4x4 Never Used Before

[97RangerXLT]

Thanks ab_slack i will definately be doing that check.

And about that never using the 4wd only excuse is being scared to break something nd not having transportation for school nd work since it is my dd lol. But now that you guys are helping me out with all this i feel really comfortable now to give it a try

3 years without asking for help?!

Ok, I can see that. that is typical of most males *hands man card back undamaged*

Running in 2wd with the hubs locked shouldn't hurt anything. in fact during the winter if you are running with the hubs locked all you have to do is put into 4wd when you need it and you don't have to get out of the truck to do it Just make sure your needle bearings in the spindle are well greased, and your u-joints in the front axles are greased and there should be no problems. As mentioned before, you might notice some binding when making tight turns, but if there is lube in the differential and nothing is binding in the front drive train, you should be good to go.

AJ

 

[ezln1992]

3 years without asking for help?!

Ok, I can see that. that is typical of most males *hands man card back undamaged*

Running in 2wd with the hubs locked shouldn't hurt anything. in fact during the winter if you are running with the hubs locked all you have to do is put into 4wd when you need it and you don't have to get out of the truck to do it Just make sure your needle bearings in the spindle are well greased, and your u-joints in the front axles are greased and there should be no problems. As mentioned before, you might notice some binding when making tight turns, but if there is lube in the differential and nothing is binding in the front drive train, you should be good to go.

AJ

Lol thanks for the card
Okay then ima just leave my hubs locked once i make sure everything is greased up nd moves properly

 

[ab_slack]

See this is where im confused. I was once told to never drive on 2wd with the hubs locked? Did that person have no idea wat he was talking about ? Because youre tellig me the opposite nd im trusting you more since you sound like you know your stuff

As 97Ranger said " in fact during the winter if you are running with the hubs locked all you have to do is put into 4wd when you need it and you don't have to get out of the truck to do it" that pretty much sums it up.

I've always run with my hubs locked seasonably on my BIIs. At the first snowstorm or threat, I lock the hubs and unless there is a warm spell and I am doing some distance driving, leave them locked till the winter is past. Of the 192K miles I got out of my original 88 BII, Probably 60K to 70K of that was driven with the hubs locked.

People always thought I was a bit crazy for doing that and would say "why would you want to do that?". And this included a friend who was a Ford factory rep who had told me that there were no limits as far as speed that one could run with the hubs locked or speed at which one could use 4WD. Answer is simple, I like the instant ability to switch in and out of 4WD.

In his mind and others, there was the wear factor, it would wear out the front end and it would cost fuel economy. Both are valid although I tended to think running it like I did ensured that everything would get warm and drive out moisture. There is nothing worse for a car around here than to just sit.

The fuel economy, yes it hurt some. I got a solid 22mpg highway with that BII without hubs locked. With hubs locked it was 21.5mpg. Not enough penalty to worry about in my daily driving unless taking a trip. particularly considering that fuel was half to one third the current cost.

I didn't have a single problem with the front driveline on that 88 BII or my 89 BII (except for the auto locking hubs I swapped out for manual, spit on those nasty auto locking hubs).

I think some of the logic about never drive 2WD with hubs locked comes from other vehicle models. "Back in the day" lol, when I got my 88 BII which I got brand new, I had been looking at other 4WD vehicles such as the Dodge Ramcharger. Can't remember the others. The owners manuals of the other models all had warnings about not driving over certain speeds with 4WD engaged or with the hubs locked. Even ones with auto locking hubs did not recommend shifting on the fly or if doing so, to do so at lower speeds. Basically the word was something like if front driveline was engaged you weren't supposed to drive and full highway speeds. The BIIs (and Rangers) of the time didn't have any caution about speed restrictions when using 4WD and when I drove one, with snow on the ground and how smooth it was, I was sold and have loved my BIIs ever since.


If I recall correctly the 94 Cherokee we have suggests shifting from 2H to 4H while rolling slowly or at low speed. I think I have shifted it while going as fast as 40mph and it seemed fine. Reading the manual I got the sense that you could shift on the fly, but that high speed wasn't really recommended. The Cherokee doesn't have manual locking hubs and I don't know if the front shaft always spins or some other sort of auto locking mechanism. We only got that one a couple years ago so I don't really know it. I believe it is a solid 4WD system as many swear by the Jeeps, it isn't one I know like the ones in the80s BII/Rangers.

 

[ezln1992]

Got dam ab_slack you are full of information! Thanks alot! You have cleared up everything really well ! And about driving in the rain with 4wd is that recommended? I live in socal so its almost always warm but just to be prepared for the rain next time .

 

[wildbill23c]

When I had my 1988 Ford F250, we had a pretty bad winter one year and I left the hubs locked in all winter, and finally remembered to unlock them in about June, never had any issues with them by doing that. Maybe less fuel economy by just a fraction but never any mechanical issues.

 

[ab_slack]

Got dam ab_slack you are full of information! Thanks alot! You have cleared up everything really well ! And about driving in the rain with 4wd is that recommended? I live in socal so its almost always warm but just to be prepared for the rain next time .

I may have some info there, but mind is mostly a lay persons understanding with just 26 years of history with BIIs and combination of shop work and my own work. There are some real mechanics here that probably cringe at what I say at times... I've gotten lots of help from em.

As for the question, 4WD on these is not recommended in the rain. They aren't a full time 4WD system. There is no differential between front and rear so when the net speed between the front and rear wheels is different (such as when going around a turn since the front and rear take different paths, or having different size tires) there needs to be some slip someplace between tires and the road or the tension winds up in both front and rear drivelines until something gives.

When in snow, dirt or mud, there is plenty of slippage at the tires to let that tension out before it gets significant. Wet roads, while having some slip, are still better than snow or dirt so you can still get tension that will build up and be released by a wheel sliding. Some stiffness may be felt when turning and since it actually forces a tire to slide a bit, it is probably affecting driving stability in a negative way than actually helping.

Even on dry pavement when the tension gets built up, it will usually release by a tire slipping without causing mechanical damage. It will be felt as a sort of chattering around turns. It isn't good at all. Rain it still does that a bit.

What you can do in the rain however, if hubs are locked, when accelerating from a stop on a wet road, particularly when sitting on an uphill where wheels will slip, it isn't a big deal to put it in 4WD just to get the extra traction. Once it is rolling slip it back into 2WD. Even if you are making a bit of a turn. It is a trade between getting some grab verses a little slip caused by being in 4WD.

To head off the question, what about a road with mixed wet and snow, or mixed dry spots and icy spots? I usually use some judgment. If I can't go 10 more than a couple seconds without at least one wheel on snow (only take one to relieve the tension) I will keep it in 4WD. If it is longer than that I may move it into 2WD. It all depends. If it is wet patches, I am less concerned than if, like around here when really cold there ends up with dry patches mixed with the snow/ice spots.

I had a problem with mismatched tires on my 89 BII. Got it used and while all tires were the same "standard size" the front and rear were different. This caused a front to rear imbalance. When I had it in 4WD, even with snow on the road, unless very slippery, it would refuse to go strait. Just the salt and sand they put down on the roads around here would create enough traction. It would pull to the right and when I corrected to going strait it would then go to the left. If it was very slippery that was fine. It was essentially impossible to drive that in the mixed conditions I described above. It had to be very slippery. I didn't realize this was the tires at first. It wasn't until I got a new set on and the problem went away that I realized this. I hadn't ever changed any less than 4 at a time so never encountered that before.