T-case Differences (all years of 3rd gens).. transfer case, AWD, multi-mode

[brian2sun]

Thanks! Glad people are getting some good use out of the thread.

 

[theizzardking]

Yeah add a link to this in the faq sticky , good effort man !

 

[Pikeman]

I am going to have to save the link to this so when I see the questions pop up I can respond with see this thread, alond with a few other common question threads.

 

[SleekRunner]

Again alot of Awesome Info! Thanks for the writeup!

x3 on the sticky would probably help someone out!:lightsaber:

 

[96743runner]

Great info!!! As others have said, this should definitely be a sticky!

 

[notrayray]

Bump, added to the FAQ on ih8mud. Thanks to all involved.
:cheers:

 

[RHeld24]

Yup. And correct me if I'm wrong Bill, but the '01s and '02s can be center unlocked in 4lo too, right? (where you'd use that and why is beyond me, haha)

Wouldn't the 4Lo Unlocked be optimal for towing applications? Or would that just be too slow for getting anywhere in a reasonable amount of time?

Speaking of which, what is the gear ratio change between high range and low range? Also, can the transmission be driven through all gears in 4Lo?

 

[J-money$$$]

4 low is too low for towing. And yes you can use all gears in 4 low. I would say the fastest you can go in 4 low is 25-30 mph. given your in over drive.

and as far as gear ratios. 2wd, and 4wd high are 1:1. 4 low is 2.28:1

 

[RHeld24]

I see. Thanks for the info!

Killer thread!

 

[SIKHILUXSURF]

sorry for my noobishness in the last 3 years i have had my 4runner on rainy days i drive in 4hi on the freeway and once a month i drive 20 miles in 4hi on the freeway to lubricate the gears in the front differential.i usually shift on the fly when i enter the freeway on ramp at about 40mph. i have never put it in neutral or 4low. any i damaging the J transfer case or front diff maybe the tranny by doing this? Brian, Bruce? your thoughts on this? i rarely go off road now a days with my busy life.

 

[brian2sun]

4 low is too low for towing. And yes you can use all gears in 4 low. I would say the fastest you can go in 4 low is 25-30 mph. given your in over drive.

and as far as gear ratios. 2wd, and 4wd high are 1:1. 4 low is 2.28:1

Great answer, thanks.

sorry for my noobishness in the last 3 years i have had my 4runner on rainy days i drive in 4hi on the freeway and once a month i drive 20 miles in 4hi on the freeway to lubricate the gears in the front differential.i usually shift on the fly when i enter the freeway on ramp at about 40mph. i have never put it in neutral or 4low. any i damaging the J transfer case or front diff maybe the tranny by doing this? Brian, Bruce? your thoughts on this? i rarely go off road now a days with my busy life.

With a standard J-shifter t-case, you can shift on-the-fly into 4HI and continue driving in 4HI up to 50 mph. If you are exceeding 50 mph in 4HI with a standard t-case, you could do damage. It's good to drive 10-20 miles/month in 4x4 to lubricate everything and keep it from siezing up, but in your case, freeway speeds are too fast for the t-case to handle it safely. If it still works fine now, I wouldn't worry about it, but I wouldn't continue to do it in the future.

The best place to use your 4x4 would be a dirt road, but if you have to drive on road, a straight highway with a lower speed limit would be much better than the freeway. It is important to engage 4LO a couple miles/month also as it uses a different set of gears in the t-case that also need to be used/lubed once in a while to avoid them siezing up as well. You can't go very fast in 4LO so I highly recommend finding a dirt road somewhere near you.

That said, I know people who have gone 10 years without ever engaging 4WD at all and it still worked when they needed to use it so it's not that imperative. Even if you engage 4HI for 2-3 miles/month and 4LO even for just 1 mile/month, you'll be just fine. These recommendations aren't as much of a science as they are guidelines to keep the 4x4 system happy.

 

[SIKHILUXSURF]

Great answer, thanks.



With a standard J-shifter t-case, you can shift on-the-fly into 4HI and continue driving in 4HI up to 50 mph. If you are exceeding 50 mph in 4HI with a standard t-case, you could do damage. It's good to drive 10-20 miles/month in 4x4 to lubricate everything and keep it from siezing up, but in your case, freeway speeds are too fast for the t-case to handle it safely. If it still works fine now, I wouldn't worry about it, but I wouldn't continue to do it in the future.

The best place to use your 4x4 would be a dirt road, but if you have to drive on road, a straight highway with a lower speed limit would be much better than the freeway. It is important to engage 4LO a couple miles/month also as it uses a different set of gears in the t-case that also need to be used/lubed once in a while to avoid them siezing up as well. You can't go very fast in 4LO so I highly recommend finding a dirt road somewhere near you.

That said, I know people who have gone 10 years without ever engaging 4WD at all and it still worked when they needed to use it so it's not that imperative. Even if you engage 4HI for 2-3 miles/month and 4LO even for just 1 mile/month, you'll be just fine. These recommendations aren't as much of a science as they are guidelines to keep the 4x4 system happy.

Brian thanks you really have answered all my questions!

 

[brian2sun]

Glad to help!

 

[zcruiser]

Good to know the difference between my 2000 SR5 and Ltd modes. I always thought that pressing the button on the side of the Ltd J-shifter was the same as shift-on-fly into 4Hi on the SR5. Now I know they're not and I will make sure I stay under 50mph when in 4Hi.

THANKS!

 

[eric70412]

Can you lock the center diff. on the fly in 4 HI??

Ok I have a 2001 runner with the multi-mode 4x4. I have read all of the info. that you guys posted on here and there is a lot of great info, but I dont know if I missed this or not and I am sorry ahead of time if i did!!

Ok I travel 35mi. one way on a highway to work straight shot!! Now lets say the roads are just slightly dusted with snow when I start home from work and I have it in the fulltime 4x4 function/AWD (push of the button on the shifter). Then I see the roads are getting a lot worse and I see a couple of inches of snow on the rds. about halfway home. So I am starting to feel a lil uncomfortable with just the AWD mode and wanna lock the center diff. in just to be on the safe side.

Can I push the center diff. button (left side of steering wheel) and lock it in going 30-40mph/on the fly or would I have to pull over and stop completely to lock the center diff in??

Once again sorry if this was covered already in this thread and I missd it!!

 

[eric70412]

Oh and while im at it 1 more question??

I also have a 2002 4x4 tacoma! Now when I have the center diff. locked in on the 4runner is it now the same as when I lock the tacoma in in reg. 4x4? Cause there is no AWD mode on the Tacoma just 1 button thats on the shifter..

So pretty much what I am asking. Is the tacoma in 4wheel drive equal to the 4runner when the center diff is locked??

Thanks!!

 

[brian2sun]

Ok I have a 2001 runner with the multi-mode 4x4. I have read all of the info. that you guys posted on here and there is a lot of great info, but I dont know if I missed this or not and I am sorry ahead of time if i did!!

Ok I travel 35mi. one way on a highway to work straight shot!! Now lets say the roads are just slightly dusted with snow when I start home from work and I have it in the fulltime 4x4 function/AWD (push of the button on the shifter). Then I see the roads are getting a lot worse and I see a couple of inches of snow on the rds. about halfway home. So I am starting to feel a lil uncomfortable with just the AWD mode and wanna lock the center diff. in just to be on the safe side.

Can I push the center diff. button (left side of steering wheel) and lock it in going 30-40mph/on the fly or would I have to pull over and stop completely to lock the center diff in??

Once again sorry if this was covered already in this thread and I missd it!!

Edit: 63 mph is the top recommended speed for engaging the CDL.

I also have a 2002 4x4 tacoma! Now when I have the center diff. locked in on the 4runner is it now the same as when I lock the tacoma in in reg. 4x4? Cause there is no AWD mode on the Tacoma just 1 button thats on the shifter..

So pretty much what I am asking. Is the tacoma in 4wheel drive equal to the 4runner when the center diff is locked??

Thanks!!

Yes. Locked CDL = same as the 4x4 in your Taco.

 

[eric70412]

Thanks for the info Brian!! Great helpful write up!! I do see now where you did say that in there.. Just wanted to make sure!! Thanks

 

[Nelsonmd]

So just for clarification, on 96-98 limiteds, is there a center diff? I got in my pastor's 96 limited this morning and noticed he is driving it in 4HI (via push button), and I am wondering if I need to tell him not to do that when the roads are dry.

 

[brian2sun]

So just for clarification, on 96-98 limiteds, is there a center diff? I got in my pastor's 96 limited this morning and noticed he is driving it in 4HI (via push button), and I am wondering if I need to tell him not to do that when the roads are dry.

He doesn't have a center diff, just a standard t-case with a push-button instead of a lever. Tell him not to do that.