How to check if 4wd is working?

How to check if 4wd is working?

Author
Discussion

Blakeatron

Original Poster:

2,522 posts

178 months

Sunday 18th September 2011
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Crossing a field in our new to us 54 plate shogun it started to strugle, clicked into 4wd and no joy, eventually got out using lots of forwards and backwards in 4wd-d.

Tyres pirelli scorpions with good tread (not the best i know!)

Our old pajero never used to struggle like that, even when towing.

So either I hit a bad bit of ground, these tyres suck or something not quite right with the car.


I know I could go back stick it in 4wd and boot it while someone watches, but is there another method?

Boobonman

5,676 posts

197 months

Monday 19th September 2011
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With all due respect, surely you could tell from behind the wheel if you had 4 wheels or 2 spinning? Look out of the window while the wheels are spinning?

CunningPlan

228 posts

165 months

Monday 19th September 2011
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Centre diff-lock on that car?

stuwalsh

225 posts

158 months

Monday 19th September 2011
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Just look out of the window, or turn the mirror down to see the rear wheels.

Agree about Pirelli Scorpions, not a patch on the Continentals I had before on my Freelander.

Melvin Udall

73,668 posts

260 months

Monday 19th September 2011
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You don't have manual hubs? On more than one occasion I've sat there, spinning, pondering why I can't get up this little muddy incline!

mcjimny

93 posts

164 months

Monday 19th September 2011
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Shoguns are 4x2 iirc ie not permanent 4wd. Does it have the auto hubs that engage once drive is delivered to the front axle?

Easiest way of checking 4wd operation is to jack up the front of the car with 4wd engaged, rotate a wheel and the other should turn in the opposite direction, you will see the front prop shaft rotate too. All if memory serves me correctly :S


Blakeatron

Original Poster:

2,522 posts

178 months

Monday 19th September 2011
quotequote all
It is manually switchable with a second gear stick - 2wd (rear) 4wd, 4wddl, lr4wddl - I knows the rear are spinnings, but couldnt see the fronts from the window!

It did 'feel' like it was in 4wd but really struggled which got me wondering if all was ok.

Will just go back with someone else.

mcjimny

93 posts

164 months

Monday 19th September 2011
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When in 4low you should know instantly if its working, how it moves off is totally different to 2wd even in low range. As you say it "feels" like its in.

Did you set off in 4wd or get into trouble then put it into 4wd?

Once in the field you would only really need to move between 4l/4h if at all. Crawling in 4l 2nd gear should be enough even on road tyres.
Not sure what age your shogun is but here's proof you don't need gnarly tyres: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O_1z31Fu68M but....... they do help!

agent006

12,058 posts

269 months

Tuesday 20th September 2011
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If it can't engage the front diff, the green front wheel lights on the dash will keep flashing. If it engages they stay on, like the rear lights. Same with the centre diff lock light.

Blakeatron

Original Poster:

2,522 posts

178 months

Tuesday 20th September 2011
quotequote all
Yep the lights were all lit - first thing i checked.

It def has the 'chug' factor in low ratio so I know thats working.

When I got stuck I was in rear wheel drive, switched to 4wd and bogged down more, reversed out, bogged down, switched to 4wddl and got out forwards.

Thinking now maybe it was not quite engaged first time around, or I had just dug in too much.

Will go back to the fields this weekend with the wife and get her muddy....!

bigblock

777 posts

203 months

Tuesday 20th September 2011
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When you engage four wheel drive without locking the centre diff you will not have true four wheel drive as power will be transmitted to the axle with the least resistance (wheels spinning). Which is why once you had locked the diff (4wddl) you were able to drive out of the boggy ground as you now had power going to the axle with traction.

To obtain true four wheel drive with power going to all four wheels permanently then you need to be able to lock the front and rear diffs as well as the centre. There are very few production 4x4 vehicles that have the ability to do this.

Boobonman

5,676 posts

197 months

Tuesday 20th September 2011
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I know on my ropey old Pajero that when engaging four wheel drive you occasionally had to pop it in reverse and sometimes even go back a couple of feet before it would clunk in properly.

Melvin Udall

73,668 posts

260 months

Tuesday 20th September 2011
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Boobonman said:
I know on my ropey old Pajero that when engaging four wheel drive you occasionally had to pop it in reverse and sometimes even go back a couple of feet before it would clunk in properly.
My mums old Delica was the same.There are some quirky systems out there.

Ayahuasca

27,428 posts

284 months

Friday 23rd September 2011
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bigblock said:
When you engage four wheel drive without locking the centre diff you will not have true four wheel drive as power will be transmitted to the axle with the least resistance (wheels spinning). Which is why once you had locked the diff (4wddl) you were able to drive out of the boggy ground as you now had power going to the axle with traction.

To obtain true four wheel drive with power going to all four wheels permanently then you need to be able to lock the front and rear diffs as well as the centre. There are very few production 4x4 vehicles that have the ability to do this.
This.

Spoken as one who similarly wondered by his '4x4' (toyota landcruier) got stuck. Without a centre diff-lock you have a one-wheel drive car and with a centre diff-lock a 2-wheel drive car. You need a centre diff-lock and a locking rear diff to have 4x4 and hardly any cars have this.

Blakeatron

Original Poster:

2,522 posts

178 months

Sunday 25th September 2011
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Been to an even muddier field to play and can confirm all is working as it should! Must be the tyres, great more expense!

agent006

12,058 posts

269 months

Sunday 25th September 2011
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Ayahuasca said:
This.

Spoken as one who similarly wondered by his '4x4' (toyota landcruier) got stuck. Without a centre diff-lock you have a one-wheel drive car and with a centre diff-lock a 2-wheel drive car. You need a centre diff-lock and a locking rear diff to have 4x4 and hardly any cars have this.
The Shogun in question has a centre diff lock. My 51 plate has a locking rear diff too, which a 54 plate might have or might have traction control instead. Current Shoguns have rear diff lock again.

Kermit power

29,376 posts

218 months

Monday 3rd October 2011
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agent006 said:
The Shogun in question has a centre diff lock. My 51 plate has a locking rear diff too, which a 54 plate might have or might have traction control instead. Current Shoguns have rear diff lock again.
There is a big difference between Shoguns and Pajeros though, as I've found out recently trying to find a replacement for the diff-end yoke for my rear propshaft.

Pajeros of the same era as my Shogun (1999) all seem to have LSD rear diffs. My Shogun has a full diff lock on the rear, which has different bolt spacing to the LSD diffs for the yoke. Given that various scrappies went through hundreds of shafts without finding a match, I would assume that locking diffs are very much a rarity.

Alex99

8 posts

156 months

Monday 3rd October 2011
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Didnt you notice if all 4 wheels were spinning when pulling back and forth .

MPoon

200 posts

173 months

Tuesday 4th October 2011
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Put it on jack stands, drive it, get someone to see which wheels are moving.

HVAC MATT

1,116 posts

212 months

Wednesday 5th October 2011
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MPoon said:
Put it on jack stands, drive it, get someone to see which wheels are moving.
why can I see this going very wrong with come "carry on" music play.