Run in 4wd once a month?

Lol to get to that point the pic was taken required lots of stress.

 

Oh yeah that’s true. My poor truck, I beat the shit out of it.

 

Yes, but my point was when you are off road traction at each wheel varies constantly. This helps keep windup from happening unless you are doing something stupid.

 

I do too. Poor thing has close to 16K miles in five months.

 

You would think right? Truth is, offroad you can wind it up in ten feet!
When you do that, something has to give and it does. The tires scrub a bit and life goes on. The driveline is a good design with very few failures.

 

When it rains on a straight road is when I do it, that seems to work for me.

 

Exactly.

Now let's say you've got it in 4wd on dry pavement. You make a left turn at an intersection, and keep driving straight. The tires don't scrub because there's not quite enough force built up to overcome traction, but the front and rear axles have still made a different number of revolutions.

Will it break immediately? Most likely not.
Will there be increased wear? Yes.

I just don't see the point. Either find a suitable surface to use 4x4 on, or just engage on straight roads when you can. I'm sure the 10miles recommendation in the manual is pretty arbitrary, 200ft even would be better than nothing.

 

Yes! Guys will go do MOAB trails, with 100’s of lb-ft of torque on their drivetrain, crawling up and over rock ledges and boulders, then wonder if they destroyed their transfer case going 20 feet on pavement.

 

Thanks Skip, I appreciate your support. I did read the manual and did several searches before I posted. I usually sift through all the replies and try to come to my own conclusion. But with all the constant sarcasm and thread high-jacking one tends to lose their focus and gets more confused. Don't get me wrong I do like some joking around and a good laugh but when people could get hurt or cost someone a pile of coin in repairs that's when we should act a little more mature.

 

Exactly. I design stuff for a living. The most important "exercise" you can give the 4wd system is the solenoids in transfer case and ADD. If you don't use a two position solenoid often then they can stick and when they stick stuff quits working.

 

I'm 56... and 12. I have no clue which one of me is going to post. Sorry.

 

https://gravelmap.com

I'm going to go check out some gravel roads near me.

 

Wow, this thread has way too much traffic. Or maybe not enough 4wd traffic. Anyway, I live at the end of a 1/3 mile gravel road and often activate 4wd at the mailbox and drive home. This manages a few miles a month. My previous truck wasn’t as fortunate, nor was I as informed. The costly repair of the 4wd reminds me to often exercise it.

 

I guess I should start doing this

 

if you can't find a dirt road somewhere and run it once a month, then find a straight residential road and lock it in and drive a few hundred feet if possible. you just need to get the thing engaged and the fluid flowing so to speak. also, engage 4lo. Mainly just do it to make sure it works. My 2007 xterra with 145k miles on her since i bought her new has seen some 4x4 use in past but lately (last 2 years or so) ishe hasn't so about every 2 weeks on a lube drive i will throw her in 4hi and drive for hundred feet or so then in 4 lo and another 50 ft. Goes in and out smooth. Never an issue. I am not worried. as far as my taco, i do drive her to the mountain and once there, about 1/2 mile in 4x4 hi then lo on way down. besides that, or actualy, before my first trip with her to the mountains before she was broken in, i would just do the 100 foot 4hi and 4lo excercise in my hood on a straight road. I think of it as just exercising the components a little. To me, driving on a road more than 100 yards or so, even if straight, that is dry, is asking for additional component wear.

 

Most people who become hooked on cocaine have first tried pizza.

 

It's clearly a gateway food

 

The 4WD is worthless unless you are in snow , mud , sand or slush. It is NOT meant to be used on a dry road. I guess if you want to use the 4WD just to see if it will do a task like crawl over a huge rock it might be worth playing around with it. ALL Wheel Drive is worth the money. When is the last time you were stuck in the sand? snow ? I'd say most Taco owners will never use the 4WD. How could you keep the 4WD in good service by using it and not be on a dry road ? Are you going to get in the mud or sand on purpose just to maintain the 4WD ? NO

 

Same 1 month lock in go for old 01's ??

 

Cedars of Lebanon has several miles of dirt road and busted pavement. That's where I take mine ever so often. The road is cedar Forest road and is on the west side of 231.