Bitumen in 4wd

[DIDZ]

HI all, I know about windup ect.. But today without realising it I have knocked the shifter into HIgh range 4wd & Have done a bit of driving this morning in 4wd But the front hubs are both Unlocked.
What is the go with driving with 4wd in (Light on dash) but hubs unlocked?
Can't get my head around it.
Anyone done similar?

80 Series part time (Obviously)

[joeblow]

nah...don't worry about it, no harm will be done.

[thehanko]

I think it depends on the system, but if the front hubs were unlocked then, you should be fine. as the axels were just spinning up front but experiencing no load, no load means it cant bind up. so it was like you were driving with good tracking on the rear wheels and no traction up front.

[chimpboy]

If the hubs are unlocked there is no problem at all. You could drive that way all day without a worry.

[vSAHARAx]

As others have said no harm can be done. Technically its not in 4wd. If the hubs are un-locked it still only has the two back wheels driving. It would be the same as having your hubs locked in with the transfer case in 2H, the front end is turning but there is no load or any drive to the front wheels. If anything it probly did it some good by sloshing a bit of oil around and re-lubing bearings etc in the front diff

Troy

[A.J.]

It is actually recommended to drive your 4WD in 4H with HUBS UNLOCKED, every now and then, to get all the axles and diff moving and keep it lubricated and stop grime build up and rusting in places where there is no oil.

That ofcourse is only the case if you don't go 4wding for a prolonged period.

As reviously mentioned, you can drive it like that all day

The only down side might be slightly more fuel usage......

[DIDZ]

Thankyou for the replys everyone, I was a tad worried. Something else I have just learned. Appreciate it.
I was stuffing around with the stereo behind the dash & must have knocked it in. My bad not noticing the light on for quite a while though.

[stokedapollo]

what is wind up and wat does it do ?????

[thehanko]

what is wind up and wat does it do ?????

it shrinks your wallet!

basically when in 4wd on dirt etc your wheels can slip either through loss of traction or shifting earth, this allows the system to never bind up in the drive line.

basically if your on the bitumen the wheels cant slip and when you turn corners etc one wheel is forced to turn more which winds up the whole drive line, then something has to give if the wheels cant.

goes bang! and wallet shrinks dont drive on the bitumen in 4wd unless the system is designed for it.

[A.J.]

Just to elaborate thos a little further, systems that are designed to do that are full time 4wd cars. Like some 80 series cruisers and land/range rovers and some others.

They have a centre diff, unlike Patrols that have a straight transfer case.

A centre diff lets both axles spin at different speeds, as needed for cornering etc.

If you get windup, like from driving in 4wd on bitumen in a Patrol, it can cause the transfer case to get stuck in 4wd as the gears are forced together by the windup in the driveline.
Then you mostly have to jack up one wheel to release the stress.

BUT that is only if you're lucky and the windup hasn't damaged your diff/transfer case or driveshafts.

EDIT: I just saw you have an 80 part time, not a Patrol. Same applies anyway