Please Forgive Me

[Ausumm]

Okay. Like a good boy, I searched the threads, and didn't find EXACTLY what I was looking for. I did find 90% of the answers I needed, but one point still confuses me. So please forgive me for starting a new thread.
I own a 2004 4R SR5, with part time 4WD. This is my first 4WD vehicle, so I was pretty green on how it operates.
Tuesday, we were set to get our first snowfall of the season. (it was 70 degrees on Xmas day here) So I searched the site for details on how to engage and disengage the 4WD. I read the manual, as well.
All of my reading informed me that I can go from 2HI to 4HI at speeds up to 62 MPH. GREAT! But nowhere did I read if it SHOULD be done while the truck is moving. I know that the truck needs to be stopped and in Neutral to go into 4LO, so I had to wonder....
Is going from 2HI to 4HI best done when the truck is in Drive and moving, or when the truck is NOT moving, and in Neutral?
I am also still confused about turning off the VSC. Does it automatically turn itself off in 4LO? Do you only need to turn it off manually when you are stuck in the snow (or mud)?

 

[cblocker]

IMO

Is going from 2HI to 4HI best done when the truck is in Drive and moving, or when the truck is NOT moving, and in Neutral?

I do this at a stop or sub 10 MPH, to be in Neutral is not necessary. i would be afraid to switch at 60 MPH but that's me.


I am also still confused about turning off the VSC. Does it automatically turn itself off in 4LO? Do you only need to turn it off manually when you are stuck in the snow (or mud)?

It turns off automatically in 4LO with the dif locked.

 

[Drunner97]

Okay. Like a good boy, I searched the threads, and didn't find EXACTLY what I was looking for. I did find 90% of the answers I needed, but one point still confuses me. So please forgive me for starting a new thread.
I own a 2004 4R SR5, with part time 4WD. This is my first 4WD vehicle, so I was pretty green on how it operates.
Tuesday, we were set to get our first snowfall of the season. (it was 70 degrees on Xmas day here) So I searched the site for details on how to engage and disengage the 4WD. I read the manual, as well.
All of my reading informed me that I can go from 2HI to 4HI at speeds up to 62 MPH. GREAT! But nowhere did I read if it SHOULD be done while the truck is moving. I know that the truck needs to be stopped and in Neutral to go into 4LO, so I had to wonder....
Is going from 2HI to 4HI best done when the truck is in Drive and moving, or when the truck is NOT moving, and in Neutral?
I am also still confused about turning off the VSC. Does it automatically turn itself off in 4LO? Do you only need to turn it off manually when you are stuck in the snow (or mud)?

Should have searched a little harder, there was almost an exact question not too long ago. 4HI or Center Diff, you can be moving, or sitting still. Doesn't matter either way, just do it at a low speed. Mine seems to kick in faster when I'm moving, results may vary. VSC only turns off with the center diff lock or unless you have an 08+ with the button OR did the wire mod to disable everything. I'll kick on my center diff to disable it if it starts annoying me when I'm off road and being frisky with the skinny pedal. On street, I'd just as soon keep it enabled because that means you probably need to slow down if it's activating that often and the road conditions suck.

 

[wadle5]

Usually better to switch in and out of 2hi-4hi while moving. The forward motion and rotation of it all makes it easier/quicker to switch. I do commend you on your search and thoroughness and not just your average post.

 

[techno]

I'll second that it doesn't matter if you are moving or not. However there are times when it will struggle to engage unless you start moving or you change your moving speed. For example, if I switch from 2hi to 4hi while i'm driving up a hill (foot is on the pedal the whole time) it will not engage until I lift off the pedal for a bit and relieve drive pressure on the mechanisms and allow the gears to move. Also sometimes when stopped, the gears will not be sufficiently aligned to allow engagement, so a little motion is needed to get them into position. This can also be accomplished by shifting the transmission in and out of neutral once or twice.

 

[Ausumm]

Should have searched a little harder, there was almost an exact question not too long ago. 4HI or Center Diff, you can be moving, or sitting still. Doesn't matter either way, just do it at a low speed. Mine seems to kick in faster when I'm moving, results may vary. VSC only turns off with the center diff lock or unless you have an 08+ with the button OR did the wire mod to disable everything. I'll kick on my center diff to disable it if it starts annoying me when I'm off road and being frisky with the skinny pedal. On street, I'd just as soon keep it enabled because that means you probably need to slow down if it's activating that often and the road conditions suck.

Thanks. As I said, there were plenty of threads on the subject that said you COULD switch while moving, but I didn't find any that suggested which was the BEST way.
And YES! If the roads are bad enough that you need 4WD, you probably shouldn't be driving 60MPH...so switching at a lower speed was my first choice.