Running 4Hi consistently - burning smell question

[xxaarraa]

Hey folks,

We got quite a snow storm up in the North East this weekend. I drove up to NH and back for the weekend and was caught in some serious snow on the way back. I had 4Hi engaged the whole time as two of three lanes on the highway were unplowed and there were cars and trucks flying off the highway into the ditch like nobody's business.

Now, I know that my 08 V6 has the same Torsen center diff as the V8s so it is OK to run it all day long on 4Hi. But I noticed on two separate occasions when stopping that there was a slight burning smell coming from the side of the car (as soon as I hopped out of the driver's seat).

It could be any number of things (tires rubbing, snow burning off the pipes, etc.) but I am wondering if it could be because of running 4Hi for extended periods on the highway. I was doing maybe 60-65 at most, but mostly under due to road conditions.

Thanks for your thoughts,

 

[04_4runner]

No problem running 4hi all day long as long as you don't press the center diff lock. A locked center diff should be used on very limited traction surfaces only and disengaged as soon as it no longer needed. I was driving in the same storm on I91 in MA and the 4runner worked great.
As for the burning smell, I experienced something similar when my brake calipers started to stick. If you notice it again, feel each rim for heat. No heat doesn't necessarily mean no problem but one hot rim could signal a sticking caliper.

 

[Gecko123]

Hey folks,

We got quite a snow storm up in the North East this weekend. I drove up to NH and back for the weekend and was caught in some serious snow on the way back. I had 4Hi engaged the whole time as two of three lanes on the highway were unplowed and there were cars and trucks flying off the highway into the ditch like nobody's business.

Now, I know that my 08 V6 has the same Torsen center diff as the V8s so it is OK to run it all day long on 4Hi. But I noticed on two separate occasions when stopping that there was a slight burning smell coming from the side of the car (as soon as I hopped out of the driver's seat).

It could be any number of things (tires rubbing, snow burning off the pipes, etc.) but I am wondering if it could be because of running 4Hi for extended periods on the highway. I was doing maybe 60-65 at most, but mostly under due to road conditions.

Thanks for your thoughts,

No issues running with running 4hi all the time. I have 2006 v6 and run 4hi all the time during winter.

 

[alaskaman]

Well I would say that you are not doing anything incorrect however I would run it hard and get under it or take it in for a smell/exam test.

 

[BlackWorksInc]

Running 4Hi for extended periods of time won't cause any issues in the system (assuming all components are function as intended.)

That said, I am not entirely sure what the cause of your burning smell could be. Are you sure it only occurs in 4Hi? Perhaps there's some grease being slung from the U-Joints onto hot bits of the engine, trans, exhaust? (Some people don't clean the overflow of grease when the lube their joints.)

 

[sonerick]

It's probably grease from your front drive shaft being slung onto the engine/trans/exhaust like BlackWorks suggested. I notice a slight burning odor when I haven't used 4HI for a while and then use it for an extended period. I do my best to clean up the excess grease every time it's lubed, but I don't always get it all. Plus compression of the suspension sometimes forces grease out of the slip yoke, especially if you squirted a bunch in there.