Outer Limits 4x4 Board

I'm in the process of trying to narrow down an anoying problem.

The vehicle is a 2000 SR5 LN167 diesel dual cab.

The problem I am having is that when I am in 4wd, I get massive torque steer. It feels like it is going from left to right and back. The faster you go, the worse it is. You can't do more than 40kmh with 4wd engaged. Off the throttle it's fine. Under brakes it's fine. Cruise it's OK (not as noticeable).

Driveshafts are pretty good (minimal play and boots are good so probably full of grease). I have put new diff oil in it, but still no difference.

The wheel bearings were done just before I got it so I'd assume they'd be ok, but you never know. Could tight bearings cause this?

Wheel alignment was out, but has been aligned now, still does it.

A few people I have spoken to with IFS lux's say that when you click it into 4wd, the wheels should have a tendancy to drive straight ahead, not pull to one side. Is this correct?

Any ideas would be very usefull as it's giving me the s##ts.

Further investigation hasn't shown a cause yet...

But here's a bit more info as to what it's doing...

When it's in 4wd, particularly on a hard surface (and in a straight line) you take your foot off the throttle and it's as if the brakes are dragging. (It's not like that in 2wd). I disconnected the vacuum lines to the front diff (which left the ADD engaged), then put the transfer in 2wd. All seems to roll normal. It doesn't feel like the diff is binding when it's like this, but then again, it plays up under acceleration, so it may not prove anything.

?????

Jack it up and wiggle the wheel up and down if it moves a bit the wheel bearing could do with adjust. Who done the alingment i know for a fact fulcrum has a sweet machine for checking play in suspension components i'd say pedders and the like would have something the same a wheel alingment is a waste of time if it has a worn part and can/could give torque steer aswell as wandering or pulling on road.

You havnt changed the diff centres at all have you?
You may have different ratios front and rear. This would explain the binding.
The steering I would bet is a flogged out idler arm they can give you LOTS of play in the steering.

Idler arms on these are absoulte Shite i think you can get a good lookin one made up ausyota

Definitely doesn't have an auto diff lock in the front? (un-mentioned by a previous owner perhaps)

That's kind of how my troopy drives with the detroit in the front.

The diff ratios appear to be the same. This was one of the first things I checked. (And double checked...)

There doesn't appear to be excessive play in the steering, and the idler arm looks OK. Tie rods look good, as to the rest of the steering linkages.

One thing that has happened in the last day or so, is the right hand driveshaft popped out of the diff. (not completely, but about 10mm or so). I found the spring clip was a bit loose, so I replaced it with a genuine one. I re-installed the shaft, and it seemed to be pretty tight. It still had the torque steer immediately after I re-installed it. I went bush this arvo, and it looks like the shaft has popped out again. Something is causing this, and it may well be a related symptom of the same problem.

It's got me stuffed.

Sic Lux - Crookies at Booval did the alignment, and I watched the guy do it. I had the correct specs from the workshop manual, and I have the before and after specs. I always try and watch when getting an alignment as I've had some dodgey ones in the past...

Did he jack up the front end and have a good look over it. When i do them at work (Front end check before alingment) i often get one of the other guy on a tyre leaver to check ball joints and so on. Something is allowing the hub to move out far enough to pull the cv out of the diff look at ball joints top and bottom control arm bushes. Pm sent

Micky-Lux wrote:Further investigation hasn't shown a cause yet...

But here's a bit more info as to what it's doing...

When it's in 4wd, particularly on a hard surface (and in a straight line) you take your foot off the throttle and it's as if the brakes are dragging. (It's not like that in 2wd).

?????

You should NEVER drive in 4x4 on hard surfaces you get driveline bind which feels like the brakes are on and also breaks stuff

dirty dirty 4x4 wrote: You should NEVER drive in 4x4 on hard surfaces you get driveline bind which feels like the brakes are on and also breaks stuff

I realise it says in the owners manual not to use 4wd on hard surfaces - and for good reason - on corners, the rear will turn a tighter arc than the front, causing bind like you said.

But what I was getting at, was on hard surfaces - in a straight line. IE: at the top end of my street, engage 4wd, drive 100m or so (straight line), disengage 4wd. (I also tried it on hard-packed clay with the same effect). My reasoning for trying this in my street is twofold. One, it's closer. Two, being that it does it worse on hard surfaces, it makes sence to test it in the situation that makes it do it the most.

Regardless of the surface, I can't see how being in either 2wd or 4wd would cause bind in a straight line if everything else is fine, because everything should roll the same. I'm not cutting donuts with it at the end of my street. I don't think it's capable of that.

I'd bet secret auto locker in the front, or difrent sized tyres.

Tyre sizes the same - 31x10.5 Wrangler MTR's front and rear.

Auto locker? I don't think it has, (about 95% sure it hasn't - the 5% doubt is because I haven't actually removed the cover myself).

It will spin one wheel on the front when I get lift whilst driving.

Twice now I have removed the front diff to re-seat the right hand inner driveshaft. Three times it has fallen out.

Third time out, I have now replaced the driveshaft. It seems to be alot tighter fit now. And it hasn't fallen out yet. It may have been a separate issue.

Sic-Lux - on your advice, I'm booked in at Fulcrum's in the morning to have them look over the front end. The three things that they thought when I told them what it was doing were: wheel alignment, lower control arm bushes, ball joints. I guess I'll have to wait and see what they find.

Cheers