91 Sierra JX 4x4 Instructions

[DrCarlo]

Hi all,

Yesterday I brought my self a 2nd car, a sierra so I can join in the offroad antics.

The silver plaque under the 4x4 selector is faded, does it have anything important? Does anyone have a photo of what it says?

Cheers

Carlo

[Crawford]

hrm i will go get a copy of it for u later if someone doesnt do it before me but in general it says

Make sure hubs are LOCKED when your in 4HI or 4LOW...

It is permissable to change between 2H and 4H while driving, make sure streering is straight

Make sure you are stationary before changing to 4Low..

Do not have 1 hub locked and 1 free

... this is going from memory but happy to be corrected if i am wrong.

[DrCarlo]

Excellent.. These are the things I wanted to know.

Never had a 4x4 before, and it would not be fun if I killed it before the fun started.

[alien]

you can change 4hi to 4low on the run, just clutch, rev it, and put it in... works fine.

[droopypete]

you can change 4hi to 4low on the run, just clutch, rev it, and put it in... works fine.

Drcarlo, if this is your first 4x4, ignore aliens advise (no offence alien), and stop the car before shifting between low and high range, you have many other things to master first, and have lots of fun.
Peter.

[Crawford]

i was goin at less a km/hr and changed from 4hi to low once and it made an ugly crunch.. so i prefer to just stop...

:0

[muppet_man67]

most importantly only have 4wd engaged if your driving offroad ie gravel roads. Never engage 4wd on bituman

[Crawford]

hey what is the bad thing about 4wd on bitumen as long as u take it slow around corners?

I drove 200m on bitumen in 4wd once.. cause the transfer box was stuck (days when i needed a new shifter bush)... and then it come unlocked

wouldve this been really bad?

[alien]

hes referring to windup in the axle cos the inner wheel turns faster than the outer wheel on a corner - puts a lot of stress on the axle etc and can cause breakages. ive done it a few times in wet weather in road and hit some dry areas - generally the wheels screech n skid cos of the load - thats the time to stop using 4wd =)

as for changing down from hi to low... only ground the gears once doing this, and it was because i was in 1st hi with a lot of revvs... i assume low would have been way past redline if it had gone in =) was accidental as i was aiming for 2hi anyways =P eheh ended up in neutral thinking i broke it.

so long as you use the clutch and match revvs its generally not a problem. theres often a time where you need to get lower gearing on the go - just my solution rather than reversing back and trying again.

[droopypete]

hes referring to windup in the axle cos the inner wheel turns faster than the outer wheel on a corner - puts a lot of stress on the axle etc and can cause breakages. .

Not quite, the diff centre counters the diferential in speed between the inner and outer wheels (hey! diferential, maybe thats how it got its name ),
it is the diferance in speed between the front diff and the rear diff he is refering to as a Zook has no centre diff.
when a car go's around a corner, we all know the outer wheel travels further and faster than the inner, but the front axle also travels further than the rear, as the rear"cuts" the corner, and it is this inconsistancy in tailshaft speed that causes the bind up, if the bituemen is slippery (ice, snow, ect) the slip between the tyre and the road reduces the bind up,and hi or low 4 is ok, but on dry bituemen the tyres wont want to slip (but they will) and this puts load on the tranfer case.
Peter.
ps sorry alien, that is 2 smackdowns in the one thread, i promise I am not picking on you mate

[alien]

hahaha i was close =P actually i wrote inside wheel goes faster!? wtf? musta been tired last nite!...

i didnt think it was the tailshaft that had the issues cos ive heard of people doing axles using 4wd on bitumen???

[droopypete]

i didnt think it was the tailshaft that had the issues cos ive heard of people doing axles using 4wd on bitumen???

the diff counters the left and right axle spinning at diferent speeds, but there is nothing to counter the tailshafts spinning at diferent speeds so stress is applyed to all the running gear, transfer case, uni's, axles, tyres.
everything front to back.
I did not mean the damage would manifest itself in the tailshafts.
Peter.

[DrCarlo]

you can change 4hi to 4low on the run, just clutch, rev it, and put it in... works fine.

Drcarlo, if this is your first 4x4, ignore aliens advise (no offence alien), and stop the car before shifting between low and high range, you have many other things to master first, and have lots of fun.
Peter.

Hi Peter.. Yea this is my first adventure into 4x4. My other car is a Nissan Skyline Trackcar. Low, very fast and very powerfull. So the suzuki is at opposite ends of the car scale.. But just as much fun!!

This morning I found it would not allow me to go from 4x4 mode to 2wd mode with out moving forward a few meters (after unlocking the hubs). I stopped and then it went right into 2wd mode..

Is that just a old syncro issue?

[droopypete]

There is no sycromesh in the zook t/case,
if we are talking hi4 into hi2 it should be straight in at speed, "no worries", if it dosn't, check that the tyres are the same size and brand front to back and at a similar pressure (about 18psi for a soft top).
Peter.

[droopypete]

My other car is a Nissan Skyline Trackcar. Low, very fast and very powerfull. So the suzuki is at opposite ends of the car scale

I don't know about that!
my sierra will thrash your skyline any day
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so long as I can pick the track
Peter.

[SiKiD_01]

it is the diferance in speed between the front diff and the rear diff he is refering to as a Zook has no centre diff.

when a car go's around a corner, we all know the outer wheel travels further and faster than the inner, but the rear axle also travels further than the front, as the front "cuts" the corner, and it is this inconsistancy in tailshaft speed that causes the bind up,

if the bituemen is slippery (ice, snow, ect) the slip between the tyre and the road reduces the bind up,and hi or low 4 is ok, but on dry bituemen the tyres wont want to slip (but they will) and this puts load on the tranfer case.

yep, this is wind-up, and it is the difference between front and rear driveshafts, or diffs, but i always thought that the front tyres always take the longer line, and the rear tyres cut the corner. front outside taking the longest line, and inside rear taking the shortest line.

essentially, wind up is similar to driving on road with a cross axle dill locked engaged. something has to give, and most of the time its the inside tyre, chirp chirp chirp. but when you compare a transfer case to a locker, a locker is far more stronger, as the transfer will have the force of 4 tyres instead of 2. thats why wind-up will bugger up your transfer, or even gearbox.

[droopypete]

, but i always thought that the front tyres always take the longer line, and the rear tyres cut the corner. front outside taking the longest line, and inside rear taking the shortest line.

.

There is truth in what you say! I was thinking more of a low speed, car park type situation, if the car is stationary and you turn the wheel full left lock, because the front has lock and the rear dosn't I would think that the front would "cut" the corner, but I do see what you are saying.
Peter.

[SiKiD_01]

, but i always thought that the front tyres always take the longer line, and the rear tyres cut the corner. front outside taking the longest line, and inside rear taking the shortest line.

.

There is truth in what you say! I was thinking more of a low speed, car park type situation, if the car is stationary and you turn the wheel full left lock, because the front has lock and the rear dosn't I would think that the front would "cut" the corner, but I do see what you are saying.
Peter.

sorry pete, i'm not trying to be a smarta$$ or try to prove anyone wrong, but could you explain it to me more? the only way i can see the front cutting the corner is if the car is drifting like japanese D1 grand prix style, or if you get sideways around a corner.

hmm, i'm a little lost. ok, say, you were parked next to a kerb on the road, and you were to turn full lock left into a driveway. the front tyres would go normally up the driveway, where as the inside rear tyre would go up the kerb instead of the flat drive way bit.

[muppet_man67]

Think of a bus doing a U turn. The front wheels can travel a long distance whilst the rear wheels hardly move. This will happen on any wheelbase.

[droopypete]

sorry pete, i'm not trying to be a smarta$$ or try to prove anyone wrong, but could you explain it to me more?

Explain what? I have been misquoted, go back and check

Actualy after a solid 1.5 mins with my sons remote control BMW, I could not get the front to "cut the corner" so it is as you say,
or to quote the Fonze "I was wrrrr, I was wwwrrrrroo,
I was wwwwwwrrrrrrrrrrrooooooo
Peter.

[grimbo]

sorry pete, i'm not trying to be a smarta$$ or try to prove anyone wrong, but could you explain it to me more?

Explain what? I have been misquoted, go back and check

Actualy after a solid 1.5 mins with my sons remote control BMW, I could not get the front to "cut the corner" so it is as you say,
or to quote the Fonze "I was wrrrr, I was wwwrrrrroo,
I was wwwwwwrrrrrrrrrrrooooooo
Peter.

now go and jump a shark

[tuffsierra]

ive got a suzuki manual that says every now and then u should lock your hubs and drive in 2 wheel drive to stop hubs from seizing up has any one heard of that.i drive home bout 20mins from the bush with hubs locked in 2 wheel drive then unlock wen i get home does that do any damage?

[SiKiD_01]

ive got a suzuki manual that says every now and then u should lock your hubs and drive in 2 wheel drive to stop hubs from seizing up has any one heard of that.i drive home bout 20mins from the bush with hubs locked in 2 wheel drive then unlock wen i get home does that do any damage?

i think this is to keep the front end lubed when experiencing prolonged periods with-out 4wding. more a maintainance thing. keeps the gears in good condition and all oil seals 'wet', so they dont dry out.

if you go wheeling regularly, or once or twice a fortnight, it should be enough to keep stuff in good condition, oil and lube wise.

[Tiny]

ive got a suzuki manual that says every now and then u should lock your hubs and drive in 2 wheel drive to stop hubs from seizing up has any one heard of that.i drive home bout 20mins from the bush with hubs locked in 2 wheel drive then unlock wen i get home does that do any damage?

i think this is to keep the front end lubed when experiencing prolonged periods with-out 4wding. more a maintainance thing. keeps the gears in good condition and all oil seals 'wet', so they dont dry out.

if you go wheeling regularly, or once or twice a fortnight, it should be enough to keep stuff in good condition, oil and lube wise.

exactly, it keeps every thing lubed up inside, I will often run around town with the hubs in but as soon as I get out on the highway I will unlock them....if you are out 4bing alot you wont need to lock em in around town

[tuffsierra]

cool thanks guys.