OK. I tried to do a search for this, but came up with nothing. Mostly because 4wd is under the 4 character search limit.

My 04 F150 (on order) is my first experience into the truck world. I saw a post about the 4wd using a vacuum to engage/disengage, etc. Someone was talking about driving through a parking garage and disengaging the 4wd to save tires/wear and tear.

Does anyone have a guide for 4wd... tips and such for when it should not be used like parking garage? around tight corners? backing up? etc...

I guess I am looking for some sort of "idiots guide to 4wd with a 2004 F150" type thing.

Thanks
Don

 

I'm kind of where you are. This is my first 4x4 of any kind. I believe there are variations on the 4x4 theme. In my case, the Lariat SuperCrew, I don't think it is advisable to drive on dry asphalt in 4h (or 4L for that matter) and do any turning. The manual specifically says no to it. I believe this is mainly because there is no differential action in the front drive unit, so it won't vary the speed of the outside wheel relative to the inside wheel, and on a low-slip surface like asphalt or concrete there will be binding and damage taking place.

At least, that's my understanding.

 

Yea, a true 4x4 is different than an all wheel drive car. You really don't want it in 4WD unless you Need it. Need, is the key word here. You probably don't need it in a parking garage, on a dry road if it's snowing, etc. Do use it if there's ice or snow On the roads, heading off road, etc.

Don't worry about turning it on and off if you're making turns and stuff. You're not going to hurt anything turning it while in 4WD but if the roads are dry there's just no need for it. It also says in the manual, "Do not use on Dry pavement."

 

You don't want to be engaging the 4 wheel drive unless you are on a surface that allows for some traction slip. Here's a fairly recent thread from the GD forum that discussed this:
https://www.f150online.com/forums/sh...hreadid=141319

 

You should also read the 4x4 guide that Ford publishes.

 

Here ya go bro, all kinds of nifty .pdf files.

http://www.motorcraftservice.com/vdi...p?menuIndex=14

 

I guess I experienced this first hand today. I was parking my truck (2004 F-15 Supercrew) in a tight underground garage. Somehow my 4L became engaged... I must have bumped the control ****...

Needless to say when it came time to leave work I found my truck almost undrivable, It was stuck in 4L and felt like the clutch was slipping to get it moving. I didnt drive it far, had a towtruck come pick it up and take it to the dealership.

I got on here searching, trying to figure out what could have happened. I had no idea about the dry pavement thing or that something like this could happen.

I guess I'll call the dealership tommorrow and tell them how stupid I am. and hopefully i didnt break the drivetrain, I've got 38,000 miles... figures...

 

iDon’t know the intricacies of the mechanics of the 4wd system on these trucks. Just know the basics. If I put mine in 4L is takes it a bit to come out of it. I put it in 4L one night a while back, but when I switched back to 2H, it didn't want to disengage. I was in a driveway and didn't want to go for a ride in 4L, so I killed the truck and went inside. When I came out a few hours later, started it up and there it was still in 4L. The engine was not at operating temp at this point. So, I just drove down the road in 4L (worried the whole time). Stopped at a stop sign put it I 2H, set let it idle for a few minutes and then went on. It came out of 4L into 2H about a quarter mile down the road. No other problems since then. I took it as a learning experience. I take from it that the engine need to be warm and some distance has to be covered to get it out of 4L.

 

The rules are pretty simple:

1) The problem with using 4WD on dry pavement while turning is that both front wheels are turning at the same speed. The inner wheel will try to turn at the same speed as the outer.

Its not good on the transfer case or the hubs. Avoid this. If its dry or just wet, you don't need 4WD anyway. A parking garage is a good example of this.

2) Occasionally you may find your front hubs won't want to disengage after shifting to 2WD (like when you pull into the parking garage at work after a snowy commute).

If this happens just backup a bit (5 feet is usually enough to free the hubs).

3) In warm months shift it into 4 high for a few miles on a straight section of road. This helps keep all the seals from drying out.

4) If you go to a carwash, always check that its in 2WD before leaving. I have heard of (and had happen to me once) of the carwash people turning the 4WD selector when cleaning the dash.

Zapbbx and Brannon, item #2 would have got you back running in about 10 seconds.