Accidentally bumped 4wd knob

Must have bumped the 4wd switch when wiping down the dash area (really don't like the placement of that thing), and only discovered this after pulling out of the driving way and trying to drive up the street. I know going 10 feet in a straight line in 4hi on dry pavement isn't a huge issue, but I did not do that. Due to stuff in front of the truck, i had to pull a hard right turn (starting with my tires turned to the left) before dropping off my sudden curb-like driveway entry. So I made this sharp turn and dropped the curb, travelled maybe 10 feet, and it felt like something was stuck under the truck so i stopped. I heard some grinding sound as well. The truck would then not accellerate, like it was stuck. I realized the 4hi was on, but since my wheels were fully turned I could not easily get out of it. It took going in reverse a few feet to straighten out to allow 4wd to disengage. Afterwards, in 2wd, I am now noticing a clicking sound when accelerating from a dead stop. (Could have always been there and I have not been hyper aware to notice it). Any cause for concern? I know I didn't go far and this was at crawling speed, but having made a sharp turn on dry pavement (a big no no) and having read of horror stories on here about lock ups, I thought I'd ask the smart TW crowd if its something to get checked out.

Oh yeah, I did go out to dirt afterwards and was able to get in and our of 4hi no problem.

 

Should be fine.

I once almost accidentally threw it in 4wd by adjusting the air conditioner. Stupid design.

 

No different than driving on rocks off road. I cannot understand all the trepidation and worry of driving in 4HI on pavement. Sure, you don't want to do it for 20K miles but seriously, in the rocks off road is way tougher than a few feet on pavement. Don't worry. You are fine.

 

Awesome, thanks.

 

wellllll.....probably ok but I would check the seams around
the transfer case for any weeping of fluid...any stains at all
that are new. if you stressed it bad it might leak before it exploded.

but I am guessing....nothing bad happened since you didn't do this and ignore the binding and keep doing it

 

Because your owners manually literally tells you to not do it

 

Trust me... your tires will slide on pavement and rocks too. long before you break something in the transfer case. I agree, driving all day every day on pavement with your part time 4WD engaged is not a good idea, if only because you will wear out your tires in about 10K miles. But there is this black magic taboo voodoo thing about driving on pavement in 4WD. Pavement is truly much easier on the vehicle than going to Moab or climbing some rock ledge. Sometimes common sense and logic need to be used.

 

So, you are driving off road on a dirt road in 4HI. You come to a rocky section and a small set of rock ledges that are no problem to go up in 4WD. Do you turn around because you think your transfer case is going to get blowed up if you attempt it? Do you think the coefficient of adhesion of rubber on rock is different than rubber on pavement?

 

Calling him crazy is a bit strong. Driving on pavement in 4HI isn't ideal, but over a short period it almost certainly won't hurt anything. Especially something like OP where they went like 20 feet. Even if the front wheels were binding up, most of the time they'll just hop or skid before they start screwing up the t-case.

 

Welcome to owning a 4wd truck:

http://www.4x4abc.com/4WD101/axle-wind-up.html

 

Calling him crazy because he said that the only problem with it is wearing down on the tires.

I said OP is fine.

 

Tell that to wifes transfer case that failed after I left it in 4lo. HAHA. Dont ask.

What really hurts it is full lock turning on dry pavement. When rock crawling your really not full lock turning. Unless you want to flip your rig or break a CV shaft. Thats the difference. Also pavement still has more traction than most rocks in my area. Slick rock at Moab is really grippy but again not going to be turning full lock up on those trails.

 

Lol I knew somebody would bring up that picture. That is a Jeep GC case that was driven several thousand miles with low lubricant. Hey, it's your truck, play by whatever rule you want. Just don't take it off road because it's much harder on your 4WD there than driving on smooth pavement.

 

Lol 4LO is much different than 4HI. That's why they make you do a few things before you can get to 4LO. The torque is much greater in 4LO and yes, it will tear something up if you are not careful.

 

How about this, I'll make you a deal.. I shit you not. I'll do it.

You put your truck in 4HI and keep it there.

If it makes it to the point that you need new wheels and tires, I'll buy you whatever wheel/tire combo you want!

If it doesn't last, you post pictures on Tacoma world and get towed to the dealership under your own cost.

We can seriously do this.

Edited: 4HI. Accidentally put 4LO in there.

 

That is true. Crazy thing is in her 5.4l V8 Ford Expedition you could not even tell it was in 4lo. It drove on the highway the exact same way as in AWD. Thing failed pretty quickly. I jumped in and saw it was in 4lo and was like WTF!!!!!

 

Go find a kid to make that deal haha. I didn't say 4LO. The OP didn't say 4LO. 4LO can and will screw things up because of the increased torque. 4HI is quite a bit different.

 

I edited it to 4HI. The post before me had 4LO on my mind.

 

I understand the concern. I am 56 and this is the first 4x4 that I have ever had. I've never really had an issue that AWD or 2WD traction control didn't handle (the other car is a Rav4 and my last truck was a 2009 Tacoma 2WD). The manual says to get 10 miles in per month in 4 wheel drive (I guess to keep things lubed, and such) and I keep wondering where I am going to get opportunities. Winter in Pennsylvania probably won't be an issue, but April through November, it's going to be a challenge.

I'd like to find some open trails, but they would have to be 'easy' level as I don't have it lifted or skid plates or any of that, just stock.