Why does 4WD feel difficult to turn?

Can I use the 4WD all the time and why does it feel difficult to turn- as if it binds up???

 

Better to follow advice from the manufacturer per the owners manual -

 

No, DO NOT drive around in 4wd. ONNLY drive as you need it in adverse conditions. Selectable 4wd drive vehicles are not the same as all wheel drive vehicles. The "binding" you feel is due to how the transfer case delivers power to the front which causes it to "drive" instead of being "driven" when in RWD.

 

Oh no baby you didn’t read your manual

 

The only exception would be in a Limited with full-time AWD/4WD, but it has the technology that determines what wheels need power and when.

So, unless you have a Limited, the answer is definitely no.

 

My TRD was delivered to me in H4 by the dealership within the lot. Dry Pavement.
It was actually binding at full turn. Complained to my Sales Rep. He had no clue what was going on and asked me to bring back in for service.

Luckily someone responded and advised what to do from this forum. ThumbsUp!

 

Please tell us you haven't been doing this for long...

 

No. It's not full time 4wd unless you bought the Limited.

 

No- just for a few street blocks (3) just to lubricate the front axle. I would say for about 4-5 miles Sporadically.

 

I toss mine in 4x4 a few times a month or so, only when I have a straight line. I would not make turns and what not just to lube it up, unless there is snow, dirt or even oil I guess.

 

I try to do a mile or so per month!

 

Recommendation is 10miles per month, which is not easy for me for my wife's 4R.

 

About the binding — sometimes called “wind-up”.

Imagine driving through a puddle of paint while making a turn, and then stopping to look at the painted tire tracks behind you. You will notice that the wheels have prescribed 4 different arcs, each of a different length. That means each wheel has traveled a different distance, and rotated at a slightly different speed. The difference is most pronounced on wheels on the same axle. The wheels on the same axle are separated by a differential, the purpose of which is to allow the wheels to travel at different speeds. On vehicles with diff locks, when engaged the diff-lock stymies the differential action. Now, on dry pavement, as we go around a curve both wheels will prescribe a different curve, but they are forced to rotate at the same speed - wind-up, or torsional stress will occur across the axle, and that stress is relieved by the scrubbing of one or the other of the tires on the ground. If the driving surface doesn’t provide the tires with much friction, it is easy for them to move different distances at the same speed without building up stress because the tires can easily slip.

If we look at the stresses in the front and rear drive shafts we see the same dynamics as we see in the axles, though less pronounced. As the wheels go around the corner and prescribe their arcs we notice that, especially in tighter turns, the front wheels travel further than the rear wheels. In a full-time-4WD vehicle, like the Limited, there is a center differential which allows the front and rear drive shafts to distribute power while turning at different speeds. But with part-time 4WD there is no center differential and there is a tendency to develop wind-up across the two drive shafts, and the torsional stresses want to be relieved by the scrubbing of either the front or rear wheels. On road surfaces with less traction there is no build-up of stresses as the tires can easily slip. But on dry asphalt it is difficult for the tires to scrub, the stresses build up, and the driver can feel it in the steering wheel.

 

Actually, I'm usually about 6-8 miles. I'll drive it in 4H while running some errands. Don't know why I said "1 mile or so" (?)

 

The way I heard it is this: oil is hydrophobic but there are additives in the oil that absorb moisture. If the purpose of exercising the 4WD was merely lubrication, about a mile or so would be enough. A longer distance is specified so that the oil can get good and hot and cook off the accumulated moisture.

 

You're really exercising the actuators because the spider gears of the front axle are turning in 2wd. Just find a straight road and pop it into 4wd. I do this every so often on my commute.

 

outstanding guidance from all.
Thanks all

 

This is it. My 16 yr old Tacoma gets put into 4WD about once per 2-4months going down my 300 ft driveway. Still goes into 4H and 4L every time with no issues. Just move those actuators once in a while and it's all good, no need to drive any distance in 4WD to keep the system lubricated.

 

I guess I'm lucky. Got my 97 limited from original owner and she never used the 4x ever. First thing was to change all fluids and slowly work everything. So far 4k miles and I'm good. It all works but there is some vibration in transfer case. I guess I'm in for springtime rebuild.

 

To keep it simple, I usually engage the 4hi ( short distance ) and 4low ( very short distance ) on the 1st of every month.
Been doing this on my previous 3 Tacoma's and previous 4Runner. Never had a issue with any of them.

 

That sounds like a good practice. My 97’ Tacoma had a manual transfer case so I never worried about it, but since my 18’ SR5 4R has the electronic controlled transfer case, I try to exercise it once a month too.

 

Honest to goodness Honey, if I don't go off-roadin' Saturday my 4WDs gonna break. The manufacturer says It's gotta be run to lube up the parts. I'll go with ya to see your mother next weekend...

 

I do it very similar. I run in 4 hi for about a mile every Friday on my way home

 

Wow, great. How many miles when purchased.

 

238k. I have replaced entire front end and rack. And the ac system. Not sure how a illinois 4 runner could rust free.

 

LOL ---> Here I am worried about only getting 14MPG ---> I wonder what MPG the OP is getting---> LOL

 

In my 08 Tundra I accidentally left her in 4WD while driving around a sloped paved curve in my driveway. Before you could say oh crap , the torque on the right axle (inside steep part of the curve) was so much that I snapped the CV joint clean. I simply forgot to switch it off . Since that moment I have never forgotten to do that.

 

Ouch!!! That’s a pretty clear description of what can happen when I forget to turn off 4wd on a “quick” road section between trail sections. I bet it was the sloped curve that really did it in, like you described, but still, I can imagine a similar situation on the road.

 

I typically engage/disengage on parts of the trail that look sketchy. On longer straight sections, I may leave in 4wd, but even off road I avoid 4wd when making tight turns.