Help ! Am i up the creek ?

Gday Folks,

Wondering if someonewho knows more than me, could shed some light on a problem i think i might have.

I lent the Nav to a family member for the long weekend, as they are fairly knowledgeable and have some 4wd experience. Thinking all would be peachy.

As they handed the car back to me today i noticed the car still in 4wd. it is very probable that they have done the last 300km of tarmac driving at 100km/hr plus, in 4wd but WITHOUT the hubs engaged. I understand that there is no load on the drivetrain, which might be my saving grace, but surely transfer cases and the front drivetrain were not designed to go that fast ! Im hoping someone with more of a mechanical mind could help me out.

Hoping someone can help a forum newbie out !!

Thanks Guys.

probably not a good thing to do
i would at least drain the oil and check for any signs of damage or wear
have you discussed this with the driver
surely he would have noticed the 4wd light on dash if he was in 4wdfor that long

They can go that fast. The front diff moonlights as a rear diff in Datsuns, Nissan cars, and Subarus. I try to avoid it purely for (very) long term wear (twenty two y.o. vehicle here) and the extra drag on fuel economy, but think about it this way: the DSE in Victoria have a fleet wide policy that all their Landcruiser utes have the hubs always locked in but 4x4 disengaged (still spinning the same bits as in your case but driven by the wheels) even when highway running, for safety when caught in bushfires and panicking, so a driver can be sure that when they select 4x4 to reverse up a track to save themselves, they can be sure they're in 4x4. They wouldn't keep a fleet of part-time 4x4s for long if it was costing them 50 diffs and chains a month.

But a good general rule: don't lend your 4x4 out!

I had a Jakaroo for about 2 years. When i first got it one of the hubs was stuffed so I locked em both and left it that way, just left the transfer in 2wd. As Dion says it gives the same result.

Not the smartest thing to do but no problem should arise from a one off situation as you have described...

i wouldn't worry about it. All they'd really have done is increase the fuel consumption by a modestly small amount. With the front hubs disengaged, all they were doing was spinning over the front diff and axles - there'd be no additional strain on the components whatsoever.

In fact, what they were doing was probably helpful, keeping the front diff turning over!

It should be fine.I left my front hubs in for a year and drove the car every day and nothing went wrong.The old story loaning your tools is like loaning your MRS they come back F@#KED

Hey fella's....

The vehicle was in 4WD mode....BUT.....the hubs were DISENGAGED....

We're aware Jim, but the effect is the same, the same parts are spinning at the same speed whether the transfer is engaged and the hubs are not, or vice versa.

As long as he isn't bullshitting it should be fine.

Dion said:

We're aware Jim, but the effect is the same, the same parts are spinning at the same speed whether the transfer is engaged and the hubs are not, or vice versa.

Click to expand...

just trying to make sure Rampo understands the answers given, to the question asked.


?? so whats spinning if both are disengaged

(This is an answer to the general question to be informative, not trying to teach you, Jim, you'd know this):

If the hubs are disengaged and the transfer case IS engaged then the whole lot's spinning but they're not locked together at the hub so the binding doesn't happen.

If the hubs are locked and the transfer case IS NOT engaged then the whole lot's spinning but they're not locked together at the transfer case so the binding still doesn't happen.

It's only when BOTH are engaged that you have a problem.

Unfortunately for us D40 drivers, that means it's whenever we engage 4WD period. Of course that's a bonus when the wheels are covered in mud - we don't have to get out - but any D22 driver who was savvy about 4WDing would have locked their hubs as they left the sealed road anyway, so us D40 owners don't have much of an advantage there in all honesty!

My hubs are always locked in,

bar when I have to go further than Wallan or the other end Kilmore and staying on the tar.

First of all, Thank to everyone for contributing to my original post and putting my mind at ease, I assumed that this was the case, and wanted to check with people more knowledgeable than myself.

I did ask the question because as I understand it, with 4wd engaged the drivetrain forward of the gearbox is still turning, just not physically connected to the wheels, and wasnt sure how it would cope with 300k's at 100+

Thanks again for the posts, happy travels !!

rampo