part time 4wd question....

[mabsydney]

Sorry for the noobee question, but I've only ever driven a full time 4wd.....

Is it ok to leave the hubs locked in on a part time 4wd and just disengage/engage 4wd if driving on roads that alternate between sealed and dirt .

Asking because I"m thinking of buying a GU DX model and obviously I don't wanna have to get out and lock the hubs every time!

[adam.s]

It's okay to leave them locked in, in fact you should lock them once a month at least and run them for a few km's just to run oil through the front end.

You should never run a part time 4by in 4wd high or low on bitumen as it will cause wind up and you'll snap something

[jtraf]

what the man said.....

also good to lock the hubs in before you buy on the test drive.....don't engage 4x4 but do the hubs alone.....

Then drive and make sure there are no funny noises.....

but yes at least once a month to circulate oil and stop the ring and pinion from being marked from being in the one place all the time getting bounced around.

James

[SiKiD_01]

theres no problems with leaving them locked in over a short distance. like crossing a sealed road from an unsealed to an unsealed. or even the whole 4wding trip.

usually what i do is lock them before any off road driving, and unlock them at teh end of any off road driving. this lets you select 2wd, 4wd hi-lo with out leaving the cab.

if you leave the hubs locked in for the whole week when your in town, you may experience premature wear on oil seals on the front end, as a part time 4wd is not designed to run long distances in 2wd with locked hubs.

if you dont do regular 4wding, then once a month is good to keep the front end lubed. but not to worry if you go every week.

also, when you change diff oils, its a good idea to take apart the switch and make sure its clean and greased. usually a lot of water/mud crossings will let water in and contaminate the grease. just regular maintainance. although a lot of people dont do it.

cheers.

[mabsydney]

thanks for the info guys, ill lock the hubs in when i test drive to check...good advice.......