4 Wheel High Question

Does anyone have issues with their truck when you switch to 4H. I engage it while on the move and the 4H works perfectly but when I slow down to pull into a parking spot my truck comes to a complete stop. When I give it gas the truck doesn't want to move. Does anyone know how to remedy this issue.

 

How sharply are your wheels turned while pulling into the space? While in 4H turning the wheels on dry pavement at slow speeds will bind and you will notice it trying to move forward.

 

Don’t use 4h on paved roads . It’s not a full time 4 x4 system .

 

So if I need to engage into 4wd do I hit the button instead of turning the 4H knob.

 

Best way to engage it properly is to stop on a dirt road then turn the nob to 4x4 high . It will flash slowly roll forward and it will engage . If not repeat .then when u want to go to 4x2 stop switch the knob to 4x2 and roll forward and it will engage .

 

4WD was really not designed to be used on hard dry pavement. As stated, it is not like a Subaru AWD system; what you are feeling are the front wheels binding which is normal given what you are doing to it. If you need 4 high to drive on say a loose gravel or snowy road, that is fine. But you should turn it off before you go to make sharp turns on hard surfaces(like when parking) or you will feel the wheels binding.

 

Your trucks 4X4 system is designed to only be used on slippery surfaces. When you corner, such as pulling into a parking space each of the 4 wheels takes a different path. And since they end up in the same place must turn at different speeds. The inside wheels, especially the inside front wheel has the shortest distance to travel. The outside rear wheel the greatest distance. Not a problem in 4X2.

But when you engage in 4X4 the transfer case tries to force all 4 wheels to turn at the same speed. If you're on mud, snow, ice, grass, loose dirt, gravel or sand the inside wheels will spin slightly as you make the turn since they are traveling the least distance, but are turning at the same speed.

If you're on pavement you really put the drivetrain in a bind since it is hard for the wheels to spin on surfaces with good traction. The truck doesn't want to move and if you force the issue you'll break expensive stuff. As said AWD is a different system. It will allow 4 wheels to get power, but at different speeds. It works great on pavement, wet or dry. It does a decent job in light snow and mud, but for harsher off road conditions true 4X4 is much better.

In the future, don't engage 4X4 at all unless you're on a slippery surface such as those listed above and that does not include wet rainy roads. Technically you should be OK on dry pavement as long as you drive in a straight line. I still don't advise it. Pulling a boat out of the water on a slick boat ramp is the only exception I can think of.

 

Yeah today we had freezing rain and tomorrow we are expected to get almost a foot of snow which is why I turned it on. I appreciate everyone's advise.

 

While still rolling, put into N->4HI->D has worked in seconds everytime. You also need to disengage (same way as above) before hitting pavement again.

 

I was amazed how slick and
easy my truck will go into the 4wd modes...hi, or low when on the fly. If your parked, and then try to engage 4wd it may take a few seconds for it to happen. Otherwise its extremely quiet with no jerking like my old gen1 tundra did. Except for the green led dash symbol indicating 4wd you'd never know if in 4wd, or not.

 

Hope this helps

 

Awesome thank you very much!

 

You can't go into 4lo on the fly

 

You can go into 4 hi while moving and in D. You just need to be off the gas. 4 Lo is a different ball game.

But yes, binding, especially at full lock, will happen if you're not slipping. Part time 4x4 needs slip to work properly. If you're worried about the conditions, just be sure to avoid the steering being hard over unless you know for sure there is slip (ice or deep snow, for example). Otherwise you'll get exactly what you experienced above and cause extra strain on your drive system.

 

Sorry but you can use it on wet paved roads. Just needs to be engaged and disengaged on wet/slippery roads and when not making sharp turns think ahead and disengage.

 

Thank you!! So if there is a lot of snow then I can engage my 4H got it!

 

What are you talking about? Neutral is not necessary in order to engage 4wd Hi.

 

For sure. Anything where a little slip is allowed.

Think about it this way. Your rear differential is an open differential when operating normally because your tires need to spin at 2 different speeds when cornering. Same with the 4x4 system. However, a true 4x4 system won't allow the front and rear tires to spin at different speeds when engaged. That's why you need terrain that allows slip or you'll feel said binding like you did when pulling into that parking spot.

AWD is a completely different ball game which is why it isn't an issue for those vehicles.

 

The AWD uses a VC, viscous coupler which allows this like on my LC. Once I put it into 4Hi the transfer case engages the mechanical 4WD in the TC and disengaged the viscous coupler system.

 

Realistically u shouldn’t use 4x4 for on paved roads unless the conditions are extreme and you are not making extreme turns . The system was not designed for paved roads like a awd system . If u read in the manual it has a big warning using it on paved roads . Can cause potential damage .