Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Besides if gives that car a nice "real" 4WD look. Sort of military, go anywhere look. Not like those dinky rotary or push buttons on the dash that stop working at 50 or so thousand miles. At least Silverado is infamous for them to do so. That's why experienced truck users hunt for ones with mechanical transfer case shifter.
Also that year has 4WD, not AWD system. That means transfer case mechanically locks all four wheels. Vs in AWD system there is or are viscous differential that does not provide same mechanical bond between the axles. This is why in AWD you can get away with having different diameter tires on front and rear axles and in 4WD it will lock up transfer case.
Yep, that's the lever for the 4WD, much better then an electronic switch.
Indeed. This is the right way for a 4WD floorboard to look, starting with military Jeeps and going forward. Push buttons and rotary knobs actuate solenoids that actuate (or don't) the actual gear shift. This setup, your hand does the shifting. Unlikely to fail unless you get incredibly ham-handed with it and break the linkage.
Why do you prefer the lever? It seems obnoxious and unecessary to me when a small switch would suffice. This is coming from someone who is used to AWD or real-time 4WD. I've never had a vehicle where you have to switch to 4WD manually, although now thinking about it I guess a lever makes sense if there are 3 modes (2WD, 4Hi and 4Lo). A switch would be better if it was just 2WD and 4WD.
I still don't know why you'd need 4Hi and 4Lo though. Does it give the driver better control than other cars that just switch automatically between 2WD and 4WD? I prefer my truck to switch to 4WD automatically when my wheels start slipping because it reacts electronically faster than I would react manually in an unexpected situation.
The advantage of the manual system is it will work as long as the truck will run. Automatic systems seem to seldom make it to 100K miles.
The outside locking hubs are an advantage if you drive the truck enough on good roads where you don't need 4WD. They release the front wheels from the drive axles, so the front differential is not turning and using up power/making the truck burn more gas. As North Beach points out, if you wait till you really need to lock the hubs, particularly in winter, they may be iced over and more fun than you anticipated to get working.
You are right of course that a full time 4WD system is "there when you need it" (as long as it's working right) and sometimes you need 4WD the most when it's unexpected.
At the end of the day, one pays his money and takes his choice. With some experience, you can usually engage 4WD before you go into a place you will be needing it.
4 Low is for heavy off-roading. If you stick to "good" Jeep trails, the easier ones, you don't need 4 Low. It is for serious rough country.
I guess I'm still not understanding why you need a manual hub unless you're rock crawling. My rear diff is limited slip, not a true lock. Honda's VTM lock feature puts 70% of the power to the rear wheels, which has been plenty for me to get out of any situation. Also, I routinely drive through 2+ feet of deep unplowed snow and I've never had problems freeing the truck when my entire front end is buried in frozen snow.
I'm actually kinda curious about this now. I might just spend $5k on an old Taco beater just to experience the 4Lo/4Hi and learn something new. Pretty sure I can re-sell it for the same price next year.
You should buy it and have some fun with it. You may be surprised at what you can do with the 4L option and you can share with all your friends what a weird "retro" truck really looks like.
From experience, in the Toyota and some of the older Fords that struggled with traction on hills (even in 4WD) due to the rear of the vehicle being very light, if you turn around and back up a steep grade, you can climb almost anything.
I guess I'm still not understanding why you need a manual hub unless you're rock crawling. My rear diff is limited slip, not a true lock. Honda's VTM lock feature puts 70% of the power to the rear wheels, which has been plenty for me to get out of any situation. Also, I routinely drive through 2+ feet of deep unplowed snow and I've never had problems freeing the truck when my entire front end is buried in frozen snow.
I'm actually kinda curious about this now. I might just spend $5k on an old Taco beater just to experience the 4Lo/4Hi and learn something new. Pretty sure I can re-sell it for the same price next year.
Manùal hubs have nothing to do with rock crawling. The manual axle hubs are either locked or unlocked. There is no vacuum actuation, hoses or electronics. It's just a KISS system. I've tried to get 4x4 to work when it's freezing cold out and 4x4 won't engage because the vacuum system won't work. Most 4x4 vehickes today have automatic hubs which are always locked in. The actuating is only done at the Tcase or axle disconnect.
I had a F350 with the dash button vacuum system. It rarely worked right. I always had to get out and lock the hubs. Sometimes 4x4 took a long time to engage and disengage at the Tcase. in one instance out in the sierras while hunting I lost 4x4 half way up to my camp on fire roads. Bad vacuum line at the hub. My other F350 has a lever actuated 4x4 and Manùal hubs. I never had any issues.
Last edited by Electrician4you; 07-28-2015 at 06:17 PM..
I guess I'm still not understanding why you need a manual hub unless you're rock crawling. My rear diff is limited slip, not a true lock. Honda's VTM lock feature puts 70% of the power to the rear wheels, which has been plenty for me to get out of any situation. Also, I routinely drive through 2+ feet of deep unplowed snow and I've never had problems freeing the truck when my entire front end is buried in frozen snow.
I'm actually kinda curious about this now. I might just spend $5k on an old Taco beater just to experience the 4Lo/4Hi and learn something new. Pretty sure I can re-sell it for the same price next year.
Manual hubs are on the front axle, they lock the wheels to the axle. This is hilarious, are just trolling, or are you just fresh out of driving school? The transfercase just engages the front axle, it TRANSFERS power, like the transmission TRANSMITS engine power. Please look over this site:
Also that year has 4WD, not AWD system. That means transfer case mechanically locks all four wheels. Vs in AWD system there is or are viscous differential that does not provide same mechanical bond between the axles. This is why in AWD you can get away with having different diameter tires on front and rear axles and in 4WD it will lock up transfer case.
There is Viscous Couple, Torsen, and for older cars chain, and possibly gear, such as a 300GT, or Galant VR4. VC, and Torsen are most popuar for awd, and sadly Torsen seems to be falling by the wayside, and I'd prefer it to VC.
4WD I guess. The 4WD and second knob are actually very common. The 2001 Toyota Tacoma is not the only vehicle to have this feature.
Probably one of tye newest, outside of Wranglers, though.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
4wd:
