xjpearl

My 95tr4 is binding in the front end, only when in 4hi or low, of course. I discovered this during our last snowfall. It felt like the rear was "pushing" the front when cornering. On dry pavement, with wheels turned (either direction) and going forward or backward, it is binding enough to stop the truck. I'm talking instantly! Not a gradual stopping. I have to then straighten the wheels just to "free-up" and get going again. I haven't done any mods to the suspension yet and I'm not to sure if anything has been done to it by the previous owner. I will be installing a 4" lift within the next month and with that in mind, should I wait until that install to worry about any binding? Anyone's comments would be greatly appreciated.

runethechamp

There's no differential between the front and rear axle, so when you turn on dry pavement, which you should not do by the way, it will bind because the front and rear wheels will travel paths of different distances. Turning on dry pavement in 4wd is a good way of taking out your transfer case.

Robinhood150

It's normal

xjpearl

Let me explain further..

When in the snow, going 10 mph, 4 hi, turning a corner, the 4r will start the turn but then basically "snowplow" straight the more i turn the wheel. The rear, in essence, is pushing more than the front can keep up. I've owned several other 4x4's without this occurring. Or did you happen to mean that this is "normal" for T4R's?

I'm not being sarcastic, sarcasm is from a person who knows everything. I don't know squat and will be the first to admit it.

Thanks for the input, more is welcome.

Flamedx4

Do you have a posi, limited slip, or locker type device in the rear, or for that matter in the front?

Also, are you certain the front drive is working? From your remark about dry pavement behaviour I assume it must be.

Were your other rigs conventional 4wheeldrive, or AWD, or center differential types? Huge differences.

Really hard to say without observing your technique - driver input is everything.

But I agree with the posters above - in 4wd on dry pavement you WILL get bind when turning, and it does stop you unless you give it more gas and get the wheels to lose some grip. On softer surfaces with no rear traction aid this still happens but is much less noticeable. On really slick surfaces like ice or slippery snow (some snow offers good grip, some is slippery as hell) the front may still not want to go where you point it. The trick on snow is that when you steer you have to give a little throttle to go with it so the wheels want to claw the front end in the direction you want to go. Finesse in all things by the way...

Robinhood150

Yeah, that might be a little different then...

I'd look into whether there is a locker or whether the front and rear gears are the same ratio.

Flamedx4

Also, is this the first time you've used the 4wd in the Yota?

How about something addball like not having the same gears in the axles?
Assume nothing.

edit: "DOH!"

runethechamp

If it really frees up when going straight on dry pavement it's probably not the issue.

xjpearl

The "other" 4x4's were of chevy and jeep nature. On those vehicles, you normally can tell 4wheel-drive engagement by the subtle "wheel-hop" in the front end when the wheels are cranked. This, to me, seems like the front brakes engage fully when the wheels are turned. I thought I would rule out different ratios because there is no "push-pull" action when under power going straight. I'm mostly concerned with twisting something when the mud season arrives. I'm still

runethechamp

!!!!!

Jeffires

Yeah, if it was geared differently, you'd notice a problem immediately after engaging 4x4. Turns on hard pavement in 4x4 are hard on U Joints and transfer case.

Robinhood150

After thinking about this some more, maybe you have a broken CV or diff gears. Since it only happens in 4wd it must be something in the drive train from the hubs to the transfer case. I know it sounds obvious and it's a large area to look, but it is a place to start. Check the external things first like CV and driveshaft then you might have to check the diff. You can do a quick check of the diff by draining the oil and seeing what comes out.

xjpearl

I just had the shop service both diffs and xcase when putting the new clutch in, didn't say anything out of the ordinary concerning them. I'll call and double check. Now that I think about it, Toyota didn't use something stupid like a viscous coupling in the xfer case, did they? I don't remember seeing any posts for that (and there would be if that was the case). I might roll out the toolbox this weekend and start tearing things apart to see if there is anything unusually worn.

I hope I still have some schnapps left, it's supposed to be ch...ch....ch...chilly this weekend!

Robinhood150

No viscous coupling. No center diff at all.

This one's kinda hard to diagnose over the internet. I think you're just going to have to do more investigating. Good luck and let us know what you find.