At what speed can I engage 4H?


EnglishDan

EnglishDan

15+ Year Member

Joined
Dec 26, 2009
Messages
154
Points
3,101
City
Louisville, KY
Vehicle Year
1994
Transmission
Automatic
I know in my 94 Ranger I can engage 4H up to 55mph, but my friend has a 95 explorer with the electronic twist switch. He thinks that he has to be fully stopped to engage 4H - any clues?:icon_confused:
Happy New Year!
 
The control module in his explorer will copperate when it wants to.

Operator malfunction is largely removed from the equasion

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i had a 94 explorer and sometimes it wouldn't kick the light on but would still be in 4h
 
EnglishDan said:
I know in my 94 Ranger I can engage 4H up to 55mph, but my friend has a 95 explorer with the electronic twist switch. He thinks that he has to be fully stopped to engage 4H - any clues?:icon_confused:
Happy New Year!
Click to expand...

My 1996 ranger ALSO has ( as you put it ) "electronic twist switch" and my manual CLEARLY says I can switch into 4Hi at speeds UP TO 55 mph.

Unless I am missing something here there is NO difference in his 95 explorer shift on the fly and my 1996 ranger shift on the fly.

Tell him to look in his manual under the ( 4x4 operation ) section.

If he no longer has his manual you can look up the exact manual for his explorer either at ford.com or motorcraft.com I can't remember which but it will be in PDF form.

Edit:
I have seen others throw around the ( 45mph ) speed when talking about shifting into 4hi but I don't remember what years they were talking about, BUT I can say with absolute certainty when speaking about MY truck because mine CLEARLY says ( 55mph ).
 
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You can always switch into 4H at speed, but in many cases you don't want to be in 4H above 45. the push-button units make you be stopped, and in some cases in neutral with the brake set before it will shift into Low.
 
Frankly, I won't shidt into 4WD unless I'm going less than 10 mph, to save abuse on the t-case & axles. If you don't abuse it, it's less likely to break.
 
Engage

Before I converted to manual hubs I could engage 4X at any speed but would have to stop and go to neutral to shift to low range in my 88 2.9 auto.
 
Hopman said:
Frankly, I won't shidt into 4WD unless I'm going less than 10 mph, to save abuse on the t-case & axles. If you don't abuse it, it's less likely to break.
Click to expand...

In most systems once you pull it into 4HI you still aren't actually in 4 wheel drive. To save the axle and t-case the abuse the hubs don't actually engage until you back off the gas and let it coast for a little bit.

Try it. Get yourself into a fishtail, rip back on your 4x4, and don't let off the gas, the front end doesn't engage and the fishtail doesn't stop. Once you let off that pedal for half a second or so though you feel the front axle lock in and you are good to go. My hubs are getting worn, so if the radio is off you can actually hear them click in.

The t-case uses a planetary gear set, just like an auto transmission, which is the same thing that makes an auto physically stronger than a manual. There isn't a great deal of need to be concerned about abusing the t-case by shifting in at speed since the front wheels are probably already moving anyway.

I usually don't shift in much above 25, but that is also the speed where I usually need it too. If I've gotten above 25 mph without the 4x4, I'm not gonna need it. If I'm gonna need it, I'll need it by 25.
 
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i have mine in at speeds up to 50-55 MPH , but only on nights like tonight when i am driving on N-S roads that have not been plowed and are covered in 3 inches of Lake Effect snow with drifts up to 8 inches high , my tires never touch actual pavement.

and what causes transfer cases to wear and break is that fact that they do not allow for a speed difference between the front and rear axle , that is why you are not supposed to engage it on dry pavement

and adsm the hub problem is easily solves by switching to manual lock outs
 
With my manual t-case, I leave the manual hubs locked, and I'm able to switch at any speed I want to.

I not suggesting you can do it yourself, but I've done it hundreds of times on my commutes at speeds over the posted speed limits and approaching the speed limiter of the truck, which is 110mph on mine.

What the guy said above about having to slack the system to move in and out is true on mine too. All it takes is letting off or just bumping the gas and it's usually done its thing though.
 
Don't know about the Ford's 4x4. But on the 96 Blazer 4x4. Just push the button and it engages right way. We never abuse the system. And we predict the condition ahead of time when we need it. Once pavement is in sight and we are driving in a straight line, push the 2Hi and it switches back.

As for 4Lo. For that to work. Gotta be stopped, in neutral, before it will engage. Thou the manual does state it can be engaged while driving less than 3 mph.
 
One thing you don't want to do is engage it while the wheels are slipping. And I never engage it while accelerating, I just let off the gas then flip the switch.

My manual says 4-high can be engaged at speeds up to 45 mph. I don't see why you couldn't engage it at higher speeds, especially with live axles. But I think 45 is chosen from a safety/common sense standpoint, which would make sense. If the conditions are bad enough that 4-high is suddenly and immediately needed, you probably shouldn't be exceeding 45 anyway.
 
WNY964x4 said:
and adsm the hub problem is easily solves by switching to manual lock outs
Click to expand...

The are manuals. They are also the originals from 1987 with almost 188k hard miles put to the truck. I need new ones.
 
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