Part Time 4WD question, how dry is “dry pavement”

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Bearshrimp

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Looking at getting a 2011 4Runner (wife is sold) and I came across something on the web that caused me to pause. Is it true that once per month you need to drive 3-10 miles in 4WD in order to keep the transfer case & 4WD components lubricated and in good working order?

If so is it safe to operate in 4-Hi on wet roads? I know you can’t operate a part time system on “dry pavement” does that include wet pavement? My previous 4WD vehicles have had viscous coupling AWD systems (Jeep) so this is new to me.
 
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Yes, you should drive it in 4wd occasionally.

You can drive straight while in 4wd, just don't turn. I wouldn't even turn when the road is wet.
 
I just occasionally put it in 4wd when i am driving straight on any road. Haven't had any problems yet. Just use it in the dirt and the snow for me, enough in total to keep it lubed.
 
Realisticly I will probobly not need to use 4WD from September to November and then from April to June. Would that be an issue with the transfer case?
 
4Hi on wet roads is fine as long as you aren't taking significant turns (just keep it relatively straight). Keep the speeds under 55mph and stay out of parking lots. Taking tight turns in 4Hi in the dry is where you really do the damage. The difference in wheelspeed when driving on a relatively straight road is minimal and thus not an issue with your transfer case engaged.
 
this is the first ive heard ot to turn on dry (also wet?) roads when in 4wd.

Can someone please explain why this is so?
 
glocke12 said:
this is the first ive heard ot to turn on dry (also wet?) roads when in 4wd.

Can someone please explain why this is so?
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In order for a car to turn, the outside wheels need to cover more ground than the inside wheels. Thus there is a speed difference between wheels. There is also a speed difference required between the front and rear wheels. With a part time 4WD system, like the SR5 and TE, the front and rear prop shafts always spin at the same speed when the transfer case is engaged. Basically, you need some sort of slip between the tires and the ground to prevent binding in the drivetrain. It isn't quite as severe as what some people make it out to be.
 
Bearshrimp said:
Realisticly I will probobly not need to use 4WD from September to November and then from April to June. Would that be an issue with the transfer case?
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I usually turn on 4x4 when it's raining and it makes my 10 miles a month even if I don't go off the pavement that month. If there's no rain you always can turn on 4x4 on a relatively straight road just don't use it when you do U-turns and on a parking lot.
 
Bearshrimp said:
Looking at getting a 2011 4Runner (wife is sold) and I came across something on the web that caused me to pause. Is it true that once per month you need to drive 3-10 miles in 4WD in order to keep the transfer case & 4WD components lubricated and in good working order?

If so is it safe to operate in 4-Hi on wet roads? I know you can’t operate a part time system on “dry pavement” does that include wet pavement? My previous 4WD vehicles have had viscous coupling AWD systems (Jeep) so this is new to me.
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Head east on I-90, take the 468th Avenue exit, turn left on 468th, then right on Middle Fork road until it turns into Forest Road 56 (5060/5600 on google's map) and then shift in H4 when you hit gravel. That road is easily 5 miles long and there are some nice hiking (or fishing) spots along the way there. Should cover the requirement and still less a 30 minute drive from Qwest Field.
 
Is it still recommended to drive 10m per month in 4hi for 5th gen?
I thought now they have changed to part time and stick shift actuator bug does not exist any more.
 
I could be wrong but I don't believe turning with the new 4x4 is a problem. Our 4runners have front and rear diffs. As long as you don't drive on dry pavement in 4x4 with the locking differentials in locked mode and this is for the TE model. What's mentioned above applies to other transfer cases like my last SUV (Xterra) when in 4x4 the front does not have differentials which also means it locks the front out for off road use.
 
Vanuatoo said:
Is it still recommended to drive 10m per month in 4hi for 5th gen?
I thought now they have changed to part time and stick shift actuator bug does not exist any more.
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Yes, 16km per month for SR5 and TE. but I don't think is's a bug, manual says that it's needed to keep transfer case lubricated. By the way they recommend the same thing for 4x4 Tacoma as well.
 
I have discussed this before on here and am still confused.
When I activate 4H (4x4) I get the standard 4x4 green light come on my dash with an open circle on the front trasnfer case and an open circle in the rear transfer case.which would lead me to beleive that neither is locked...maybe center is locked...??? I also have a rear locker option if I want to lock the rear, and then the rear locker light changes to the standard red light, when its locked. BTW, I have a 5th gen Trail. Am I reading it wrong? I am coming from a 3rg gen SR5 & 4th gen SE and the 3rd gen SR5 had the same shift knob for the 4x4. I dont remember having these issues with either of them. Please explain in simple terms (if at this point anyone still has patience).
 
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And those who have the locker it's good to turn it on and off once a month and just drive 50ft or so and disengage it just to keep the actuator working.
 
elias said:
I have discussed this before on here and am still confused.
When I activate 4H (4x4) I get the standard 4x4 green light come on my dash with an open circle on the front trasnfer case and an open circle in the rear transfer case.which would lead me to beleive that neither is locked...maybe center is locked...??? I also have a rear locker option if I want to lock the rear, and then the rear locker light changes to the standard red light, when its locked. BTW, I have a 5th gen Trail. Am I reading it wrong? I am coming from a 3rg gen SR5 & 4th gen SE and the 3rd gen SR5 had the same shift knob for the 4x4. I dont remember having these issues with either of them. Please explain in simple terms (if at this point anyone still has patience).
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this subject seems to come up again and again every couple of weeks... i'm not going to further pollute the info-stream here, but i simply wish that we could get an expert like Akio Nishimura, the 5G chief engineer, to commit the answer to paper in plain English.

then, when inevitably this subject comes up again, we can just point whomever to the best facts available without constantly having the question be asked—and answered—slightly differently every single time.
 
alc9020 said:
I could be wrong but I don't believe turning with the new 4x4 is a problem. Our 4runners have front and rear diffs. As long as you don't drive on dry pavement in 4x4 with the locking differentials in locked mode and this is for the TE model. What's mentioned above applies to other transfer cases like my last SUV (Xterra) when in 4x4 the front does not have differentials which also means it locks the front out for off road use.
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WRONG. The front/rear diffs are not the problem. The center diff is the problem. When you go around a tight turn the front wheels travel at a different speed than the back wheels.
 
Those people thinking it's OK to drive an SR5/TE 5th gen on dry pavement in 4X4 should just try it out. Spend an afternoon doing figure 8's in a parking lot, maybe nothing will happen or you may be lucky and only pop a U-joint or twist a shaft which should be covered under warranty. What confuses me is why someone needs 4X4 on dry pavement. Even wet pavement has a considerable amount of traction. I find snow covered pavement provides enough slip to justify engaging 4X4.
I usually try to follow manufacturers recommendations in owners manuals when applicable, but I don't mark on the calender if I've done 10 miles each month in 4X4. I feel this is inserted in the OM for those who NEVER use, or never intend to use, 4X4. If I haven't used it in a while and I think of it I'll put it in for a few miles. Others may follow the OM closer than I and there's nothing wrong with that.
 
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alc9020 said:
I could be wrong but I don't believe turning with the new 4x4 is a problem. Our 4runners have front and rear diffs. As long as you don't drive on dry pavement in 4x4 with the locking differentials in locked mode and this is for the TE model. What's mentioned above applies to other transfer cases like my last SUV (Xterra) when in 4x4 the front does not have differentials which also means it locks the front out for off road use.
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you are wrong. left and right wheels are no problem, that's what the front and rear open diffs are for. the front to rear wheel speed split is what you are worried about. in a turn, the rear wheels, as a set, travel a shorter distance than the front wheels. if you are stopped in the dirt turn the wheel to the right, you will see that the rear wheels follow a shorter track over the ground, that they don't roll directly on top of where the front wheels have been.

when you select 4WD in the part time models you are connecting the front and rear drive shafts, FORCING the front and rear wheels (as a collective unit) to travel at the same speed. this is fine when wheels are slipping, or can be made to slip, but on pavement that is NOT the case. put wide racing slicks on your T4R, select 4WD, crank the wheel and put your foot on the loud pedal. you WILL break something on the spot.


bottom line DO NOT TURN WHILE IN 4WD on pavement, wet or dry.
 
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