four wheel drive question.
Got Diesel?
Joined: Jan 2004
Posts: 4,345
Likes: 21
When you flip the "shift on the fly" you activate two things:
1) Transfer case engagement
2) Locking in the front hubs by means of a vacume hose
Sometimes, the vacume hose(s) fail and the "lock" position on the hubs allows for one to manually engage them. Most of the time... the vacume system works or people want the security that even if a hose fails... they are "locked in" in the back-country.
The reason for not driving on "hard payment" is the system or clutch pack they use which "binds up" when turning to the extreames and the tires try to rotate and turn at different rates. A "full-time" system allows for the gears/clutches to "slip" and move and allow this... but the system on our trucks creates extra wear when on "dry payment" and turning. Will not hurt anything... but is harder to steer when turning.
The dieselsite.com website even sells stainless-steel vacume hoses for added durability and "looks" for vacume operated shift-on-the-fly systems like ours. Just found them myself... so this may be something some of you may want?
http://www.dieselsite.com/index.asp?...ROD&ProdID=348
I have been suing 4WD for the last two days here in KC due to ice and snow falling and I just leave it on until the road crews decide to plow well enough that I do not spin my back tires at every intersection.
1) Transfer case engagement
2) Locking in the front hubs by means of a vacume hose
Sometimes, the vacume hose(s) fail and the "lock" position on the hubs allows for one to manually engage them. Most of the time... the vacume system works or people want the security that even if a hose fails... they are "locked in" in the back-country.
The reason for not driving on "hard payment" is the system or clutch pack they use which "binds up" when turning to the extreames and the tires try to rotate and turn at different rates. A "full-time" system allows for the gears/clutches to "slip" and move and allow this... but the system on our trucks creates extra wear when on "dry payment" and turning. Will not hurt anything... but is harder to steer when turning.
The dieselsite.com website even sells stainless-steel vacume hoses for added durability and "looks" for vacume operated shift-on-the-fly systems like ours. Just found them myself... so this may be something some of you may want?
http://www.dieselsite.com/index.asp?...ROD&ProdID=348
I have been suing 4WD for the last two days here in KC due to ice and snow falling and I just leave it on until the road crews decide to plow well enough that I do not spin my back tires at every intersection.
Senior User
Joined: Apr 2006
Posts: 167
Likes: 0
From: Walkersville, Maryland
As was explained to me awhile back, hubs can be locked when vacuum fails as Beach sez, or you can manually lock them ahead of time if you are going to be in a situation where you don't want them to fail.... As for blowing things up in 4x4 on dry pavement, 4-high is usually ok, but when making sharp turns, you can feel her buck! I prefer not to use 4-high on dry pavement because of that. I would not use 4-low on dry pavement at all. The wheels definitely need to be able to spin on their own. There's a lot of power at 4-low, and I don't want to come around here bragging on myself for popping axles or whatever.
Senior User
Joined: Oct 2006
Posts: 184
Likes: 0
From: Vero Beach, Florida
Originally Posted by Beachbumcook
I have been suing 4WD for the last two days here in KC...
On a serious note, I manually cycle the hubs on my truck from 'Auto' to 'Locked' a couple or three times about once a week or whenever I wash my truck just to keep 'em free and ready.
Last edited by Stevie Ray; Dec 1, 2006 at 10:46 AM.
