Hi. I own a 96 4runner sr5 5 speed with 4wd.
I recently had my 4wd drive fixed along with suspension, rack and pinion, rear main seal, and clutch, but that's another story
Yesterday I put it in 4wheel drive on pavement and thought nothing of it...I heard to engage 4 wd once a month to keep maintenance
A day later I felt a jerk and my drive side lower ball joking popped out.
This could be a coincidence,,,,but I have no idea what I need to know about operating 4wd.
when was the last time you changed or checked you lower ball joints? they are "known" issue with these trucks, and require sooner replacement intervals the most vehicles. its a wear item and sadly most people neglect it and then ***** when it fails or breaks, but it was the owners fault for not taking care of the vehicle, its a moving part, and a wear item, it wont last forever. id suggest replacing them every 5-8 years or 80-100k mi depending on how and where you drive, and only use toyota OE parts for them
I heard engage and then it takes a minute. If that's true then how do you use 4wd when your stuck.
sort of, your wheels will have to turn a little for the system to fully engage, the idea is to use 4wd before you get stuck so you dont get stuck...
I also heard don't drive on pavement or turn in 4wd...
thats some people opinion, but i can tell you for a fact that it is not going to hurt things to drive on pavement in 4wd, now dont use 4lo on pavement unelss you have a reason to, as that could be bad if you drive around pointlessly in 4lo, but being in 4wd on the pavement isnt gonna hurt things, as long as you are not driving down the fwy in perfectly dry clear conditions... 4wd is for added traction, so say in heavy rains/flooding, snow/ice, or other debris on the road. there is no real top speed for 4wd, but again its for use when you need more traction, so i dont think you want to be doing 70mph when you need the use of 4wd do you? you can turn in 4wd, i dont know who told you that part, but they are flat wrong
If that's true then do I have to go to a gravel road to engage it once a month?
I guess I'm clueless on knowing what is the right thing to do with 4wd
Like I said its a 5 speed with a l4 h4 and h2
4lo is for the maximum traction, like in sand or mud or snow/ice ect... it will reduce your gearing and give you a lower top speed... i dont think its possible to go much more than 45mph in 4low, and that is really winding out the motor -high RPMs, not really an ideal thing to do. 4lo also will cause more bind/less "play" in the drive train, this is caused by the lower gearing. this will make turning more difficult and harder on axles, differentials, tires and other steering components, this is why it is best to avoid driving in 4lo on dry pavement, unless you have a reason to do so.
4hi is for added traction, say like grassy areas, gravel roads, heavy rain/light snow/light ice ect... this will give all 4 tires the ability and capability of getting traction and making your progress easier. 4hi is more suited for say your commute to work in bad weather, it is ok to drive in hi or 4wd around town or out on the hwy if the conditions are suitable and allowing. -but remember just cause you have 4wd and you can go when others cant, doesnt mean you can stop any faster, so dont out drive yourself. 4wd doesnt give you any better brakes. and for when you want to put your truck in 4wd once a month to keep things lubricated and "in shape" this is what you want to do. it would be perfectly fine to put your truck in 4wd and run around the block, even on a dry day, or run down to the gas station and get gas or to the store to grab some groceries, just try to avoid any sharp turns ie turned all the way to one side or the other, and especially avoid hard acceleration like flooring it in tight turns or left right turns at intersections. just make sure you remember to take your truck out of 4wd when you get home.
2hi is for normal day to day driving. its for your road trips on the interstate, sunny day driving, daily commute in all but the terrible weather conditions ect. this is how you should leave your transfer case 90% of the time.
to get out of 4wd you may need to put your truck in reverse to back up to take the "tension" off of the drive train components. sometimes it is necisary to drive in a figure 8 pattern to to unlock the 4wd system, this is why it could be help full to drive to the grocery store in 4wd and then once there, find an empty part of the parking lot and take your truck out of 4wd. on your dash their should be a green light that has the 4wd indicator that looks like the one below
if that light is on solid then you are in 4wd, if it starts blinking right after you shift into 4wd, then you are not in 4wd yet and there is something wrong, and if it starts blinking after you shift out of 4wd then you are not yet out of 4wd and something is holding up or not free... that light blinking means something is not right and needs to be checked or fixed as the 4wd system is not working properly. it is also common for that light to stay on for a short time after shifting out of 4wd -again back to what i said about needing to back up or drive in a figure 8 or back up in a figure 8 to unlock or take the tension off the system to free it.
Any help to steer me I. The right direction before winter hits would be helpful
Thanks!
