Question about my 4WD system

doxiedad

doxiedad

New member
Ok so I'm a first time 4Runner and first time 4WD owner. I live in the southeast US.

1st question: I know enough to know not to engage 4Hi on paved roads, but the owners manual says to run 4Hi about 10 miles per month to keep system lubricated. Can I do this on grass? I have 2-4 acres of grass and could drive on this, haven't found any other easily accessible place yet. Will grass give enough to not tear up my transfer case from binding?

2nd question: I have tried out my 4Hi on grass already cause I was impatient. After driving a short distance I came to a stop and switched back to 2Hi, the 4WD light blinked until I drove forward a few feet then I heard a small thunk like sound and it disengaged. Is this normal or am I risking damage?

Thanks.
 
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It should be fine. The more you use 4wd the better and faster it will engage/disengage. I usually wait until it's raining and find a long straight road to drive the ten miles in 4wd. If I come to a turn I will disengage it and then reengage 4wd when the road is straight again. This has worked for me with every 4wd vehicle I have owned.
 
4wd

I see no reason you cannot engage 4wd on pavement for a few miles provided there are no hard turns. My '69 Land Rover was always in 4wd and the only problem I could see was excess wear on the front tires and lousy gas mileage. When I traded it on a '75, I had Warn hubs fitted on the new rig and that improved improve the mpg as well as reduced tire wear. - Ted.
 
I have a nice mostly downhill stretch that's about 2 miles long on my way to work, I use that a couple times a month to do the same. Doesn't matter if it's wet or dry, just don't go full lock doing u-turns all the time and you'll be fine.
 
WallyT4R said:
It should be fine. The more you use 4wd the better and faster it will engage/disengage. I usually wait until it's raining and find a long straight road to drive the ten miles in 4wd. If I come to a turn I will disengage it and then reengage 4wd when the road is straight again. This has worked for me with every 4wd vehicle I have owned.
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Yeah my 4Runner is new, about 700 miles so that was a thought I had.

Are the front and rear axle ratios the same? So that going straight should cause no binding? Only turning will cause binding right?

I didn't think about straight road in rain. Manual says I can engage 4Hi below 62 mph so I may try this. Thanks.
 
Yoderguy said:
I have a nice mostly downhill stretch that's about 2 miles long on my way to work, I use that a couple times a month to do the same. Doesn't matter if it's wet or dry, just don't go full lock doing u-turns all the time and you'll be fine.
Click to expand...

Thanks.

For some reason I had in my head that front and rear axle ratios were different so front tires could dig you out of dirt. But if axle is same ratio then yeah no binding going straight.
 
WallyT4R said:
It should be fine. The more you use 4wd the better and faster it will engage/disengage. I usually wait until it's raining and find a long straight road to drive the ten miles in 4wd. If I come to a turn I will disengage it and then reengage 4wd when the road is straight again. This has worked for me with every 4wd vehicle I have owned.
Click to expand...

Based on your questions, it would be a good thing if you read this http://www.toyota-4runner.org/5th-g...ner-owner-need-help-searching-start-here.html thread and looked at all the links that are included. In addition to your owner's manual, these links give you valuable supplemental information. For example, your 4WD question is answered there.
 
Yoderguy said:
You can throw a little turn in there without worry. Like I said, just avoid those u-turns.
Click to expand...

So bends in road fine. Just avoid u turns and like 90 degree turns (turning left onto another street)?

Ok this sounds easier than I thought. Reading manual I thought I would have to find somewhere to off-road 10 miles every month.

How about grass? Does it offer enough slip to not worry about?
 
doxiedad said:
So bends in road fine. Just avoid u turns and like 90 degree turns (turning left onto another street)?

Ok this sounds easier than I thought. Reading manual I thought I would have to find somewhere to off-road 10 miles every month.

How about grass? Does it offer enough slip to not worry about?
Click to expand...

Grass is fine. On dry pavement, just avoid 90 degree or parking lot turns and you will be fine.
 
Yea don't go doing any turns from a stop sign, but going down a road making 45* bends or less isn't a big deal. If you come up on a sharper turn, just disengage then engage again after the turn.
 
doxiedad said:
So bends in road fine. Just avoid u turns and like 90 degree turns (turning left onto another street)?

Ok this sounds easier than I thought. Reading manual I thought I would have to find somewhere to off-road 10 miles every month.

How about grass? Does it offer enough slip to not worry about?
Click to expand...

The manual is written for the lowest common denominator.

There is no reason to be afraid of 4wd on dry pavement.

General rule of thumb. If you can make the turn at 30mph.. Its fine to take the turn in 4wd. If if the turn would require lower speeds, best to be out of 4wd, but it really won't hurt anything unless you make a major habit of it. It will wear out the tires.... but that is about it.

If you go into 4wd and make a U turn.. on dry pavement you will hear the tires scrubbing and fighting each other, but nothing will break. Just straighten back out and let the tension release before going back to 2wd...

The axle ratios are obviously the same front and rear... having different ratios would be a nightmare. You do have 4Lo.. which is a reduction gear in the transfer case but has nothing to do with axle ratios. Your axle ratios are 3.73:1 BTW.
 
I exercise my 2016 SR5 in 4HI on straight stretches of pavement in and around my neighborhood when I haven't been in the sand around Salvo NC and go to a closed/abandoned KMart parking lot and exercise 4LO. In the parking lot I also exercise each in reverse as well.
 
doxiedad said:
Ok so I'm a first time 4Runner and first time 4WD owner. I live in the southeast US.

1st question: I know enough to know not to engage 4Hi on paved roads, but the owners manual says to run 4Hi about 10 miles per month to keep system lubricated. Can I do this on grass? I have 2-4 acres of grass and could drive on this, haven't found any other easily accessible place yet. Will grass give enough to not tear up my transfer case from binding?

2nd question: I have tried out my 4Hi on grass already cause I was impatient. After driving a short distance I came to a stop and switched back to 2Hi, the 4WD light blinked until I drove forward a few feet then I heard a small thunk like sound and it disengaged. Is this normal or am I risking damage?

Thanks.
Click to expand...

Read this thread: http://www.toyota-4runner.org/5th-gen-t4rs/225872-did-you-break-4wd.html
 
Salvo Jimmy said:
I exercise my 2016 SR5 in 4HI on straight stretches of pavement in and around my neighborhood when I haven't been in the sand around Salvo NC and go to a closed/abandoned KMart parking lot and exercise 4LO. In the parking lot I also exercise each in reverse as well.
Click to expand...

BTW using that same scheme my 2004 SR5 went 12 years with maybe 25-30% of 160K miles in deep soft sand. Transfer case was point of failure.
 
Salvo Jimmy said:
I exercise my 2016 SR5 in 4HI on straight stretches of pavement in and around my neighborhood when I haven't been in the sand around Salvo NC and go to a closed/abandoned KMart parking lot and exercise 4LO. In the parking lot I also exercise each in reverse as well.
Click to expand...

Once I'm in 4HI on the road is there a speed I should stay below? I can't imagine since the front axle and driveshaft are still turning in 2HI right? Just not connected to transfer case
 
doxiedad said:
Ok, so you're saying exercising on the road is a bad idea? Or was your case just a fluke?
Click to expand...
No he's saying even with a lot of off road use it lasted a long time.

doxiedad said:
Once I'm in 4HI on the road is there a speed I should stay below? I can't imagine since the front axle and driveshaft are still turning in 2HI right? Just not connected to transfer case
Click to expand...
How fast do you want to go in 4WD? Usually when you put it in 4WD it's slick. Fast and slick do not go together.
 
1engineer said:
No he's saying even with a lot of off road use it lasted a long time.


How fast do you want to go in 4WD? Usually when you put it in 4WD it's slick. Fast and slick do not go together.
Click to expand...

Ok thanks for clearing up about the failure.

I was referring to exercising my 4wd once a month for about 10 miles on the road. Should I limit it to 45mph roads or are 55mph roads ok for exercising.

I'll be in 4wd just to lubricate the system per the manual, not because of bad conditions
 
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