when is a 4x4 not a 4x4.......!!!

[mat1]

...so ive been thinking of these up and coming green laning trips and salisbury plain. so i though at the weekend id try out my diff stuff and the 4x4 properly. i have not ever seen my 4x4 warning light come on and i have tried in the past!!!
i found a suitable 400 yard 'greelane' up on woodbury common and engaged 4x4. i then proceeded along but of course it was nothing that the truck could not handle anyway. at the end was a short steep incline. ahhhh, i thought, this is when ill find out if it works. with o/d off, 4x4 engaged, i slowly approached the muddy incline. almost immediately the back wheels started spining. i could see that the front wheels were not driving at all.
i reversed back down and did a bit of backward and forwarding in case the 4x4 needed a bit of engaging! i then put it in low ratio and had another go at the incline. same again!???
my tyres are b/stone dueller a/t's and are semi worn but still got reasonable tread.
to top it off, when i reversed, i smashed my fog light off!
AM I DOING SOMETHING WRONG OR IS THE SURF DOING ME A WRONG!!!
ANY SUGGESTIONS WOULD BE WELCOME.
ill pick them up in a week as im off away.
.....and yes, ive no doubt it does say somewhere on a previous thread but id be there years and im in a rush as it is....(sorry, im not been rude)
mat

[laser_jock@work]

Two things are possibly happening here. One- the ADD (automatic disconconecting diff) at the front may not be engaging. If this is the case then you need to check the vacuum lines to as this is how it operates. Two- the back wheels can spin ineffectivly on a Surf if one wheel loses traction. Lacking a rear axle difflock or Limited Slip Diff (some models) when a wheel loses traction all power goes to the loose wheel. In most cases the 4WD to the front axle will help pull you out in that situation (unless you're completely cross axled (balanced on diagonal wheesl!))- but if there's no drive to the front axle (i.e. ADD not funtioning) then you're stuffed.

Are you certain there was no drive to the front?

Nevillef

[Amedias]

on a slightly different note. . .i live in exeter, feel like doing some green lane trips when you get your 4wd going? been looking for people to meet up with to go exploring. . .

cheers!
matt
matt@amedias.co.uk

[mat1]

well i deffinatly had all four wheels on the ground! my assumtion has come from the fact that if the back wheels spin, then the drive should be transfered to the front. that was not happening....damn i might be stuffed! i will get my haines out and find what a vacum hose is!
..matt, that might be cool. i only know like one lane that you can go from end to end and its a bit mild (i have done it in a ford focus) the rest are a bit iffy on the legal side...ie im not sure! i know some roads around woodbury that you could drive along and it would look like you have been greenlaning!!!!!!!!-hmmm no!

[Amedias]

i dont know many yet either, thats why im looking for people to go explorring with, feel more coonfidnet looking around if im not alone!

mail me if you want to sort something out or my mobile no is:
07909 916539

always good to meet fellow surfers!
matt