Coast2Coast
New member
Does anyone regularly shift from low to hi while moving? What about disengaging the e-locker while moving. Would it be safe to do this, using the same principles of operating arb air lockers while moving?
Are any of you shifting from low to hi while moving?
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Evilmunkey
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I was always told when shifting from H to L come to a complete stop, I do the same when engaging the e-locker (seems to engage faster and correctly)
MadCityRich
New member
Please read the instructions helpfully included with your vehicle. In short, do not shift the transfer case when moving.
MadCityRich
MadCityRich
cordrayj1
New member
not correct for everyone. some can shift from 2wd to 4hi on the fly up to 45mph or something like that. i know i can. other than that, you gotta be "pretty much stopped" to get it in 4lo. or youre gonna experience some grinding sensations.
MadCityRich
New member
Not to quibble, but going from 2 hi to 4 hi is not doing much of anything in the transfer case. That's why you can do shift on the fly. It's really about activating the ADD in the front axle.
MadCityRich
MadCityRich
Coast2Coast
New member
You all answered a question I didn't have. I'm asking about shifting from low to hi, which is different than shifting from high to low. With the e-locker, I always shift in and out stopped and in neutral, but it won't engage until I put it in gear and give it a shot of gas. The manual actually says to do this. So in my mind it wouldn't be applying nearly as much force to the locker pins to disengage the locker while coasting in neutral at a reasonable speed like less than 20mph.
The reason I ask is because sometimes I have to be in low with the e-locker engaged to crawl up a rough bank onto a freeway. Then with cars coming at me at 70mph I have to stop there and wait and disengage everything, if I could just flip out of low range and disengage the locker while rolling slowly it would save a bit of time being stationary on a near shoulder-less freeway. Don't care to try it myself, but I know a lot of guys get their various components to do a lot of things that you "aren't supposed to do according to the manual", and do it regularly with no ill effects
The reason I ask is because sometimes I have to be in low with the e-locker engaged to crawl up a rough bank onto a freeway. Then with cars coming at me at 70mph I have to stop there and wait and disengage everything, if I could just flip out of low range and disengage the locker while rolling slowly it would save a bit of time being stationary on a near shoulder-less freeway. Don't care to try it myself, but I know a lot of guys get their various components to do a lot of things that you "aren't supposed to do according to the manual", and do it regularly with no ill effects
I believe you have to be in neutral to shift the high - low shifter. You can do it when you are rolling but it will require going slow and feeling for when it will slide into gear, or at least I believe it would be similar to clutchless shifting.
It is very difficult to shift from Hi to low or the other way around while moving because the t-case does not have syncros and just like a trans, you have to match gear speed to shift. With that, being stopped, all gears are at the same speed - stopped.
From your post about getting up a hill to get on the freeway, sounds like traction is an issue. Have you looked into the gray/blue wire mod for the e-locker? That will allow you to use the locker in 2 hi, 4 hi and 4 low.
From your post about getting up a hill to get on the freeway, sounds like traction is an issue. Have you looked into the gray/blue wire mod for the e-locker? That will allow you to use the locker in 2 hi, 4 hi and 4 low.
fish0281
New member
You all answered a question I didn't have. I'm asking about shifting from low to hi, which is different than shifting from high to low. With the e-locker, I always shift in and out stopped and in neutral, but it won't engage until I put it in gear and give it a shot of gas. The manual actually says to do this. So in my mind it wouldn't be applying nearly as much force to the locker pins to disengage the locker while coasting in neutral at a reasonable speed like less than 20mph.
The reason I ask is because sometimes I have to be in low with the e-locker engaged to crawl up a rough bank onto a freeway. Then with cars coming at me at 70mph I have to stop there and wait and disengage everything, if I could just flip out of low range and disengage the locker while rolling slowly it would save a bit of time being stationary on a near shoulder-less freeway. Don't care to try it myself, but I know a lot of guys get their various components to do a lot of things that you "aren't supposed to do according to the manual", and do it regularly with no ill effects
It's not something I would do, it's a good way to destroy things. Sure, by blind luck it may work, but eventually you're going to mash some stuff up inside the t-case (it's not a transmission). If cars can go 70 on the freeway, then 4hi should be plenty to get you up the ramp...
Coast2Coast
New member
Sounds like something to avoid. Thanks for the replies!
BrianSD_42
New member
DON'T DO IT!
Yes the manual for some years says you can shift from 4LO to 4HI to 4LO while driving.
Do not do it. When I first got my 4Runner I drove around in 4LO, wow this is awesome. I wondered if I could shift 4LO to 4HI and back, manual says I can so. ... I just barely put pressure on the shifter and it makes a bad grinding sound. ALARMS GO OFF IN HEAD ... hey leave it alone when moving. Everything is fine of course since I barely touched it.
My procedure is simple. Driving in 4LO. Stop completely. Put in neutral. Put in 4HI. Drive on!
I know ... Cool story bro.
So here is another. A couple of years later I'm at the mechanic shop (Truck Shop in San Diego) and I ask the owner about this since he is 4Runner know-everything kind of guy. He tells me that a customer had just come in a few months before needing their transfer case rebuilt (I think I have that right) because of 4WD problems. His shop fixes the issue for some load of cash. Sends the guy on his way. Guy comes back a few weeks later with it blown again. After talking with the guy it is clear that he FORCED it from HI to LO while driving and ignored any of the bad grinding sounds. A couple of these rough shifts and it was blown. Who paid for a 2nd rebuild .... I assume the vehicle owner since it was his fault.
Mechanic says that when these trucks were like brand new this functionality worked but after usage is just didn't mesh clean enough anymore to work.
Take away ---> in this one case DO NOT FOLLOW THE MANUAL.
:driving:
Yes the manual for some years says you can shift from 4LO to 4HI to 4LO while driving.
Do not do it. When I first got my 4Runner I drove around in 4LO, wow this is awesome. I wondered if I could shift 4LO to 4HI and back, manual says I can so. ... I just barely put pressure on the shifter and it makes a bad grinding sound. ALARMS GO OFF IN HEAD ... hey leave it alone when moving. Everything is fine of course since I barely touched it.
My procedure is simple. Driving in 4LO. Stop completely. Put in neutral. Put in 4HI. Drive on!
I know ... Cool story bro.
So here is another. A couple of years later I'm at the mechanic shop (Truck Shop in San Diego) and I ask the owner about this since he is 4Runner know-everything kind of guy. He tells me that a customer had just come in a few months before needing their transfer case rebuilt (I think I have that right) because of 4WD problems. His shop fixes the issue for some load of cash. Sends the guy on his way. Guy comes back a few weeks later with it blown again. After talking with the guy it is clear that he FORCED it from HI to LO while driving and ignored any of the bad grinding sounds. A couple of these rough shifts and it was blown. Who paid for a 2nd rebuild .... I assume the vehicle owner since it was his fault.
Mechanic says that when these trucks were like brand new this functionality worked but after usage is just didn't mesh clean enough anymore to work.
Take away ---> in this one case DO NOT FOLLOW THE MANUAL.
:driving:
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