hey yesterday i was using my 4wd and i noticed something that i have never noticed before. i threw my truck into 4wd high and the light came on letting me know it was engaged. i put it into Drive and started to accelerate threw my apartment parking lot. when i turned either right or left, the steering wheel would start to shake and jerk, sometimes pretty violently. with the jerking i could hear very quietly a "gear like" noise but it would stop whenever i turned the truck straight. if i turned again it would do the same thing, and it felt like the truck would jerk a little forward too. i have used the 4wd before going up a berm and never had this happen. could someone please help me out with this issue and how to prevent it in the future. also, what is the best way to engage in 4wd high and 4wd low? i'd appreciate it.

also the speed i was going at was "parking lot" speed...5-15mph

 

Umm... this wasn't on dry pavement was it? 4 lock is never to be used on dry pavement. What you're experiencing is driveline bind up. When you turn, all 4 wheels travel at different rates, but in 4 lock, the front and rear axles are locked, so 1 front and 1 rear wheel are forced to travel at the same rate. On loose ground, you will never notice the slipping when you turn, but on dry pavement, something has to give. Best case senerio... accelerated tire wear. Worst case senerio, an axle shaft breaks, or the t case chain breaks, or something else will break.

 

It's normal, it happens to all 4x4's on solid surfances. Only way to keep it from happening is not to use it on dry pavement unless in extreme condition's such as excessive snowfall etc etc, theres nothing wrong with it and it wont hurt anything.

As far as best way to enguage the 4x4 it depends on what type you have, our trucks come with 4x4 high on the fly, which means you can be moving while shifting in and out of 4x4 high but dont go any more than 50 in 4x4 while shifting into or out of 4high.

4x4low you want to be either completely stopped or going no faster than 10 mph, basicly an idling coast.

 

no it was dry pavement when i did it. i live in GA and we just got snow and a lot of ice last night. i had to make a run to wal mart and there was ice and snow everywhere in the apartment parking lot. i mean there was maybe 2-3 inches of snow, but i was more concerned with getting a tire stuck on a patch of ice so i decided to put it into 4wd to have better odds.

 

Never, EVER put the truck in 4WD if you will be on dry pavement even if only for a little bit. You can do serious damage to your drivetrain by doing so. I suggest you read your owner's manual or buy a service manual and learn how to use your 4WD system.

 

so instead i should spin my back tires until i can gain some traction on the ice and snow? i don't know what i would rather try. using 4wd on an incline on ice and snow or staying in 2wd and spinning my tires hoping i don't slide into the curb or a car.

 

You can use 4x4 to go up your snow covered hills, but as soon as you have to turn on dry ground, take it out. Drivetrain parts aren't cheap. Thats the whole point of shift-on-the-fly... go in and out of 4x4 as needed.

 

cool thanks for the input. i won't be nervous to just throw it into 4wd on the fly. and can i reverse in 4wd if need be? otherwise thanks again.

 

You can only go in and out of 2HI and 4HI on the fly. Shifting into 4LO still requires you to stop and put the tranny in N first. Yes, you can back up in 4wd.