Maintaining 4X4 when not in use

Any tips on keeping the 4H and 4L seals lubricated and working properly when I won't be using it for 3 or 4 months? I know driving it on dry pavement is a no-no I've also heard not to drive it on wet pavement either. The manual says to drive it for up to 10 miles on 4H to keep it in use. Any idea how to do that when ur not using it?

 

Engage it in a straight line. Like a long stretch of highway or city streets when you’re not going to turn

 

So driving it in a straight line on dry pavement, won't cause damage or wear ? Should you keep it under 60 when doing that?

 

The owners manual "suggests" 10 miles/month. The key is use it regularly, there is no magic number. I try to get in a couple of miles every month, but don't lose any sleep if I miss a month or so. Some months may only see 2-3 miles in 4X4, some 200-300 miles and I occasionally miss a month or 2. The key is regular use. Don't worry so much about exact distances and times. Never had any issues since I started doing that.

My wife drove a Jeep Cherokee back in the 90's that we failed to engage 4X4 for 6+ months and had issues. The grease on the locking hubs hardened from lack of use and prevented the hubs from engaging. All it needed was disassembly, cleaning, re-lubeing and reassembly.

In theory that works, but as someone who has paid to have 2 transfer cases rebuilt I don't advise it. The risk just isn't worth the reward. Find a dirt, gravel, grassy or other surface that will allow some wheel slippage. Everyone who has ever owned a 4X4 has driven it on a hard dry surface occasionally. I've forgotten to disengage before pulling back on pavement a few times and driven a few miles before discovering my mistake.

But every time you do that you are over stressing the transfer case, U-Joints and CV axles. Even making turns off road when 4X4 is needed puts stress on driveline components. You're unlikely to have a catastrophic failure, but you could. Most likely you'll just get parts failure later on, but sooner than you should.

 

Welcome to TW!

 

You don't have to drive it any distance really, the main thing is that you exercise the actuators regularly so they don't get sticky.

 

Welcome!

Good info, I will exercise mine more often.

 

The ADD switch is electrical so periodic exercise will prevent oxidation of the metal contact points rendering it non-functional when you need it. The old push-pull headlight switches were like that. A bit unnerving to get into a car of the 1960s and '70s one night and discover the headlights and parking light don't work, until you push and pull the switch knob a number of times. <G>

 

Lots of good info here.

https://youtu.be/-FZcmDGVEmE