4wd Newbie Question #1

Do I need to engage both 4hi and 4lo to get everything lubed properly?

 

Lots of good info for a 4X4 Newbe! Thanks for the tips. Looks like I need to take it out since I doubt if the previous owner ever did!

And BTW, our other car is a 2015 Highlander XLE! Great vehicle!

 

No jack stands please!!

 

LOL...that scene was going through my mind when I thought of the idea

 

Are there any gravel roads in your area?

 

Unfortunately, I can't think of any at the moment. As far as I know, the only reason to engage 4wd in my area is if you need it at a steep slippery boat ramp or just to go mudding for fun....which I am not interested in doing. We bought the truck as a daily driver with the option of 4wd for getting to places to fish and kayak when we go on vacation.

This brings me back to my idea of jack stands in my first post. Stupid questions now. When the truck is on stands, does it simulate wheel spin / slippage and NO traction. Is it safe to engage both 4hi and 4lo using this method? I'm assuming that this is probably a safer route for me until I get the guts to drive it on pavement.

Hopefully I can find a local place soon to use 4wd in my area without having to go mudding. If anyone here knows of a place in South Florida, please let us know. Thanks.

 

every couple moths for a couple miles, stright road dry pavement, engage it for a couple miles, been doing this for 40 yrs, easypeasy

 

NO STANDS!!

 

Why no stands? Safety issue, preference or because it would damage something?

 

I think its just a safety thing

 

This^

It makes no sense to put it on stands just to run the 4x4 for five minutes. Pavement will because zero issues. No hard turns (don’t let it bind), keep it below 50ish. If they were that fragile, no one would buy them. Also everyone would blow the 4x4 every time the wheels grab while in mud or snow.

 

You wont damage anything if you are careful. I did it several times during traction control 'bench' testing. That testing became the start of what ended in the 3rd gen traction control sticky post. The most I ever felt comfortable doing was about 10 mph.
https://www.tacomaworld.com/posts/16935442

With that said, I would highly discourage attempting it. There are alot of ways it can go wrong and cause damage or injury, just to exercise 4wd.
And some pretty unexpected things can occur, such as you accidentally turn the wheel slightly and traction control fires the brakes on one side of the truck to correct the 'skid' it thinks you are in.

Furthermore it is pretty easy to get the truck to throw codes while doing it. (For example having the steering wheel just slightly off center will throw a code, because the truck thinks it should be turning but the lateral g sensors and rate gyro dont show a turn, so after about 45 seconds it thinks that the g sensor and rate gyro are bad, and you get codes.)

I am about 175 miles north of you. My truck isn't a daily driver. I just try to exercise the system occasionally if I havent used it in awhile. If nothing else i switch to 4lo and back in the driveway, but usually I put in 4hi on a pretty straight road for 5 miles, in the rain, if I can.

When towing boat, I usually use 4hi while launching and recovering on the slippery ramps (only while truck is straight, NO TURNING AT ALL). I use 2Lo mod while backing up driveway with larger boat.