First time trying 4wd, is this normal?

Hey guys, tried out my new 13 DCSB TRD Sport in 4wd for the first time today. It has about 50 miles on it.

To put it into 4hi I stop, go into N, and throw it over to 4hi. The little 4wd light will sometimes blink, then stay on - which I assume means I'm in 4hi. Sometimes the light will continue to blink indefinitely until I turn it back to 2wd. No beeps, no nothing, just blinking lights. It does with about every other time. The manual says something about a buzzer, I never hear any buzzer.

Also, I put it into 4lo for the first time today also. I drove it up to about 18mph, but on the way to that speed it lurched 3 or 4 times like it was shifting gears, just very hard. Is that normal?


I've read the manual, but it doesn't answer my questions. Thanks in advance for the help.

 

What surface were you on when you did this?

You only need to out it in N when shifting into 4 LO. I've thrown the truck in 4 HI doing 50 without issue. I think the manual says up to 65 mph. Sometimes you need to let it roll a bit before it locks in 4wd.

 

I go to 4hi by switching to 4hi below 65 mph, on slick roads or off road and stop below 5 mph then to N and 4lo, it's normal in low range for it to shift fast because of the lower gearing.

 

You shouldn't be going much above 5 MPH in 4LO. You should be able to switch on the fly to 4HI up to around 60 MPH, but have to switch to neutral before switching to 4LO, then reverse the process.

Matt

 

18 mph in 4low, haha. Trying to break the stock parts to get new parts faster...

 

You aren't getting the don't go above 5mph in Lo mixed up with the rear locker are you?

Seems like the computer would have a safety net to not allow for damage..

 

You dont have to stop then put into neutral to put in 4hi, you can shift into 4hi while moving as long as you are under 55. 4lo you have to stop to put it into tho.

 

Please don't tell me I fucked something up...

The manual didn't say anything about optimal speeds for 4lo. I just drove straight ahead to see what it felt like.

 

x2 (my 1st gen i can do ~20 in lo, and i know a guy who's wife drove his 93(?) pickup in 4lo on the road (his fault, he forgot to take it out of low), she got up to ~40 mph and she started throwing belts)

I don't know about that.

 

Well in this video he does around 50mph in 4lo. Don't think I messed anything up....


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q41tZstVtJU&feature=youtube_gdata_player

 

X2! Also, when you switch from 2HI to 4HI and back, make sure you're driving straight and not turning. Your truck will make the switch faster and it's the nice thing to do for your front end.

 

I just tried my 4hi for the first time today on my 2013 dblcb sr5. Pulled up to a stop light and put it in 4hi. It bliinked for 10 seconds so before the light turned green, I put it in park and it stopped blinking and immediately engaged and the 4hi light stayed lit. My truck has 500 miles on it. Pulled into a gas station and turned sharp left and the front seemed to lose power. I'm assuming it supposed to do that...

 

And you think it shook before!

 

Truck will do at least 30 mph in 4 low. It is fine, it will just be high in rpms. If your trying to get in 4 lo and it sits there blinking, try letting off the brake and/or turning the wheels. It also helps to get it locked into 4hi first, which sometimes you have to roll a little bit or drive a little bit to get everything to line up to engage 4wd. Once in 4wd, go to neutral then turn the dial to 4 low. It should drop right into gear.

As far as "lurching" in 4lo. Thats fine. In 4lo it is going to amplify each gear change, due to the tranfer case being geared lower.

 

Sounds like she just floored it trying to get up to speed. A big factor in higher speeds in 4 low, is a very low loading on the motor, which makes it super easy to over rev the engine. Also never hurts to keep an eye on engine temps while in 4 low. There isn't much air flowing over the radiator compared to the higher engine speeds. But I will say, the seconds gens do absolutely awesome in engine temp management. I have been crawling in 100* + weather for hours and never seen the temp climb more than a degree or two

 

The shaking is actually FAR less than it was when I first drove it off the lot. Pretty happy about that.

 

I never engage 4x4 while in motion to prevent damage from occuring

 

I hope you were at least in dirt or gravel.

 

You won't be able to turn as sharp in 4wd. And keep in mind that the sharper the turns you make in 4wd, the shorter the lifespan of your front axle half-shafts. I'm not trying to make you think your truck's 4wd system is as fragile as an antique doll. I learned the expensive way when I was a teenager because I didn't understand a few simple "rules" of 4wd component longevity.

 

Won't hurt a thing to shift into 4 high even on the highway.