Shifting into 4 wheel drive while not moving

[Piilgrim82]

Hello all, I have a 90 pioneer 4.0 manual 4x4. I live way up North where half the year I’m driving in snow and ice, so I spend a good portion of my time in 4 hi. Occasionally while trying to reduce wear I’ve stayed in 2wd a little too long to the point of getting stuck. Whenever this happens I have to shift into 4 wheel hi and let the wheels spin until it engages…but let me tell you, the massive thud and grinding noise that happens as the transfer case engages makes me want to cry. 
 

I’ve read the owner’s manual and other threads and of course all I can find is that you’re supposed to shift into 4 hi while “moving at any speed”….my question is, is there a way to get into 4wd when you’re already stuck without abusing your transfer case like this? Or maybe my transfer case has something wrong and I’m the only one with this problem?

 

Any help would be appreciated, as multiple occasions of this happening has led me to just drive in 4hi most of the winter rather than risk getting stuck and further damaging things!

[jdog]

have you deleted the cad on the front axle yet?

[Piilgrim82]

No, haven’t done that. Could that be causing the issues?

[jdog]

it's a possibility, since its got to mesh those gears together, if you are stuck and not moving and they fall misaligned the tc will be spinning the front driveshaft till it locks in then bam

[Piilgrim82]

Ok, I’ll have to look into that. Whatever it is that’s not meshing, you hear a grind the a significant thud and it sort of surges forward as it engages. It sounds like it’s coming from right beneath the driver so it never crossed my mind that maybe it was the CAD.

[Piilgrim82]

With a cad delete do you know if you can go into 4 hi while stationary?

 

[jdog]

I have yet to try it, I bet another member could answer

[Eagle]

6 hours ago, Piilgrim82 said:

Ok, I’ll have to look into that. Whatever it is that’s not meshing, you hear a grind the a significant thud and it sort of surges forward as it engages. It sounds like it’s coming from right beneath the driver so it never crossed my mind that maybe it was the CAD.

 

The grinding is the transfer case, not the front axle disconnect. If you are stuck, the wheels don't turn. In 2WD, if you start spinning the rear wheels and then shift into 4WD ... what's going to happen? The rear wheels are spinning, but the front wheels aren't turning. Something's gotta give -- and that something is going to be your transfer case.

 

Eliminate the CAD, then shift into 4WD when you're NOT spinning then rear wheels.

[Eagle]

6 hours ago, Piilgrim82 said:

With a cad delete do you know if you can go into 4 hi while stationary?

 

 

Of course you can. Jeep stopped using the CAD in later years. When it snows, I shift my 2000 XJ into 4WD before I even try to get out of my driveway.

[cruiser54]

What are you trying to save by NOT using the 4WD? 

 

You're stepping over dollars to pick up pennies if it's wear you're worried about. 

 

I would do the CAD elimination just because they're known for failure when you need 4WD the most. 

[Piilgrim82]

Thanks guys! Makes sense that it’s the transfer case. Hopefully I haven’t damaged anything too bad…would the most obvious sign just be metal deposits in the tcase fluid when I change it?

 

Yes, just trying to save on wear but also the nagging voice in my head saying driving around all winter in 4 hi is a no no when the manual seems insist it’s only for temporary use. Then again, they had more than just guys like me in Northern Canada who drive on snow/ice/compact snow all winter in mind when they wrote it haha. (The city I’m in thankfully doesn’t salt the roads, they just keep them cleared as best they can and spread a very fine gravel on top. Works fairly well and cuts down on the rust, but without enough gravel compact snow is like driving on ice haha.)

 

I’ll definitely look into the CAD delete for next winter!