Up until last year I never had a need for 4WD, but after moving to a more country lifestyle, we need one for the property. So I have no experience.

Got a 2008 with about 190k miles last year. Overall it’s great, but I noticed that 4WD in reverse wasn’t smooth- it was somewhat jerky.

And most recently, going from 4 to 2WD driving forward (was stopped when I changed back to 2) had the rear wheels seemingly locked up. I was driving, so I’m trying to explain the feel- so my description may not be total accurate.

It took a bit for everything to go back to normal.

Planning on taking it in, but wondering if anyone has thoughts a suggestions.

Thanks!

 

We have a SOTF 4WD system in our trucks. this system allows us to shift on the fly up to 50 mph into 4 hi... 4 low requires you to be in neutral with your foot on the brake. not sure which mode of 4wd you were in or what the surface type you were on when you experienced to roughness but, it could be normal. when in 4wd, you need to be on a surface that allows the tires to slip ie... mud, ice,snow,wet grass or binding can occur.

 

That’s helpful, it was high while on concrete (was trying to pull a trencher out of the mud).
Although the choppiness in reverse issues was happening on snowy/ icy streets.

thanks for the help.

 

There was a thread recently discussing ng 4x4 (I tried to find a link for you but I can’t search it up now). In it was a discussion/opinion about “use it or lose it”, basically that you should use/engage system on regular basis (on appropriate surfaces) or risk failures. Including using lo range.

 

Engaging/disengaging 4wd on pavement can be problematic especially if the tires are mismatched because the front and rear have a hard time meshing when everything spins at a slightly different rate.
EVen if your tires are all the same dry pavement doesn't allow the "slip" that enables smoother engagement that you get on dirt or wet.

 

The locking up part of the description sound like a symptom during steering. If straight driving, that's a little concerning.

I can't think of a reason it would be jerky only in reverse.

Perhaps it's a good idea to check fluid level in the transfer case at the age/miles.

 

Will do. And yes, the jerkiness was during steering.

 

If you were in 4x4 mode and steering sharply (yes even in reverse) could cause the jerkiness.
These threads are always difficult. We have a person unfamiliar with a 4x4 system, therefore has a difficult time describing the sensations experienced. We do our best to say "it's normal because you are using it incorrectly" but most of the time we really can't tell.

In this case, best I personally can suggest is that you engage 4x4 and drive backwards in a relatively straight line to see if it reacts the same. You can steer a little, just can't turn the wheel very far. I can't give you a degree to steer unfortunately.

If you can shift in/out of 4x4 okay and it drives fine forward and reverse while in a relatively straight line I'd say it is functioning as it should.
I can make a fairly wide left turn in 4x4 but pretty much impossible to make a right turn. Right turns are usually too tight. If you have an open area to turn left and right, but not tight, you could for sure test it in both directions.

 

i thank you nailed it. Thanks!

 

When you turn the front wheels and drive in an arc each of the 4 wheels takes a different path to arrive at the same point. The wheels on the inside, particularly the inside front wheel have the least distance to travel when moving forward. In reverse the inside rear wheel. The outside wheels the greatest distance. They need to all turn at different speeds. In 2wd this is easy. But in 4X4 the front and rear axles are locked together, and the truck tries to force all 4 wheels to turn at the same speed.

The wheels need to be on a loose surface to allow the inside wheels to slip slightly as they turn. If on hard pavement traction is good and it really puts the entire drivetrain in a bind. You may not be able to move at all until something expensive breaks. Technically if you move in a straight line it shouldn't damage anything. But as a general rule I advise 4X4 only when on loose surfaces such as gravel, sand, loose dirt, grass, snow, ice or mud. If you need to engage 4X4 for some reason on a surface with good traction be careful.