I feel like a complete idiot for having to ask this, but the only 4wd trucks I've ever had had the electronic switch for 4wd, not the shifter on the floor like my dodge. My question is, while not using 4wd, does it matter if the 4wd is neutral or 2h? Like I said, I feel dumb as hell for having to ask this, so blast away, I can take all the redicule I get, as long as I get an answer too. Thanks in advance.

 

truck wont move if the t-case is in neutral. you want 2 hi

 

What he said. You can typically shift into 2HI when moving slowly or stopped, but to shift into 4LO you NEED to put the car in neutral and then shift, or else it wont switch. And remember not to use 4x4 while turning on dry surfaces.

 

Yea these trucks are shift on the fly. 2 hi to 4 hi on the move or stopped. Transmission in neutral and not moving to go in and out if 4 lo

 

Thanks guys. I know not to use 4x4 on dry surfaces. One more question, how often should I check/change t case fluid, and differential fluid?

 

Depends on how many miles are on your truck. I usually change my fluids when i buy the vehicle and every 70k miles after ill change them. Unless i bury it underwater then i change it after that just in case. But be careful the drain plug on the transfer case can be a bear to get out. Sometimes you can get it out

 

i like to change front/rear diff, tcase, trans fluid about once per year.
that's overkill, but its not that expensive and gives you a chance to look for things that shouldn't be there. like pieces of metal...

but - as said, if you drive through deep water, unless you have confidence that it doesn't leak, you want to change the fluid soon after to look for water.

once you establish some confidence that nothing is leaking and letting in water, then you can not worry too much about it, and change it annually.

don't be like my brother in law. after numerous creek crossings over several years and no maintenance. he had to spend a fortune to replace everything...

its easy to overlook the front axle seals. they start leaking, the fluid level gets low, then they quit leaking and you don't notice. you drive through water and a boatload of water runs in the axle tubes and burns up the pinion and/or carrier bearings. then you've got an expensive repair on your hands.

 

Thanks guys, Im gonna be putting the truck on a lift at work and doing some fluid changes, thinking diff fluid, tcase fluid, trans, and maybe a coolant flush. Not sure when all the fluids were changed last, so to be safe im just gonna change everything. Anything I'm missing?

 

i replace my PS fluid about every 3 years or so.
engine off, suck out the old with a cheap turkey baster, refill, run a little, repeat 2-3 times until is stays reasonably clean.

i also flushed out all the old brake fluid recently when redoing the rear brakes. sort of an extended brake bleed until the fluid ran clean.

flush cooling system including cleaning out the overflow tank, backflushing heater core, and draining/flushing block. drain plugs on each side hiding behind engine mounts. lots of nasty heavy deposits come out of the block.

 

Dont flush the transmission unless there is records of it being done in the past