4x4 first timer

[Mark Stadnicki]

Well, I tried my 4x4H for the first time since I bought it new. This is my first truck with 4wd and never thought or had a reason to engage it. Well, after a 15 months and 17k miles of no use it worked as advertised....



The guys at work said I should at least engage once a week? What are your thoughts? What about my 4x4L, I haven't even tried that yet :unsure:

 

[Mike Dziubina]

once a month i would say (i haven't been to good with that though)...others will give opinions...when you engage don't turn the wheels on dry pavement and try not to make sharp turns as this could damage the system...



4 low is designed to get you out of tight spots such as if you are stuck in a muddy ditch or something (to the best of my knowledge)...if you engage the 4 high you shouldn't really need to engage the low, but again i could be wrong...probably can't hurt to engage it here and there, but again, follow the rules for the 4 high



edit / p.s. - are you in the EMS?

 

[Mark Stadnicki]

I'm a volunteer EMTat Waldorf VFD in MD, active duty Air Force pays the bills.

 

[Todd Z]

I turn mine on when it is raining on a straight stretch for a little bit to keep things moving...



Todd Z

 

[Mike Dziubina]

good stuff man i'm a volunteer EMT/FF in CT. always like to meet other's in the field...stay safe!

 

[heent]

I think the operator's manual says one-a-month you should engage the 4wd system for the purposes of keeping the system lubricated.

 

[2]

Like others have said, once a month, if you do it on pavement just make sure it is a straight stretch where you don't have to turn. Like Mike said, if you engage 4hi there is no reason to engage 4lo, you just need to get the shift motor to move once a month.

 

[Tom Schindler]

I engage the 4x4 on the Explorer once a month. Just while driving down the road, I will flip the switch to 4x4H for a mile or so. Just a nice straight away. Sometimes I put it in 4x4 low if I am pulling straight into the driveway.



4x4 Low is designed for pulling bushes out of the ground, descending down a steep hill while off-roading, or (what many people use it for) pulling boats out of the water.





Tom

 

[Johnny O]

Since you have an '07, it's sort of in 4wd all the time anyway and the computer controls whether the front end kicks in. But I think it's good to lock it in once in a while just to make the shift motor work. Ditto for low range.



Just to you know, when you are driving it on a snow-covered road and go to turn, it will want to keep going straight. When there is more snow than not, I put it in 4-H because the shifting back and forth in 4-Auto is annoying.

 

[Mark Stadnicki]

Interesting info- Thanx everyone.

 

[Jon W9]

I have an '07. When it is in $-Auto, is there a way to tell if it kicks in?



Does the 4WD light come on, or something? I use mine on some slick boat ramps, and just leave it in auto, but I am never really sure if the 4WD comes on or not.