out . Im pretty certain you are fine as long as it’s working .

 

Damage to the drivetrain from stuff like this is cumulative. Stuff happens to all of us and usually there isn't a catastrophic failure. Doing it repeatedly will over time lead to premature parts breakage. In the future limit 4X4 use as much as possible on any surface with good traction and your CV axles, U-Joints, and transfer case will last a lot longer.

 

This just happened to me last Friday while driving thru a heavy thunderstorm in Lake Charles, LA. I was driving in 4Hi when I pulled over to gas up my Tacoma. While turning around in the gas station's parking lot, I heard a loud pop. I came to a stop and twisted the dial selector to 2Hi but the dash indicator light kept flashing. I then drove a few yards and switched back to 4hi then back to 2Hi and the flashing light finally went off in 2 hi mode. The loud bang startled me for sure. Later in the day, I engaged 4Hi and it worked flawlessly.

I am new to 4x4 world and that loud bang or thud did not sound good to me. I will continue to engage the 4x4 once a month or so just to keep all the system from locking up.

I'm reassured by reading other poster's comments that nothing likely broke in my truck's front diff or transfer case. Gonna cross my fingers!

 

Don't worry about this. I used to teach basic 4x4 driving to new employees. At the time, I was assigned a full size 1983 Jeep Cherokee 4x4 with a 4 speed and a 4.2 litre inline six. It had lock/unlock hubs, but I kept them locked most of the time. That was because most people risked more damage by not rotating the parts (back then) to keep them lubricated, and I could never tell any difference in the fuel economy. I kept track. By the timne I moved on to a new job, that Jeep was scratched, dented, beaten, battered but it just kept on going.

My route out to the hilly dirt site took us down a winding paved road. It was maybe a 10 minute drive. During the 10 minutes, I asked the new employee to tell me everything they knew about four wheel drive. I heard just about every old spouse's tale. So when they ran out of stuff to say, I'd ask, still on winding pavement, "So if I put it into four wheel drive right now, what would happen?" The person would get wide-eyed and sputter something to the effect of "it would be bad." So I'd shove the lever into 4 High. Nothing would happen. After about a mile, I'd pull it back into 2wd and ask, "Now will you forget all that stuff, listen, and have a good time?"

I did manage to get them to experience "The Jeep Dance" a few times just so they would know what it was and what to do about it. And they learned how to descend a sharp grade in 4 Low with their feet off the pedals.

"And she can dance a Cajun Rhythm, just like a Willys in four wheel drive." Jerry Garcia.

 

That is such a great lyric! I received the 60th anniversary 3-CD set of recordings "The Music Never Stopped" by the Grateful Dead from store.dead.net yesterday. (Added to the CD set from their Wall of Sound concert at Harry Adams Fieldhouse, University of Montana in 1975.)