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Am I using 4WD Hi right?

C

Churchlady

NAXJA Forum User
Location
Bath, Maine
This is my first winter w/my XJ. The roads here have been snowy/icy/slushy for weeks now, and my 4WD Hi has been just great; I haven't fishtailed once and can get up my very steep (and usually coated with packed icy snow) driveway (which I have to turn into from a virtual stop) every time.

It's been so great I want to be sure I don't do something stupid to it.

I've been told by very good heads I should slow down to no more than 10-12 mph to shift into or out of it no matter what the manual says. Right?

And when I start out on still-slushy residential streets and get on the dry highway, should I shift back to 2WD?

And I shift to 4WD Lo (from a virtual stop) when 4WD Hi can't handle the situation, right?

Anything else I should know?

Many thanks.
 
I've been told by very good heads I should slow down to no more than 10-12 mph to shift into or out of it no matter what the manual says. Right?
Click to expand...

You can shift into 4 hi at any speed below 55.

And when I start out on still-slushy residential streets and get on the dry highway, should I shift back to 2WD?
Click to expand...

Yes.

And I shift to 4WD Lo (from a virtual stop) when 4WD Hi can't handle the situation, right?
Click to expand...

Yes and No. 4 lo will give you more pulling power (it multiplies gear ratio times two), however its not a miracle, by that I mean if you are stuck you can't just put it in 4 lo and expect it to come un-stuck. 4 lo is used when climbing sttep hills and decending steep hills. It really doesn't do much good in dep mud and snow like the owners manual says becaus you need wheel speed.

But you are correct you should only be going 2-3 moh when you shift into 4 lo and do not exceed 25 mph.
 
what options do you have for going into 4x4??? do you have only 2 high, 4 high and 4 low?
or do you have 2 high, 4 hi part time, 4 hi full time, and 4 low?
if u have the later one, you can drive on dry pavement with the 4 hi full time engaged. (should give you a green indicator on the dash, vice the orange 4x4)
 
rock hard said:
what options do you have for going into 4x4??? do you have only 2 high, 4 high and 4 low?
or do you have 2 high, 4 hi part time, 4 hi full time, and 4 low?
if u have the later one, you can drive on dry pavement with the 4 hi full time engaged. (should give you a green indicator on the dash, vice the orange 4x4)
Click to expand...

My '96 has just 2hi, 4hi, 4lo. And if I have any kind of dash light telling me I'm in 4WD I haven't located it (or the bulb is burned out). I've wondered about this because my old Trooper had a very clear green indicator light when in 4WD. If there weren't 2 feet of snow on the ground I'd go get my manual and see if it says there's an indicator light. Does anyone know?
 
Churchlady said:
My '96 has just 2hi, 4hi, 4lo. And if I have any kind of dash light telling me I'm in 4WD I haven't located it (or the bulb is burned out). I've wondered about this because my old Trooper had a very clear green indicator light when in 4WD. If there weren't 2 feet of snow on the ground I'd go get my manual and see if it says there's an indicator light. Does anyone know?
Click to expand...

Should be a "part time" light on the panel by the driverside door. If it doesnt come on it is probably burned out.

P.S. The light is orange.
 
jeepguy97 said:
Should be a "part time" light on the panel by the driverside door. If it doesnt come on it is probably burned out.
Click to expand...

Or, if it's a '97-up, on the main instrument panel itself, upper-right corner. Still orange.
 
jeepguy97 said:
You can shift into 4 hi at any speed below 55.


Shift while I'm in drive w/o going into neutral or go into neutral and then into 4hi? I know--I should read my owner's manual. I did but I can only absorb so much at a sitting and it's much warmer here at the computer than pulling on boots & plowing through snow to get it out of the glove box.

The previous owner, whose business was rescuing drivers in trouble, said he never liked to do anything affecting the transfer case when moving too fast on slippery roads, and even to shift into 4hi I should slow down to about 15 mph. Which is not easy to do in the situation I mentioned, i.e., when I pull onto a dry highway and want to get back in 2WD. But of course the road is no longer slippery in that case.
Click to expand...
 
Churchlady said:
Shift while I'm in drive w/o going into neutral or go into neutral and then into 4hi?
Click to expand...

If you're under 55mph and have the gear lever in 'D', you can move the transfer case lever between 2HI and 4HI without having to stop the vehicle or put it in neutral first.

To go from 4HI to 4LO, it's recommended that you not be travelling above 3mph. Since this is not an easy speed to estimate (and you really do not want to do this going any faster), I usually come to a full stop, put the gear lever in the 'N' position, then move the transfer case lever back from 4HI to 4LO *without* pausing in the transfer case's 'N' position.

In the case of the latter, if there's any major resistance or grinding going into 4LO you can move back into 4HI, put the gear lever in D, and creep forward a few inches. Try the shift into 4LO again as outlined above and it should work - if not, repeat until it does engage.
 
Thanks to everyone. I'm learning. One more question: my Trooper recommended backing up a few feet after disengaging 4WD. Is this necessary on the XJ?
 
The only caveat about shifting from 2 high to 4 high on the fly is that you should not be spinning any wheels when you do it. As long as both axles are rotating at the same speed it will go right in. I usually back off on the gas just at the moment of shifting but otherwise just do it. Here in New England, where the roads often vary between black ice, snowdrifts and dry pavement, you can find yourself shuttling back and forth a lot.

As far as disengaging, if your tires are evenly worn and your tire pressures good, you shouldn't have to back up. It may be necessary if uneven tire diameters put enough strain on the system to keep it from popping out of 4WD, or if you have a balky older vacuum disconnect axle. You should feel when it disengages, and if your Jeep is getting a little old and worn you will probably also hear it. If it drops right out, you're fine. If not, you might try putting it in neutral for a moment and giving it a little brake. It will usually pop out, and you'll feel a kind of bang when it does. Stop and reverse only if it really refuses to let go.

Right now, owing to laxity over tire rotation, I'm at the "coast and bang" stage. I should be ashamed of myself.
 
Churchlady said:
Thanks to everyone. I'm learning. One more question: my Trooper recommended backing up a few feet after disengaging 4WD. Is this necessary on the XJ?
Click to expand...

No need to back up your 96 to disengage anything. The reason for backing up the Trooper is to unlock the auto hubs, you XJ doesnt have auto hubs.
 
Churchlady said:
Thanks to everyone. I'm learning. One more question: my Trooper recommended backing up a few feet after disengaging 4WD. Is this necessary on the XJ?
Click to expand...

The trooper had auto locking hubs which sometimes required reversal of direction to get them to disengage... the xj does not. the front axles are direct-connect to the hub. The np/nv 231 transfer case in the xj can stay in 4x4 sometimes after shifting the lever to 2hi. quite common and normal unless the release time is extrordinarily long. shifting from 2hi to 4hi and back should be nearly effortless when traveling in a straight line and steady speed.
 
As Matthew Currie said, the only real consideration when shifting into 4WD-Hi is to ensure that the front and rear wheels are moving at the same speed. When I was new to my XJ I was exploring a new and unplowed subdivision in Vermont and got halfway up a hill in 2WD, then couldn't go any farther. "No problem," sez me, "I have four wheel drive." Whereupon, with the rear wheels churing away at about 30 MPH and the front wheels not moving at all, I grabbed the lever and gave it a yank.

YIKES! Dummy me forgot that the 4WD high position with the 231 transfer case locks the front and rear drive shafts so that they MUST turn at the same speed. That can't happen when the front and rear wheels are rolling (or not) at different speeds.

It isn't necessary to shift into neutral when shifting into or out of 4WD-Hi, but it is a good idea to shift on relatively level ground and to relax the pressure on the accelerator so you are at essentially neutral throttle -- coasting, between accelerate and decelerate.

The same applies when shifting out of 4WD. If it doesn't feel like it comes out, alternately back off and then step on the throttle a couple of times and that should release it. Stopping and backing up usually isn't necessary.
 
Eagle said:
" I was exploring a new and unplowed subdivision in Vermont and got halfway up a hill in 2WD, then couldn't go any farther. "No problem," sez me, "I have four wheel drive."Whereupon, with the rear wheels churing away at about 30 MPH and the front wheels not moving at all, I grabbed the lever and gave it a yank.

YIKES! Dummy me forgot that the 4WD high position with the 231 transfer case locks the front and rear drive shafts so that they MUST turn at the same speed. That can't happen when the front and rear wheels are rolling (or not) at different speeds.
Click to expand...

What did that do to your car, BTW? And what SHOULD you have done in that situation? There are lots of steep hills in this part of Maine.

I followed everyone's good advice today and went in and out of 4Hi smooth as glass on my several hours of errands. Matthew is right about road conditions changing every few yards up here and though I encountered no real challenges like Eagle's I have a great sense of accomplishment. Thanks for all the help.
 
What did that do to your car, BTW? And what SHOULD you have done in that situation? There are lots of steep hills in this part of Maine.
Click to expand...

You will hear a lound grinding noise, won't hurt it if you don't make it a habbit. You SHOULD stop (apply the brake so the wheels stop spinning) and then shift into four wheel drive and proceed.
 
As Jeepguy97 suggested, I heard a LOUD grinding noise. Yes, in that case I should have stopped, so the front and rear wheels would not be turning at different rates of speed. On the other hand, in many highway trips on snowy interstate highways I ahve routinely shifted into and out of 4WD without even slowing down. I am simply careful, as I previously mentioned, to moderate the throttle so that I'm neither accelerating or decelerating.
 
Churchlady said:
My '96 has just 2hi, 4hi, 4lo. And if I have any kind of dash light telling me I'm in 4WD I haven't located it (or the bulb is burned out). I've wondered about this because my old Trooper had a very clear green indicator light when in 4WD. If there weren't 2 feet of snow on the ground I'd go get my manual and see if it says there's an indicator light. Does anyone know?
Click to expand...

My 96 is the same no light telling me Im in 4wd , it may be burn out as well as far as the 2hi ,4hi,4lo ...that's call Command Track .... the other type shifter has another name that I can't remember right now ,but this info is in the manuel.
 
jeepguy97 said:
You can shift into 4 hi at any speed below 55.
Click to expand...

Any Legal highway speed - according to my 92 owners manual...

remember that 4x4 locks your driveshafts together. if you ever have enough traction that the front axle isnt slipping a little and able to go more distance thant the rear - try it in 2wd...
 
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