Hello,

I have noticed that when I turn in 4WD that truck will darn near come to a stop. The sharper the turn, the quicker it comes to a stop, and when I give it gas it barely moves.

Is this normal???

I had a 4x4 Jeep Grand Cherokee and I noticed it a little, but not this much.

Any thoughts?

Wingnut

P.S. Dale Earnhardt is/was/will be the best Nascar driver ever.

------------------
2001 Bright Red Supercrew
4X4
5.4 V8

Mods:
BFGoodrich TA KO 285/75/16
Airforce One intake kit
Exhaust: Hooker AeroChamber Muffler, SI/DO
SurePull Class III Hitch
Rhino Liner (Planned)
Catch-All Floor Mats (Planned)

Go Buckeyes!
&
Go Bluejackets!

 

I have a 99 and it does the same thing so i am figuring pretty much the way it is with these vehicles...the constant velocity joints cause a lot of restriction compared to the old universal joints of previous eras of 4x4 pickups
take care..

steve

 

Mine does the same thing in 4WD, even on slick surfaces. Wide radius turns are fine, tight turns (i.e. taking a right angle turn on a snow-covered suburban street) cause the truck to almost stop.

-- Jim
2001 SuperCrew King Ranch 4x4

 

Mine does that as well. I was told that the reason was that there is no differential in the front axle. When in 4x4, the front wheels try to turn as the same speed and on a sharp turn, this is not possible. Thus the stopping and probably some tire squealing. Your Jeep might have had all-wheel drive which I am told is different in the way it works from 4x4 and will allow all wheels to turn at a different speed from one another. Again, this was just what I was told when I asked about the same thing when I first got my truck.

'97 F-150 XLT Supercab 4x4 ORP
4.6 v8 /w auto
AirForce 1 FIPK
Superchip!
Side exit exhaust

electric fan coming next......

 

Nope.

What you all are experiencing is the driveline binding because the front wheels when turning want to turn the front drive axle and shaft at a different speed from the rear wheels. Remember, the front wheels when turning, have to go farther than the rear wheels, so they have to turn more/faster than the rear wheels.

If the vehicle has full-time 4WD, that means there's a differential between front and rear drive shafts which would allow both to easily turn at different speeds.

Our trucks have a part-time system without a differential between front and rear so the only way to allow front and rear wheels to turn at different speeds is for the tires to slip on the surface. That's why it's never a good idea to drive our trucks in 4WD on pavement. It puts a big strain on the driveline components and it affects handling.

 

Technically-accurate, and nicely put, Dennis.

 

I've noticed that in the heavy snow of the past week, it works fine, illustrating your point nicely.

Does anyone make an aftermarket front-to-rear differential? (I'm guessing this would be impossibly expensive, but you never know.) Before this I had an Eclipse GSX (little AWD sports car) with differentials between all the wheels, it would be nice to be be able to leave the truck in 4WD whenever the road is a little slick... right now, I have to leave it in 2 wheel mode at some times when there's enough crap on the ground that I spin the rear tires but not enough that I can leave it in 4 wheel without stickiness...

-- Jim

 

You might be able to get the system out of an Expedition to work in your truck. However, the cost is most likely prohibitive.

 

Don't say you heard it from me, but it's an option in the Z71 (he ducks as he types) -- which means it will be an option on the Ford soon.