4x4 question for newbie

Hello All, I am have some questions on my new 1794 4x4 as I leave in Fl and mostly road travel on my daily commute. I chose a 4x4 as this vehicle is used for family travel when we head to TN. I read in the manual that the system should be used at a minimum once a month for 10 miles to lubricate the parts. Do you guys concur? Also is it safe to drive in 4 hi at any speed. I plan on hopping on the highway for this as turning in asphalt street locks up. Thank you for your help. As I mentioned I am new to 4x4’s

 

I've never heard of those requirements, but it sounds about right. As long as the section of road that you're driving on is straight you should be just fine. These trucks are pretty tough

 

Yes it says that in the manual to drive 10 miles monthly to lubricate the systems, i use it as my excuse sometimes to go offroading to the wife or it will "break" haha. Make sure you dont switch from 2wd to 4wd while going faster than 60mph, and youre fine using it on the highway as long as its a straightaway no turns. 4lo you have to put it in neutral first from 4hi, then from 4lo to 4hi you have to do the same process. Dont turn full lock in 4wd, you can hear the system kinda struggle so dont go full retard on it.

 

Thanks for the laugh

 

This is on my Sequoia manual. From what it seems, the Tundra is the same way. Also, I read from other Tundra owners that 4H is meant to be used going straight only. This is not the case for Sequoias.

 

I put mine on a dead straight away also. I notice if I don't use it for awhile the sys takes a lot loner to engage aka 4x4 flashes longer.

 

Yikes! I didn't know this. At near 75k on my '16 and I've only turned it on a number of times. I've probably gone close to a year without engaging it. Looks like I'll be flipping that switch more.

 

My opinion is that that "requirement" from Mama Toyota is meant for when the truck is new and in the factory warranty period. NO. They will not tell you that.

That said I do find it's a good idea to do it occasionally. Every month for 10 miles? Naaaahhhh. Not for me.

 

I'm in middle Georgia without a hint of snow or mountains and my truck is a pavement queen; however, I do randomly engage 4HI for reasons mentioned above.

 

I agree with @TundraMcGov. 10 miles is a little excessive in my opinion. I put my tacoma in 4hi usually once a week. I try to either pick gravel roads or wet roads and going straight if on pavement. My taco is mostly all pavement queen. Don't overthink it. But don't also forget about it.

 

Sequoia's have a Torsen LS in the center diff. Like my old 4th Gen 4Runner and 5th Gen Limited 4Runners. Makes it an "awd" system and allows power to shift. You can lock the center diff electronically to make it a true 4x4 as needed.

There was a mod someone put up basically swapping over some of the Sequoia parts to allow this in the Tundra also.

 

Is there any benefit of this to someone that lives down south or someone that doesnt need 4x4/awd often? Other than letting the system lubricate itself? I could see it being beneficial though for those of us further north that get snow more often

 

A torsen LSD center diff is awesome. I miss it the most from the old rig. Leave it in "awd" mode for the rain or snow. Run it all day if you wanted. Or let the wife drive it and not have to worry about her figuring out to engage 4x4 or binding the system in the dry. The sequoia gives you an electronic lock in the center diff also so its the best of both worlds.

 

That does sound awesome. I'm always worried about my wife trying to engage 4hi but not realizing the rear tires are spinning in snow. Definitely best of both worlds!

 

The Sequoia torsen center diff LSD mod:

https://www.tundras.com/threads/how...-full-time-awd-capability.54474/#post-1425960

 

My 08 Toyota tundra 4x4 will not engage in 4 hi or 4 lo 4 hi just flashes and beeps the code shows it to be the switch on the dash does anyone know how to remove it and test it to see if it is a electrical issue or a bad switch

 

I left mine on 4hi the other day (4runner) and hopped on the freeway doing 60-70 for 10 miles. Had no idea it was on lol

I try to use it once a month on gravel roads but don’t think freeway will harm anything.

 

Could be a stuck actuator that's not engaging. Or broken as worse case scenario. I've heard guys bring them back to life with a few taps from a hammer. Or trial and error with the switch and truck until it re-engages.

 

No to thread-jack, but as a fellow first time 4x4 owner, exactly how straight does the road need to be to exercise the 4x4 on the monthly basis? How much can you turn the wheel before it begins to be damaging? Does 'straight' just mean no hair-pin turns, or should we even avoid a slight jog in the generally straight highway? Also, when Pittsburgh winter roads are sloppy enough to justify the security of the 4wd, but you still need to make sharp turns, do people shift into, and out of, 4H before/after ever turn? Or am i totally overthinking this, and should i just avoid 90* turns on bone dry pavement in 4H? Does wet pavement really reduce the friction coefficient that much to be considered safe to use 4wd???

 

The sharper you turn the more difference there is between the speed of the front and rear axles. When they're locked together in 4x4 you're going to damage or at least stress things if the tires can't slip enough to keep the axles turning at the same speed. So if you want to have some mechanical sympathy, you only really want to lock the center when traction is poor enough to allow for this. Dirt/gravel/snow...grass if you don't care about your lawn. Haha

 

Keep her straight as you can but don’t overthink it. I don’t think it needs in 4hi for more than a half mile or so at a time IMO. And for snow doing sharp turns, you’ll be fine because the inside tire of your turn will be spinning to compensate for the two front tires spinning at different speeds.