Sales guy used 4L on pavement briefly

My sales guy couldn’t even drive stick. Lol. Looks like you found a “smart” one. Tehehe

 

Just bought a TRD off road 4x4. The manual states that you should drive the truck in 4 wheel drive at least 10 miles every month. I wont have access to decent offroading for a few months. Will driving it around town at an easy pace with casual turns damage my vehicle?

 

Yes. Find a dirt or gravel road. The damage will take longer to show up, but it will damage components. Short distances, 10-15' in a straight line won't hurt, but longer drives with even slow gradual turns will. And wet pavement doesn't count. Most everyone has forgotten to disengage 4X4 when getting back on pavement and have driven them some distance before correcting the issue. But as someone who has paid for transfer cases to be rebuilt from driving on pavement I strongly advise anyone to never deliberately do so. It takes surprisingly few miles to break parts.

I've had a 4X4 vehicle not engage into 4X4 after sitting for months back in the 1990's. it was my wifes Cherokee that I didn't drive often. The internal parts don't get lubricated; grease will harden over time and prevent parts from moving when you shift into 4X4. It is usually a simple matter of taking things apart, cleaning and re-lubing them. But you can't use 4X4 until you do. And you don't usually find out that it isn't working until you REALLY need 4X4.

But I don't think 10 miles each and every month is necessary either. Some months I may drive 50-100 miles in 4X4. Last November alone I got in close to 500 miles. But some months it just doesn't happen. I rarely go more than 2-3 months though. And it isn't always 10 miles. Often just 1-3 miles. I've not had any issues in over 20 years doing this.

The few feet on the dealers lot in a straight line shouldn't hurt a thing. It is the guys who think it is ok to get out on the highway and get in the 10 miles/month and those who think it is OK to use 4X4 on wet pavement that have convinced me that I'll never buy another used 4X4.

 

I have a few straight stretches that I will kick into 4 a few days in a row every now and then. Never measured the distance or track the months, but it’s better than what I did in my 09 which never had issues. The 09 might have been used once a year or two.

 

You deserve a discount because now it’s used

 

I don’t understand the concern on this. I leave 4hi on basically for 5 months a year. I never worried about it my old taco and I don’t worry about it my new taco.

 

Some good explanations of 4WD systems in here but only mentions driving on pavement as bad in reference to the stress it puts on the transfer case without examples. I might have missed them though. If you drive 4hi or 4lo on high traction surfaces in a straight line you will be fine. With the front and rear being engaged at the same time (4WD) the risk exists when turning on high traction surfaces as the front and rear tires rotate at different speeds resulting in a differential in speeds (hence the name for our differentials). Without a center diff (like AWD systems) the transfer case chain can become stretched and that's where issues start. Other than that 4lo isnt intended for high speeds, but that is pretty apparent as soon as you use it. It's mainly for when your stuck or on inclines.

Straight line on pavement is ok, use 4hi though for exercising the transfer case and actuator.

Turns in 4wd that cause your steering to feel like its fighting back or binding, not ok.

 

I think we can all agree to agree that driving in a straight line in 4L or 4H even with the Diff locked on a high traction surface WILL NOT cause damage to the drive train. If you are making sweeping turns or even a normal left hand turn you SHOULD NOT cause binding. A hard right or left turn MAY or DEFINITELY WILL causing binding. Again I am referring to pavement or asphalt. Unfortunately common sense needs to apply whenever a motor vehicle is operated.

 

At what top speed can I switch from 2wd to 4Hi??

 

55 or 60 or something like that...it's in the manual but someone here probably knows for sure.

 

I think the manual mentioned warp speed. I could be wrong...

 

Why do you do this?

 

I’m assuming the proper procedure from going into 4L, is from 4H? I was on gravel the other day (2WD) and stopped the truck , put it in N and turned dial to 4L. Didn’t work. Had to go to 4H first

 

Yes because when you go from 4L to 2H you are actually performing two distinct actions in the transfer case - first you switch gear ratios then you decouple the front driveshaft output.

 

Thanks. Hope that can’t F something up from trying twice

 

Post 40 on down

 

Lol why would pavement hurt anything.