Urgent Help Needed !!!!!

[bongy74]

Hi all!!! I'm a new owner of a '93 2.4 TD Auto Surf SSRX and as I was driving it home from the yard, I pressed the 4WD button on the Transfer lever, from H2 - H4 and apparently it engaged in 4WD but pressing it again to disengage, did nothing!!! The 4WD light stayed on, on the dash and when I got it home and tried to reverse, found out it was still engaged!!! Is it an electrical fault (switch) or is it a more serious fault??? No matter what I do it stays on! The only time it turns off is when I put the 4WD lever in neutral position and disengage the whole lot!!! Can anyone pleae shed some light on a new owner of this fabulous 4WD???

Regards Ian

[SparX]

Try putting the auto box into Neutral , then deselect 4wd , and put in H position. then select reverse , and drive back about 5 m.

It sounds like you selected 4wd whilst moving , while this should be ok , puts the box under strain. and maybe the hubs have locked up .

Someone more technical may be able to help more.
But the 4wd light stayed on for me once and involved messing with the switch and gear position until it deseleced.


Good luck , and welcome to the forum.

[andy]

You should never drive it on the road or hard surface in 4 wheel drive , as this will cause transmission wind up , it's only for offroad and slippery surfaces .

Try what sparx said above , it should come out after driving in reverse .

[Ems and Jim]

You should never drive it on the road or hard surface in 4 wheel drive , as this will cause transmission wind up , it's only for offroad and slippery surfaces .

Try what sparx said above , it should come out after driving in reverse .

Sorry probably a silly question but does that mean you can drive it on the road when it's raining


ems

[andy]

Well you could drive it in 4 wheel drive on a hard surface , as long as your going in a straight line , otherwise the wheels will be going at different speeds which will wind up the transmission , so a wet road would be ok at very slow speeds and not for long , but it's best for snow or mud so that one wheel can slip which will not wind it up .

The 3rd gen surf is ok as it has a centre diff , and so it could be driven in 4 wheel drive , but what's the point as it would use more fuel .

[Guest]

Sorry probably a silly question but does that mean you can drive it on the road when it's raining


ems

Jim.

I have by accident, it's noisy but you don't seem to get the wind up - the steering still felt OK. I guess the rule is, if the wheels can slip to allow for there being no centre diff so that front and rear wheels can turn at different rates then it would be OK. Most rainfall isn't slippery enough for this (unless you are running slick tyres) however rain after a long dry spell causes the road to be really slippery so you can probably get away with it. Not that it makes a whole lot of difference. Despite car makers telling us the 4 wheel drive is safer in slippery road conditions it is more important to have an even weight distribution so that the back end doesn't get out of shape. Generally if you slide on a corner in a rear wheel drive it's because of weight shift beating the tyre grip not because of over zealous use of the loud pedal (unless you are a nutter).

Bottom line is that there is really no point in using 4 wheel drive on the road as it doesn;t really help. It's when you get in the mud and the ruts that you feel the benefit.

Cheers

[bongy74]

Thanx for the info SPARX and Andy!! I'l try it in the morning!!! I did try it tonight but to no avail. Do you reverse in a slow position or with a bit of speed? Thanx in advance for the help guys!!! And thanx for welcomming me to this great site!!

[Jonnyboy]

This is from the dim and distant past but i remember reading about army drivers in Alvis Stalwarts (an amphibious 4x4) they used to drive up and down a kerb to release the wind up when on long journeys.

Driving off a high kerb with one front wheel may free it but this is a wild guess!

[marky]

Reverse Slow 5-10 Metres

[hormygollop]

For those who dont know

Axle/Transmission Windup
When a 4WD is travelling in a straight line all four wheels rotate at the same speed, but during cornering each wheel travels at a different speed due to the radius of the turn.
All vehicles have a differential on the front and rear axles to allow the wheels on the same axle to rotate at a different speed.
Constant 4WD’s have a central differential fitted to allow for different speeds between front and back wheels, but most part-time four wheel drives do not.
When a part-time 4WD (without a centre differential) is in 4WD an attempts to corner on bitumen, all wheels need to rotate at different speeds, but without a centre differential they cannot.
This creates the phenomena called "axle windup" or "transmission windup".
High strain is placed on the drive shafts and transmission, eventually causing one of two things to happen.
Either one of the wheels slips or spins to overcome the stress
or
the drive-shaft/transmission breaks.
This is why part time 4WD’s should never select 4WD on bitumen.
Constant 4WD’s have a central differential within the transmission to overcome this problem.
However once in the dirt a constant four wheel drive can be bogged with only one wheel spinning.
This is why they have a central differential lock that stops the action of the centre diff and makes it like a part-time four wheel drive in 4WD mode.
The centre diff lock should never be used on bitumen or non-slip surfaces for the reasons mentioned above.In reality, a 4WD is only a two wheel drive with one front and one back wheel driving when traction is lost.
One wheel on each axle spins while the other receives no drive at all due to the action of the differential.
The exception to this is where a limited slip or locking differential is fitted.
A limited slip diff allows a limited amount of drive to be applied to the stationary wheel before the other wheel on the same axle spins.
A locking diff allows no slip at all and both wheels on the same axle turn at the same speed, regardless of the amount of traction.

There ye go

Keith

[Ems and Jim]

ta muchly i always wondered how it worked.


Ems

[bongy74]

Thanx very much guys All smiles now!! It took about 4 or 5 times to unlock the hubs. They wound themselves quite tight I think. But all is well now, thanx to your info!! But we had to reverse about 20-30 metres and swinging the steering from side to side to unlock them! Luckily no noticeable damage, yet!

Regards Ian

[bongy74]

Thanx very much guys!!!!! It's all fixed now!!! The local 4X4 mechanic reversed it for about 50 metres, swinging the steering from side to side. After about 4 or 5 times it released itself Luckily enough no damage was done!!! Thanx for all the info!!!

Regards Ian