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Is This Normal?


Canuck4x4

Well-Known Member
Joined
Jan 26, 2017
Messages
99
City
New Brunswick
Vehicle Year
2003
Transmission
Automatic
...I have a 2003 xlt 4x4. Every now and then if I'm driving on snow packed roads I will feel a very light " skip " from the drivetrain when cruising at 50 mph or so.When I switch from 4wd to 2wd...after 10-15 seconds I will feel this skip just once. I have never owned a 4x4 before so I don't know whether it's normal or not.
Thanks
 
It may be driveline windup releasing. You really shouldn't be in 4x4 at 50 MPH. If roads are bad enough for 4x4 they are too bad for 50, and if they are good enough for 50 you shouldn't need 4x4. The skip after taking it out of 4x4 is probably the system disengaging.
 
It may be driveline windup releasing. You really shouldn't be in 4x4 at 50 MPH. If roads are bad enough for 4x4 they are too bad for 50, and if they are good enough for 50 you shouldn't need 4x4. The skip after taking it out of 4x4 is probably the system disengaging.

...ok thanks. I never received a manual with the truck. If I ask a few 4×4 enthusiasts at work I get two different answers. What is a safe cruising speed in 4 wheel drive that won't be hard on the transfer case etc..and what is the maximum safe speed when switching into 4wd or from 4wd back into 2wd?
 
My manual says you can engage and disengage the 4wd at up to 55mph as long as you are not spinning tires.

FWIW in 16.5 years of owning my Ranger and a 4wd 2002 F-150 and I have never experienced what you are describing. :dntknw:
 
If your front a rear tires have slightly different diameters due to unequal wear, you get binding or driveline windup as adsm referred to. In a corner you can get wheel hop from this same thing even with same diameter front and rear tires. This is bad for the driveline if the tires have good traction. If you are on a surface that has poor traction the driveline can handle it because the tires will slip easier. That is probably what is happening when you feel this skip.
 
...ok thanks. I never received a manual with the truck. If I ask a few 4×4 enthusiasts at work I get two different answers. What is a safe cruising speed in 4 wheel drive that won't be hard on the transfer case etc..and what is the maximum safe speed when switching into 4wd or from 4wd back into 2wd?

Like 85 said the system is rated for use up to 55 MPH. That being said, you also have to think about stopping. 4x4 won't do shit to help you stop. 4x4 will help give you extra traction to get started on slippery roads and in a bad spot it can give you extra longitudinal stability because the front wheel are pulling the rest of the vehicle instead of being pushed along. Now in my opinion if things are so slick that you need that extra traction up front to keep going in a straight line and not constantly kick the rear end out the roads are too slippery to be going 50, from purely a safety standpoint.
 
My manual says you can engage and disengage the 4wd at up to 55mph as long as you are not spinning tires.

FWIW in 16.5 years of owning my Ranger and a 4wd 2002 F-150 and I have never experienced what you are describing. :dntknw:

Good.Thanks
 
If your front a rear tires have slightly different diameters due to unequal wear, you get binding or driveline windup as adsm referred to. In a corner you can get wheel hop from this same thing even with same diameter front and rear tires. This is bad for the driveline if the tires have good traction. If you are on a surface that has poor traction the driveline can handle it because the tires will slip easier. That is probably what is happening when you feel this skip.
Had new total terrain tires front and back.
 
Like 85 said the system is rated for use up to 55 MPH. That being said, you also have to think about stopping. 4x4 won't do shit to help you stop. 4x4 will help give you extra traction to get started on slippery roads and in a bad spot it can give you extra longitudinal stability because the front wheel are pulling the rest of the vehicle instead of being pushed along. Now in my opinion if things are so slick that you need that extra traction up front to keep going in a straight line and not constantly kick the rear end out the roads are too slippery to be going 50, from purely a safety standpoint.
Probably being a little paranoid on my part. Last month I had a rear control arm snap on an awd rav4 at 60 mph that threw me in the ditch on my roof. Driving a rwd truck on winter roads makes me a little nervous. I click it in 4x4 probably a little bit too pre-maturely on my part now..lol
 
Had new total terrain tires front and back.

That doesn't mean anything. I have seen several AWD Explorers end up with wheel hop right after tire replacement because the four new tires were not all close enough in actual diameter, despite being the same size. And those ones were meant to be in 4x4 all the time.

But yeah, you need to learn to drive your truck in 2wd in the snow and not be paranoid about small stuff like a control arm breaking or a vehicle rolling over. If you get skittish over every little thing that could go wrong while driving pretty soon you end up going 5 mph in the left lane with your blinker on and ordering lobster from Amazon.
 
Last edited:
Lol..yeah I hear what your saying. The control arm snapping wasnt really a small thing though. It ripped the wheel off and my vehicle dug into the pavement and flipped me through the air down into a ditch destroying my ride. Only thing that saved me was the seat belt. I went to work a half hour later and was driving again that night. Crashing my dirt bike hard so many times enabled me to " shake it off " emotionally...lol
 

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