So the other day I pulled into my neighborhood and decided to put the truck into 4hi til i got home. I did this just to run it and have the transfer case going to have all the gearing get lubed- I've been told its a good idea to run 4hi for a couple miles so that all the gearing gets lubed if it hasnt been in 4x4 for a while. when i pulled into my driveway- a hard right turn-- and the front end pulled down... is this normal!?

 

Were you driving on pavement? How fast were you going when you tried to turn into your driveway? With your 4 wheel drive engaged you're going to have a hard time making any kind of turn at slow speeds on a dry surface and will probably end up damaging the drive train.

 

I don't know what you mean by pulled down but 4wd should not be used on dry pavement especially when making sharp turns.

 

I was on dry pavement, driving maybe 15-20 mph.

 

Ouch, not a good thing to do. Check out the driving section in your owner's manual and look for the 4x4 section.

What happened to you is normal, and I'm sure it probably felt a little bit like the truck was resisting and jumping a little bit while you were turning.

Check out this link if you have time, it has some pretty good information.

http://auto.howstuffworks.com/four-wheel-drive2.htm

You most likely didn't cause any damage this time, just remember that 4x4 is never meant to be used on dry pavement.

 

If you just want to use the 4wd to get things moving and lubed like you stated using the 4wd on dry pavement in a straight line won't hurt but stay away from turns until you're back in 2wd

 

Yep, good advice.

 

This ^^^ And for everyone with a 4x4 truck, or any truck for that matter please read your owners manual if you have one, Ford did a great job explaining the operation of the 4x4 system and tells you what not to do when its engaged.

 

THANKS to everyone's advice and knowledge! have a great weekend and get them trucks dirty!