Why cant I turn when I have my truck in 4wheel drive. Its annoying... I put it in 4 wheel high this morning because of wet roads with leaves, and I cant turn the damn thing. When I try to turn it, full clock, it feels like its locked up and doesnt want to move... I have to ease off the steering to get it to go... WHY???

 

thats your 4wd binding captain. Thats bad for your truck.

 

Don't engage 4WD unless you are on loose pavement (sand/gravel/dirt) or in snow/ice. The binding you feel is because the outside wheel is moving faster than the inside wheel in a turn, cauing the axles/gears to bind up. . . .bad news.

 

+1 on what the other posters said. Read your owners manual, especially the 4x4 sections. If you don't have one, download it from https://www.fleet.ford.com/maintenan...ls/default.asp

 

Remember 4wd is not AWD.

 

As stated above...thats normal.
The wheels are turning the same rotation in 4wd but in 2 wheel the outer tires always turns more since the outside diameter of the turning radius is more and the inside tire turns less since its the pivot point and the diameter of its turn is less.

 

it may be a sign you need new tires if you need to engage 4WD to get over some wet leaves...

 

So are these trucks fully locked in 4x4? I thought they were limited slip. Thus allowing normal driving in 4x4.

 

I agree...

I don't use 4x4 unless there's snow on the ground and I take it out when maneuvering around in parking lots.

 

I absolutely need new tires... waiting for my shift differential check to come in.

 

the differentials(locked, limited slip, ect) dont have anything to do with this. since its not all wheel drive, when you put it in 4 wheel the fronts spin. no matter what. so since your turning to the left your right front has to travel further than your left front wheel. thus causing binding. if you were turning right then the left front has to travel more than the right front wheel.

im pretty sure i made my cv joints click by being in 4 wheel on grass once. just dont do it. 4wd should only be used when your on a surface where wheels can spin as they need to.

 

Good lord! You need to do some heavy reading on 4 Wheel Drive vehicles. How long have you engaged 4x4 on pavement? 4x4 hi isn't supposed to go above 45mph anyway. (I'd assume your around that if your on paving)

And correct me if I'm wrong but the limited slip is on the REAR axle

 

Exactly what I was thinking! Who turns on 4x4 for some wet leaves on the road anyways?

- NCSU

 

Classic example of a "teachable moment".

random155, read your manual, research 4wd on the web and listen to the advice posted in this thread: Only engage 4wd on dirt/gravel/snow...ground where slipping of the tires can occur or you will surely bind the front end possibly/probably causing serious damage to your truck. I also agree that if your truck is slipping on wet leaves, you probably need new tires...I hope that's all you need.

 

lmfao