96 Tacoma 4x4 Help.. newbie

Hey guys, I'm new here and new to 96 Toyota Tacoma 4x4 I just bought... I wanted to know how to use the hub locks for 4x4 driving.

I have figured the gearing inside the truck but wanted to know if the wheel hub has to be in lock position for the front wheels to drive.. .. Let say a scenario where I'm driving through snowy, slipperry road? and the second in an offroad situation .... thanks in advance....

 

Hey, before engaging 4WD you need to put both hubs in the lock position. You should actually just "LOCK" the hubs if you think you'll need 4WD on that drive so you can use the shifter inside the cab when you decide you need it. If you don't think you'll need 4WD on the day you are driving then keep them in "FREE" so you can get better gas mileage and not wear the front drive train down. Manual hubs are awesome (that's why people switch to them) and if you have any other questions gimme a holler. Also every month or so you should drive about 10 miles with them engaged (you don't have to engage the 4WD shifter though) to keep the front lubricated properly.

I use mine in the snow a lot every year and the 4WD works perfectly just remember to lock your hubs before engaging the 4WD, if you engage it without the hubs locked while driving, you will hear some grinding and may break your T-Case, because when the hubs are locked and the wheels are turning that keeps the two drive shafts (front and rear) in sync so you can engage on the fly. Hopefully, I didn't confuse you, our trucks are pretty much the same and I can help if you need more clarification.

 

Thanks!!

 

Do you HAVE to engage hubs before selecting 4wd? Sometimes I find myself in situations where it's nice to drop the gearing to 4lo without actually needing 4wd to get started on a hill or have more control.

 

if you want 4wd engaged then yes hubs need locked in, but if you just need the lower gearing of 4low but don't need all 4 wheels turning then yes you can just put the gear selector in 4low without locking the hubs which will give you 2wd low range, one of the benefits of manual hubs. All that happens if you put it in 4wd either hi or low without hubs locked in is the transfer case engages which in turn turns the front drive shaft and diff but the cv axles to the wheels will just free wheel inside the hub on the wheels without putting any power to them. Essentially the manual hubs just lock the front wheels to the front axles.

 

^^^ manual hubs are the best