4wd question..

[gsxgirl]

Hi there! I'm new to the 4runner family and have a question for those of you who also have 4wd. Sorry if this has already been discussed somewhere - I try to do my homework before posting. Well I heard that your supposed to drive about 10 miles in 4wd every month to, I guess, keep everything lubed/moving up front? Anyone actually do this? Thanks

~Lindsey

 

[gsxgirl]

Well, that may be a dumb question since most of you probably take yours off road more than 10 miles a month So, I guess what I'm trying to say is, I will not be doing that (yet) since we just got the thing. Thoughts?

 

[chaz]

yes, it should be done otherwise u may develop actuator problems that will cost u alot of $ to fix. i hope u made sure it worked before u bought it.

 

[gsxgirl]

thanks! yea, I'm sure the people who had it before us never did it, but we made sure all that worked beforehand. If the actuator ever goes bad, will it just not engage into 4wd? how much $ are we talking about?

 

[Synister]

Your 4runner has the ability to drive around in 4wd on pavement, full time, with no problems. You can even engage it while you are moving (below 60mph). Flip the switch once or twice a month to 4wd on your way to work and you shouldnt have any issues. I believe the cost to replace or repair an actuator is in the neighborhood of $2k.

 

[Uneek]

Yes. Do drive it for the 10 miles with 4WD each month. As mentioned, you can drive in 4WD all year long if you choose to do so. Just leave the center diff unlocked.

What's more important is before or after you drive it around in 4WD (4H), shift it into 4Lo (4L) as well, so the actuator gets a full work out and that 4Lo won't have any problems engaging.

 

[Nuke]

I typically would engage 4WD in wet weather for about 10 miles once/month when I had my 2nd and 3rd gen T4R's which required roads to be wet or snow covered. With my 4th gen, I still engage 4WD about 1/month regardless of the conditions. When I lived in snow country, I'd also lock the center diff if that 10 mile stretch was relatively straight although I might have gotten that in maybe 2-3 times/year.

 

[Doozi]

I cycle everything about every month or two...
> 16 mile trip to or from work in H4
> on my straight street or on nearby dirt roads, I cycle the center diff lock and switch in and out of L4

When we have snow/ice around for a few days, I just leave it in H4.

~Doozi