Hello everyone, I am new here to the forum and also new to 4x4 pick up trucks. I recently purchaced a new 2010 f150 5.4 L 4x4 supercrew 6.5 box. It only has 6700 km. I love this truck !!
The other day we had alot of snow here in Toronto....perfect time to play with the truck. So I swiched over to 4x4h and when driving down the road to the parking lot, the truck drove fine great traction. But when I got to the empty parking lot and I was going very slow , I turned the wheel all the way to the left as if to drive in a slow tight circle ,and applied a little gas and it sounded like the wheel was locked or dragging, ...so I tried to turn to the right and see if the same thing would happen and it did. So I tried turning again but this time a very wide slow circle and it was ok . Is this because I was turning to sharp and slow the first time? Also when going in reverse in 4x4 I here a humming sound like when a brake pad is rubbing. It does not happen when in 4x2 mode.
Any help with this would be great...thnx for you time and help.

Best regards
Donny

 

This is your first 4wd I take it...

What you are experiencing is the transfer case binding. The truck can't apply the same power to the front wheels as the back wheels when turning tightly because not all the wheels are turning at the same rate. The feeling you are getting is the inside front tire trying to undwind the built up pressure from not turning as far as the transfer case is trying to turn it.

Since the rubber on the road is the weakest stress point, that is where the pressure will release. Your 4wd is intended for low-traction environments where the wheel can slip freely against the ground in the event you bind like this. It is NOT intended for dry or high-traction. If you want something for that, you need AWD, which is something different.

Doing this a lot will ultimately end up damaging your transfer case. Save 4WD for when you need it.

 

If you feel that again your turning to tight and need to let off as described above. In 4 wheel drive you lose something like 15% of your turning radius

 

you will feel that in all 4x4's when turning sharp like going into a parking space or backing out of one. Its normal even if you are on ice. If it bothers you just flip it to 2wd when turning sharp or parking and flip back to 4x4 after. It wont hurt it as long as you dnt do a lot of full lock turning. Its on-the-fly switching so you can flip it whenever you want while driving down the road as long as your back wheels aren't spinning faster than the fronts.

 

Yes it is my first 4x4 , Thank you for you response... The explanation you gave is great. I get the point.

Donny

 

You are very welcome. Welcome to the forum, hope you enjoy your truck!

 

That's the good thing about switching on the fly option it's easy to switch back and forth from 2wd to 4wd but yea u can damage ur transfer case by doing it to much

 

I have a similar issue when in 2wd. When I accelerate while turning I get a shuttering feeling when the road has a little slip to it. Like when there is a heavy salt coating of when the road is slightly wet. A mechanic I talked to said it was normal because of the CV shafts. Wondering if he was right?
Jim

 

I would say it is more likely the traction control kicking in than the CV shafts doing anything. If you are in 2wd, the front CV shafts are completely unlocked and spin freely.

 

yeah, that sounds reasonable.
Thanks