Newby - intro and 4wd questions

[Cubfan]

Greetings all. Long time Toyota fan, 2nd time T4R owner. This one is an '01 SR5 that I just bought from a dealership, seems to have been a company car of sorts. Only 71k miles on it, interior is immaculate, I'm happy with my purchase.

I've never had 'push button' 4WD before. I want to make sure I'm operating the system properly before I put it to use.

Is there any kind of a "4WD 101" on the forum here, just for good reading's sake?

Little more about me; in the Chicago area, on my 5th Toyota now

'93 Corolla
'95 Base pickup
'97 Tacoma
'90 4Runner rustbucket (ran great tho!)
('95 Nissan Pathfinder - now trying to sell)
'01 4Runner SR5

looking forward to hanging out and learning a lot.

 

[GatorGreg]

Welcome to the forum. This thread should answer most of your questions:

http://www.toyota-4runner.org/showthread.php?threadid=12

 

[Cubfan]

Perfect, thanks much!

 

[Thai]

Summary of the above link:

1. Your 4runner has 4-channel ABS system
2. It has VSC (stability control) and ATRAC (4-wheel traction control)
3. You do NOT have rear locker
4. You can switch into 4wd (4-HI) at any speed up to 62 mph
5. You can drive in 4wd all day long at any speed
6. You can switch from 4wd to 2wd at any speed
7. But you do NOT want to lock the center diff on dry pavement...this is ONLY done off-road or on slippery ground.
8. Locking the center diff shuts off VSC (stability control), which is a good thing in off-roading. VSC tends to kill momentum when you're slipping & sliding and this is not desired in off-roading (under most circumstances)
9. ATRAC is always ON. In 2wd mode, it works on your rear axle. In 4wd mode, it works on front and rear axles
10. So, you have several modes: 2wd...4-HI...4-HI center diff LOCK...4-LO...4-LO center diff LOCK.

Hope this helps.