is the 1986 4runner able to go into 4hi while driving?

 

yup, as long as you have your hubs locked. just like having add

 

Yep -ONLY while the hubs are unlocked. If they are unlocked you could create some problems.

 

He meant locked, then unlocked.

You can engage 4hi at speeds up to 50mph if you have your front hubs locked.

Do not engage 4lo unless you are stopped. It says you can engage it while moving 5km/h, which is something like 2mph, so you might as well stop and not risk anything.


Oh and to get out of 4WD, if you are having trouble shifting into 2hi, give it a quick romp on the gas and then shift it out. Learned that in my owners manual, and works like a charm.

 

I don't see how it would hurt anything if you stuck it in 4hi when the hubs are not locked. It would just spin the front driveshaft and not spin the wheels.


I would never put my truck in 4hi at 50 mph!! I would be afraid it would blow up or something.


Sometimes I stick it in 4lo without locking the hubs when i need to creep around, ie., pulling into a tight garage. Never seems to hurt anything.

 

4bangR, going into 4hi from a stop with them unlocked wouldn't do anything, but if you did it at speed, you would risk breaking something in the t-case, because the front shaft wouldn't be spinning. By locking the hubs, it makes the diff spin which makes the front driveshaft spin. It would be the same as having them locked, but having your tires spinning in a burnout with a wheel speed of 30mph and then putting it into 4wd without letting off the gas. A major clunk and possibly some broken parts.

As far as the 50mph, the owners manual says not to exceed 50mph in 4wd. Therefore you can engage 4hi up to that point. I keep my truck in 4hi if the streets haven't been plowed and cruise at 40mph because the back end of my truck is so light, it likes to swing around. I remember reading about someone who complained about a bad smelling tranny when he was doing 65mph in 4hi :pat: thats wayyyyyyy too fast to need 4wd, after all these aren't rally cars.

Sticking it in 4lo without hubs locked is running 2lo. Your front driveshaft and diff is spinning, but the hubs aren't locked so no power is actually being exerted on those front tires.

 

Now if I swap in 2 gear driven tcases off a couple of 4 cyl models, will I lose shift on the fly? I have a 3.0 V6 with auto tranny and chain driven tcase. I'd like to triple stick it at some point.

 

No, not as long as the hubs are locked. The number of cases is irrelevant.

 

so say im going to tahoe or something
im going to have to get out sometime (like in the chain pulloff point) and lock the hubs then engage 4wd??

becuase i thought driving with the hubs locked did alot of damage to your truck???

 

Not really... maybe if you drive all year round with them locked, even then not really. I just lock mine up before hand.

 

If you have a suspension lift without a diff drop you will have large CV joint angles, which if the hubs are locked for extended periods of time can cause wear and tear, but if the truck is stock, no damage is really done. I think over long distances gas mileage will be slightly worse, but thats it,. If you know you're going to need it, lock it, especially if you're going through watery conditions (I've had my hubs freeze and I was stuck using 2wd in very bad conditions, no fun).

 

Oh man, I had my hubs freeze too! What a PIA, especially with a locker. I hate snow/ ice with only a locker!!! Now if I smell bad weather they just get locked up way before.... and way before I hit the start of the trails too!

 

I've switched from 2H to 4H twice on the fly without having my hubs locked. Both were due to me forgetting that I had switched from ADD to manual hubs. Everything works fine still, but the noise from the T-case is not very pleasing to the ear. Definitely not recommended

 

Don't you love old thread revivals?

Anyways, with my AUTOMATIC, IIRC, I was able to go through the T-Case gears with the hubs free and while moving. Now with the manual, I cannot. The t-case grinds and stupid ole me keeps on trying to get it in there while moving. I do not think I broke anything, 4H and 4L still works. Good to know that 4H on the fly will work, as long as I lock the hubs.
I do however have trouble getting it from 4L to 2H while moving. I depress the clutch and have trouble getting it through neutral. I think if I double clutch I can but by now I have slowed to a stop. The sun visor says to shift out of 4L you only have to depress the clutch, so why I am having trouble? It's no big deal to stop to shift out of the gears but I feel that it is unnecessary, especially when you need to keep your momentum or have a vehicle right behind you (their fault, not mine). Could this all be due to my hubs being FREE? I guess I could go try it out myself..

 

Wow, I don't think I've ever seen a 10 year old thread bump. That's got to be a record