Slow to transfer back to 2 from 4 wheel drive

[terrythefirst]

Hi All,

Is it normal for it to take up to 5 minutes to transfer from 4 to 2 wheel drive? Followed the procedure as per the manual & sometimes it only seems to happen after you've stopped & put it in neutral.

2001 3dr Terrano 2.7 Manual.

 

[larson]

do you reverse back a few yards after selecting 2wd?

 

[terrythefirst]

Thanks, I have noticed it does change straight away if you do get it in reverse though.

Manual just says push the lever & keep driving, so that's what I'm doing (I'm a simple chap ;-)

Scenario we use it in is 4wd when towing a horse trailer up a steep gravelly hill to get out of the yard, then into 2wd once settled on the road.

Could reverse a feet feet before we get on the road, but it doesn't read like we should have to.

 

[Banshee]

I always put in in 2WD and then reverse a little bit until the light goes out on the dash

That reminds me, my autos are knackered at the mo :S, put it in 4WD the other day and the front wheels just locked up and the car just started to dip at the front and wouldn't move, it was like I had a handbrake on the front wheels :S

 

[Fez_uk]

Thanks, I have noticed it does change straight away if you do get it in reverse though.

Manual just says push the lever & keep driving, so that's what I'm doing (I'm a simple chap ;-)

Scenario we use it in is 4wd when towing a horse trailer up a steep gravelly hill to get out of the yard, then into 2wd once settled on the road.

Could reverse a feet feet before we get on the road, but it doesn't read like we should have to.

Once you stick that lever in 2wd your in 2wd. You only need to reverse to unlock auto hubs. You can drive around with the auto hubs still engaged without issue. It will slightly effect your MPG but as your towing anyway it won't make any difference.

 

[bry]

It is advised not to drive on hard surface's ie roads.For any length of time in 4 wheel drive. According my Terrano handbook.

 

[terrythefirst]

Really? I wonder why? .... anyway, I clearly didn't read all of it then. The only reason we end up in 4wd on the road is 'cause it didn't come out automatically.

Okay, so we'll just reverse it a little to ensure it comes out before we hit the road then.

Thanks All

 

[Fez_uk]

Really? I wonder why?

Because there is no centre diff in the transfer box like many other 4x4s.

If you drive a few meters on the road it won't harm it. But as said, once you stick it in 2wd your in 2wd not 4wd.

 

[geoffdown]

Really? I wonder why? .... anyway, I clearly didn't read all of it then. The only reason we end up in 4wd on the road is 'cause it didn't come out automatically.

Okay, so we'll just reverse it a little to ensure it comes out before we hit the road then.

Thanks All

What u r getting is transmission wind up as the wheels r not slipping on the gravel when u say 4wd is it 4h or 4l as I think ur in 4h then try it not in 4wd just 2wd u migjt be surprised how well the terrano can climb in just 2wd and never have it in 4wd on tarmac as to much grip and that transmission windup u r getting will get worse and brake something in the drive line as terrano has no centre diff like landrover:thumbs

 

[Lazy-Ferret]

Really? I wonder why? .... anyway, I clearly didn't read all of it then. The only reason we end up in 4wd on the road is 'cause it didn't come out automatically.

Okay, so we'll just reverse it a little to ensure it comes out before we hit the road then.

Thanks All

The reason not to use 4wd on a hard surface, is that there is no central diff, or torque converter on a Terrano, so while the left and right wheels can travel at different speeds via the diffs on their axles, the front and rear axles are driven at the same speed, and rely on slippage if one set of wheels need to travel faster/further than the other set, e.g a bend. 4WD in a dead straight and level line would be OK on a hard surface, but that is practically impossible. The problem is, on a hard surface, if you do not go in an exact straight line, then all the wheels start to twist against each other as the ones taking the outside of a curve travel further than the ones on the inside, plus the front travels further than the back, and the result is they start to try and twist the transmission until something has to give, hopefully one of the tyres slip, but it could be worse! On a slippery surface, the tyres slip easily to remove the lock up, and everything is happy.

How did you decide it had not come out of 4wd? basically, once you return the lever to 2WD, the front wheels are physically disconnected from the engine, so you have to be in 2wd once the lever is moved properly.
As far as I can think, there are 2 potential things that you may have picked up on:

One is the auto hubs did not disengage, as mentioned by the others, a short reverse usually does that, but since some are fitted with fixed or manual hubs, and the front axle does have a diff, driving with them still engaged would hardly notice to most people. Basically, because you are driving a short bit of transmission backwards, which is then geared up, rather than down, it will have a bit of an impact on your fuel consumption, and I also find the steering feels just a tad heavier.

The second is that you were looking at the light on the dash board, which is controlled by a simple push switch somewhere on the side of the transfer box, and by pure mechanics get pressed when the lever is moved to 4wd. Maybe it is a bit sticky, and took it's time to pop back out when you returned the lever.

 

[Lazy-Ferret]

Oppss... well that about covers that...:lol:lol

 

[solarman216]

Just a little correction, when you move the lever from 4 to 2 if the drive chain is wound up it does not come out of 4, the reason being the linkage internally is on a spring and so the drive will only be released when the load is removed, Rick

 

[Lazy-Ferret]

Just a little correction, when you move the lever from 4 to 2 if the drive chain is wound up it does not come out of 4, the reason being the linkage internally is on a spring and so the drive will only be released when the load is removed, Rick

Thanks Rick, I did not realise that... on my Vitara, if you had driven onto a hard surface in 4wd, you would have to use 2 hands on the transfer lever to get it to come out... not tried it on the T2.

I was up in the Lakes, and going round a hair pin bend, where water had run across the road and frozen. As soon as the drive wheels hit the ice, I stopped, but it was narrow enough that by then the front wheels were over it. In the end, I did it in 4wd, but that was the time, I had to use both hands to get it out.

 

[solarman216]

Thanks Rick, I did not realise that... on my Vitara, if you had driven onto a hard surface in 4wd, you would have to use 2 hands on the transfer lever to get it to come out... not tried it on the T2.

I was up in the Lakes, and going round a hair pin bend, where water had run across the road and frozen. As soon as the drive wheels hit the ice, I stopped, but it was narrow enough that by then the front wheels were over it. In the end, I did it in 4wd, but that was the time, I had to use both hands to get it out.

Without the spring, if you used heavy force to get it out the selector fork on the T2 would bend/break, Rick

 

[terrythefirst]

Many thanks LazyFerret,

We noticed it was still in 4wd as the car feels ( slower to accelerate, quicker to brake on the engine ) & sounds ( much more mechanical noise @ the front ) very different in 4wd. If the light on the dash did not exist you'd still know.

Ouch. I feel very very sick after reading your explanation for not running in 4wd ... see my other post:

"Leaking coolant: Hmmm... because I'm new to older cars I did not realise it should not be in 4wd on roads for long and it felt safer as we towed our friend's very sick doped horse to emergency surgery first thing today ( colic & a twisted gut .... now out of surgery & still with us we ran it in 4wd for TOWING too long and my theory is it bust a coolant gasket"

How do I know if we broke it after 2 weeks :doh ?

 

[terrythefirst]

Solarman216,

That makes perfect sense. Thanks.

All,

This forum is amazing for quick learning about our new 4x4.

Thank you all so much.

 

[solarman216]

we ran it in 4wd for TOWING too long and my theory is it bust a coolant gasket"

How do I know if we broke it after 2 weeks :doh ?

Running in 4 wd will not do a coolant gasket, in itself, overloading could but still not very likely, where is the water comming from? Rick

 

[terrythefirst]

See centre of pic....

 

[briggie]

looks like stat gasket is goosed to me , but I know nuffin

 

[solarman216]

looks like stat gasket is goosed to me , but I know nuffin

you are spot on Pete, I would say it is likely the thread is stripped, it is possible to drill deeper and rethread it and use a longer bolt, but depends how skilled you are, Rick