Tried 4lo for 1st time

JohnnyT

JohnnyT

New member
Yesterday I tried this for the first time with my truck just to make sure it works. Found a gravel turned to grass spot. Stopped, Put it in neutral, put it in 4lo, heard a faint sound of something engaging, and then just drove along for a couple hundred yards. Seemed like all was fine.

I read here that I should do that every month or so, Correct?
 
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JohnnyT said:
Yesterday I tried this for the first time with my truck just to make sure it works. Found a gravel turned to grass spot. Stopped, Put it in neutral, put it in 4lo, heard a faint sound of something engaging, and then just drove along for a couple hundred yards. Seemed like all was fine.

I read here that I should do that every month or so, Correct?
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Yes. When i purchased my 4runner i tried it and it didnt work. Which is good because i knew i got a city car which hasnt been offroad driver. Thats for me to do!

It took me about 30 minutes of switching it on and off then tapping the actuator and trasnfer case with a hammer before it finally engaged.
 
When wheeling, something harder than gravel roads, You should be in 4LO. It's easier on your transmission. If the engine can't rev high enough, while in 4Hi, then the torque converter cant lockup and this will cause excessive heat in the trans fluid.
 
Dont mean to thread jack but I have not put my t4r in 4 lo since I have had her. Is there a big risk in just putting it in 4-lo since I do not know when the last time it was used? I've been under there a few times changing the oil, lubing the drive shafts and taking the running boards off and it seems remarkably clean underneath for an 04. So I do not think it has been taken off road very much. I've had it in 4 hi a couple of times and locked the center diff just to make sure all that worked. I've owned a few 4x4's now and hardly ever have had to use 4-low. Any advice is appreciated.
 
zonianbrat said:
Dont mean to thread jack but I have not put my t4r in 4 lo since I have had her. Is there a big risk in just putting it in 4-lo since I do not know when the last time it was used? I've been under there a few times changing the oil, lubing the drive shafts and taking the running boards off and it seems remarkably clean underneath for an 04. So I do not think it has been taken off road very much. I've had it in 4 hi a couple of times and locked the center diff just to make sure all that worked. I've owned a few 4x4's now and hardly ever have had to use 4-low. Any advice is appreciated.
Click to expand...

If there's anything wrong, better to find out now instead of when you need it.

Better to be proactive.
 
NJshadow93 said:
Yeah, using 4lo, even on dry pavement, won't hurt a thing as long as your center diff is unlocked.
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I thought you couldn't engage 4lo unless the center diff was locked? At least for me I couldn't get mine engaged unless I had the diff locked the other day..
 
bimmage said:
I thought you couldn't engage 4lo unless the center diff was locked? At least for me I couldn't get mine engaged unless I had the diff locked the other day..
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I'm pretty sure you can use 4lo with the CD unlocked.

Just remember that you have to have the tranny in neutral before you put it in 4l, otherwise you'll get that annoying "beep beep" sound and your 4wd lights will flash. Ask me how I know that.

The 4runner is the first vehicle I've owned with "pushbutton" 4wd, and although I wasn't thrilled about going to this system (my previous 4runner and Tacoma both had the J-shifters) I have to admit it's worked fine.

A couple of weeks ago we got our first snow of the season on a Friday and it just so happened the wife and I were leaving town that morning and heading up to the mountains with our little teardrop trailer. The road was wet and intermittenly icy once I got above 7,000' so as soon as I got onto the wet pavement, I switched to 4 hi-unlocked and just kept driving. It felt great to be able to drive on the highway in 4wd without having to worry about the driveline binding up!
 
bimmage said:
I thought you couldn't engage 4lo unless the center diff was locked? At least for me I couldn't get mine engaged unless I had the diff locked the other day..
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Nope, that's the beauty of the 4th gen. What you described is true for the 5th gen 4runner, though, and all FJs, I believe.
 
Unlocked
4H - can drive to any road / highway driving
4L - more power to the wheels / can drive to any road / highway driving / crawling purposes - for downhill assist use too.

Locked
4H - Can only drive it to loose surfaces like rocks/ muddy part. this is not asphalt road use.
4L - Can only drive it to loose surfaces like rocks/ muddy part. this is not for asphalt road use. (use only if you don't want to rev engine and needs more torque on the wheels) - for downhill assist use too.
 
JB. said:
Nope, that's the beauty of the 4th gen. What you described is true for the 5th gen 4runner, though, and all FJs, I believe.
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Manual transmission FJs have full time 4wd, though, so I would think you'd be able to use full time 4lo with the center diff unlocked, although I've never actually looked into FJs, so I'm not sure - maybe the CD Lock automatically comes on when it's shifted to 4 lo?
 
Martinjmpr said:
although I've never actually looked into FJ....maybe the CD Lock automatically comes on when it's shifted to 4 lo?
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Yes, I believe so.

In the 5th gen 4Runner, even with a Torsen in the center, being in low range requires a locked center connection. I believe it's the same for the FJ.
 
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Martinjmpr said:
I'm pretty sure you can use 4lo with the CD unlocked.

Just remember that you have to have the tranny in neutral before you put it in 4l, otherwise you'll get that annoying "beep beep" sound and your 4wd lights will flash. Ask me how I know that.

The 4runner is the first vehicle I've owned with "pushbutton" 4wd, and although I wasn't thrilled about going to this system (my previous 4runner and Tacoma both had the J-shifters) I have to admit it's worked fine.

A couple of weeks ago we got our first snow of the season on a Friday and it just so happened the wife and I were leaving town that morning and heading up to the mountains with our little teardrop trailer. The road was wet and intermittenly icy once I got above 7,000' so as soon as I got onto the wet pavement, I switched to 4 hi-unlocked and just kept driving. It felt great to be able to drive on the highway in 4wd without having to worry about the driveline binding up!
Click to expand...

You need to be at a stop as well as in neutral when going to 4Lo, correct??
 
I would assume you need to be stopped. I will be stopped anyway. This is my 2nd vehicle with the button or switch 4x4. All my other vehicles have had shifters and I am still up in the air about the switch style 4x4. I had it on an exploder I owned and it got stuck in 4x4 once since it was electronic. The way I got it unstuck was flying in reverse and hitting a bump that almost got me airborne.....Thank you all for the useful info. Looks like it is time to break in the 4 lo!
 
When I got my 4runner used a few years ago I read all these threads about 4lo and the actuator and the need to engage it.

So I did and it took 30 plus seconds for it to engage. And another 30 plus seconds for it to go back to 4 hi. Needless to say it scared me half to death waiting for it to go back to 4hi. All I could think of was a very expensive repair.

But since then it just goes right in and out of 4lo. I guess the previous owner never engaged it in the five years they owned the truck.

So go ahead and keep doing it. I would rather know if it works or not.
 
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