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Couple questions for you guys. I have an 03 F250 supy duty crew cab 4x4... Had it about 4 months now and love it. Got a question for you guys tho... since ive owned it ive had it in 4 wheel drive only once. No problem. Today with the hubs set on auto, i clicked over the interior switch to 4 wheel low...just to keep things lubed up, and when i started moving and i turned left or right the whole front end bumped up and down and wobbled almost as if driving on a blowout. I switched into 4 wheel high and it does trhe same thing. Is this normal??? Dosnt seem it would be. I went straight to the dealer to have them take a quick look and of course that would mean leaving the truck for 2 or 3 days which i cant do. Hoping you guys can tell me if this is something serious or is it normal. Also sems to be alot of drag while in 4 wheeldrive... those of you who run locked all the time...do you feel drag also?
The above post are right on P.S note to self DON'T DO THAT! realy hard on the drive train, if you are on hard surface and want to unlock switch to 2 wheel drive and back up 10 or 15 feet (sorry didn't mean to be hard on you but it just gives me goose bumps thinking of all that drive train fighting it's self. My 2 cents worth (are you in with me on this one guys?) regards Domenico....
When you turn the wheels it makes the u-joints really have to work. If you ever have the chance to roll an axel shaft over in your hand with a u-joint put a good bend in it. You'll understand then. And if locked in on high traction surfaces it will cause binding in the drivetrain. For 4 wheel components to last like they should it should only be used on low traction surfaces. Also to lube/move the front drive parts you don't even need to put it in 4 wheel. Just get out and lock the hubs manually and drive down a dirt road. You don't need to pull the lever to engage the T case. The front tires will turn the front driveshaft but the rear end will still be independent of the front and will cause no binding between the 2 halves.
Originally posted by 13hondacr250 You don't need to pull the lever to engage the T case. The front tires will turn the front driveshaft but the rear end will still be independent of the front and will cause no binding between the 2 halves.
not quite, u do need to turn the transfer case over, there are gears and a chain in there that do need to be turned over once in a while.
If u have manual hubs, then leave those out(off) then put it in high, for lube the high gears, then low to lube the chain. But DO NOT drive fast.
If u have auto hubs, then u have to find a dirt, or gravel road to do this.
If you don't have auto hubs you can just pull the lever up and be ok if the hubs aren't locked in.
Mustangman65_79
If you have those auto/manual hubs just lock the hubs. By locking the hubs it will turn the driveshaft which will turn the chain in the t-case. The only part not moving is the slip shaft for connecting the chain to the input shaft for 4 wheel drive. The t-case has its own oil pump to keep lubricated.
If you look in your owners manual I think it says not to put your rig in 4x4 on high traction surfaces. You will wear out and possibly damage your rig by doing so. To lube the front drivetrain you just have to drive a few miles with the front hubs turned to the lock position.
The difference in distance traveled by the front and rear tires as you go around corners creates a lot of binding and pressure on drivetrain components. The problem is that on high traction surfaces vs low traction surfaces your tires cannot slip easily to relieve that binding.