4WL question

It’s been unused for months. The manual says run it 10 miles per month in 4WD.

 

Mine clunks coming in and out of 4Lo sometimes..... its normal. Not all shifts coming out of 4wd are going to be silent. Can def hear the transfer case disengaging that front diff. Nothing to be worried about

 

I use the manuel mode and put it in first . What are you using 4Lo for ? I only use it when stuck or going to pull someone out that is stuck or to pull a bush out of the ground . You can also lock it in if the road is really bad and you have to go slow .

 

Is it cold where you are? If so that's probably why.

 

I use 4lo all the time around my house, one way to the main road is a very rutted series of water bars, 4hi is too fast for the bumps, but after the bumps I leave in 4lo for the rest of the dirt/mud trail to the main road. It's maybe 3/4 of a mile, and I'll hit 5-6th gear (MT) cruising in 4lo around 20-25 mph. Did the exact same with thing 3 different 2nd gens, never had any 4wd issues in any of them.

 

55 degrees today and wet.

 

I can get 4th gear in 4LO, but it screams loud at 35MPH. Can't be good for it. 15 to 20MPH is my top safe speed I target in 4LO; faster than that means you should be in 4HI.

 

I was just putting it into 4L and 4H to exercise it as I haven’t used it for months.

 

The actuator lube is a little stiff. Actuate it once a week until it goes away then once every month or two.

 

Are u shifting it properly. First you need to be in 4h to go into 4 low and stopped completely on a manual transmission u need to be in neutral also.

 

Yes. Stopped, neutral, 4H to 4L.

 

Hmm ...Mine doesn’t make any clunky noise .If this was the first time u used it will make a clunk . After that it should be smooth as butter . If you are still getting noise I would take to dealer ASAP and have them check everything. Best of luck .

 

It doesn't hurt, in fact will help, if you're rolling slightly to engage 4lo. If you're at a dead stop there is a chance the gears aren't lined up so they will mesh and engage. If the wheels are turning slowly the gears will engage when everything lines up. Which is only a very slight rotation of the wheels.

I find it easier to go to 4hi while moving then come to a complete stop, but prefer to find a spot on an incline. Shift the transmission to neutral then move the selector to 4lo. If it doesn't engage right away simply taking my foot off the brake and allowing the truck to roll a few inches will align the gears so they will mesh.

If stopped in a spot where the truck cannot roll, and if the gears aren't aligned properly then the gears won't fully engage until you shift it back into gear. When that happens the shift will make an audible clunking sound as the gears mesh. Shouldn't hurt a thing and if it hasn't happened to you yet then you've just been lucky.

 

I use 4LO quite a bit as I always seem to have "honeydo" projects around the house. Very good for driving on grass where you don't want to spin the tires. And yes, there is sometimes a "clunk" when things engage or disengage....not a big deal.

 

Thanks everyone. I appreciate all the input.

 

MT here. I rarely use 4L, when I do I find second gear to work really well for me in most situations. If I’m in 4L in First gear it’s because I’m in a really tough situation or descending a very steep, rutted off-road trail. For most of my uses I find 4HI to be sufficient.

 

That’s true for most 4wd vehicles. I find it gives me a handy excuse to go play once a month!

 

Totally normal for upshifting in low range