4x4 PSA: Use it or lose it monthly reminder
- Thread starter Kmvreter
- Start date
ZebRuaj
New member
*Gear oil for front diff, transfer case, rear diff
*Lube zerk fittings of drive shaft
Not bad. When I got mine (used), they never cycled through. So my t4r didn't go into 4hi on the fly. Had to keep cycling and now it does. For 4low, I just stay on my street. But it in 4low. Roll straight 10 feet and then stop. That's all I do.
MDurbs68
New member
Bought mine used in January. Don't know if 4LO was ever used. Tried it last month just for kicks. Had a hard time getting 4LO to engage. There was a lot of beeping and a little grinding. After about 7 tries, it engaged. I now engage it once a week. No issues at all now.
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Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
Mine didn't make all the noise but took awhile and several tries. You should be good with once a month now.
theoutbackdream
New member
Dumb question....
Is it just engaging 4hi that's enough? Or will I need to engage both 4hi and 4lo? Also is it beneficial to stay in 4hi for awhile then go back to 2wd?
Thanks!
Is it just engaging 4hi that's enough? Or will I need to engage both 4hi and 4lo? Also is it beneficial to stay in 4hi for awhile then go back to 2wd?
Thanks!
CookieRoe
Senior Member
Or course it would be best if you "exercised" 4Hi and 4Lo (exercise as in drive for a while in all modes). Just engaging to 4Hi/4Lo/2wd is fine b/c the point of this, IS to make the actuator work. I switch between 2wd/4Hi and back again over a span of a few miles. I admit I should engage 4Lo more often, but getting to a dirt parking lot isn't always easy and timely. Anyway, since I've been doing this, my transfer case appears to work a lot better than before.
Hope this answers your question.
theoutbackdream
New member
Thanks for that information. When you say that we should engage 4Lo in a dirt parking lot... Why can't we engage it on the street, and drive it under 25mph(I think thats the max? I was under the assumption 4Lo just changes the gear ratio. Not differentials... So I was thinking of engaging it in the back of my schools parking lot, and just do a few circles.
You don't need to do circles. I usually go straight 10-20 feet. Stop. Then lock my differentials. Go straight another 10-20 feet and then turn it all off and back to 2wd
Berty_K
Member
Building off this. Like Madeinhb said, you don't need to go in circles. You're switching into 4hi and 4lo to get the actuator mechanism to engage. Same thing for locking the center diff.
If you do this on the street, you can go in circles as long as your center diff is unlocked. BUT, you'll need to stay in a straight line if you lock center differential. You'll cause your drivetrain to windup if you go in circles. (I found this article helpful: Click).
theoutbackdream
New member
Good to know.
theoutbackdream
New member
Good to know. So essentially, all we really need to care about is the movement of the actuator then? Nothing else? That's my understanding of it.
Thanks for the link!
Pretty much. I've needed 4low once in 4 years. But the saying is true "if you don't use it, you lose it".
Kmvreter
New member
Discussions above have taken care of the (belated) April reminder.
The point is to regularly exercise the transfer case actuator and related front axle components.
I go in and out of 4hi several times while driving down the street. I lock and unlock the center diff while standing still. I go in and out of 4lo at each end of going straight back and forth a few parking space lengths in a parking lot.
The point is to regularly exercise the transfer case actuator and related front axle components.
I go in and out of 4hi several times while driving down the street. I lock and unlock the center diff while standing still. I go in and out of 4lo at each end of going straight back and forth a few parking space lengths in a parking lot.
