03+ 4Runner/GX470, & 05+ Tacomas 4th gen 4Runners & 5th gen trucks

I can lock the diff and turn off VSC in 4-Hi, am I the only one?

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Old 03-06-2006, 06:13 AM
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I can lock the diff and turn off VSC in 4-Hi, am I the only one?

So this weekend out at Anza, I hit the center diff lock while I was in 4-Hi, which I did on accident (thinking I was in 4-Lo). To my surprise it worked. I thought, hmmm, wtf?

I haven't done the Andy mod, and I wasn't going super slow, and I didn't have it in Neutral, but it worked. I thought in the manual it states that it can only do it in 4-Lo, and I thought the consensus here was the same. What gives?

Was it only 3rd gens that have the 4-Lo requirement? Or do you 4geners have the same issue?

I'm wondering if it's because I have the sport model?

Anyway, it helped big time in the sandy stuff going really fast. I had vsc off at about 45 - 50mph and it was doing great sweeping turns through the fluff.
Old 03-06-2006, 06:29 AM
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Jared
Well I fixed my CV shaft Sat afternoon (new One) and went back to get back out there and wheel Sunday.

Anyway. While wheeling on Sunday I tried to engage the center diff locker in 4Hi and it worked well. So I used 4Hi for the rest of the day. Saves gas big time. I am interested in seeing if this is also the case for the 4th gens.

later
Old 03-06-2006, 06:42 AM
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works for me too, I was always able to lock my center diff and kill VSC in 4 Hi, I never knew otheriwse. Have been using this for a long time. My 4-LO seems extremely low, lower than any truck I have ever driven. The accelerator becomes extremely sensitive when just starting out, no Ford I have ever owned has been geared that low in 4 lo, or I havent noticed it.
Old 03-06-2006, 06:46 AM
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lee
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yep, you can do it. i can do it too
Old 03-06-2006, 06:49 AM
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I thought that when I bought it I had read that it was to be used only in 4Lo. I must be mistaken. My 4Lo is really Lo also. I cannot go faster than 40mph in it. Not a great idea but sometimes you don't want to switch it so you end up pushing it a bit.
Old 03-06-2006, 06:55 AM
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40mph???? I'll be damned if I can go more than 15mph in 4lo. I don't think anything is wrong with it, it is just geared super super low. Like I said if I so much as touch the gas, the thing almost leaps off the ground and foward, has a ton of torque. Way way lower than any Ford truck I have ever driven, even lower than my my buddy's bronco.
Old 03-06-2006, 06:57 AM
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Center diff can be locked in high and should always be locked for low. Activating the center diff lock disables the VSC on the 4th Gen.
Old 03-06-2006, 08:09 AM
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lee
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shifting to 4lo automatically puts the diff lock on. you can turn it off by accident as i once found out.
Old 03-06-2006, 09:08 AM
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Okay, well I guess I just never tried because I thought it didn't work.

I like how low 4-Lo is on the 4runner. It gives you real precision going over rocks or up and down steeps.
Old 03-06-2006, 09:34 AM
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Perhaps people are confusing the rear diff lock, which only works in 4lo, with a center diff lock. If you couldn't lock the center in 4hi then you could not use your 4wd in a traditional sense, locking the front and rear tires.
Old 03-06-2006, 02:49 PM
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I think the 4runner forums were split for this reason. We don't have factory rear diff locks.
Old 03-06-2006, 03:13 PM
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lee
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Originally Posted by pat161
Perhaps people are confusing the rear diff lock, which only works in 4lo, with a center diff lock. If you couldn't lock the center in 4hi then you could not use your 4wd in a traditional sense, locking the front and rear tires.

exactly, you couldnt remove the rear bias and achieve the 50/50 even split.
Old 03-07-2006, 09:22 AM
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The center diff lock turns you into a standard 4x4. Like a 1st or 2nd gen.

Us old trucks have the front and rear "locked" together by the drivetrain when we engage 4wd. The newer trucks have "VSC" which sounds to me like an all wheel drive setup of sorts. It allows you to have a different bias between the front and rear while they are engaged to the drivetrain. (Not ideal for offroad climbing and crawling.

Turning the center diff lock on is nothing special, it just makes you "normal"....having it off is the cool feature (Rain, snow,perhaps an explosion at the hershey factory)

The grey wire mod lets you engage the diff lock regardless of transfer case range (2 hi, 4 hi, 4 low, centre locked or not). I am not sure wht the Andy mod is.
Old 03-07-2006, 09:40 AM
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vsc is not has nothing to do with the actual awd system.. its a stability control system that interferes with your driving and doesnt let you skid!

but otherwise, yorue right.
Old 03-07-2006, 12:16 PM
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Almost right....except that the VSC (stability control system) will save the @$$ of most drivers by preventing them from doing the things that they shouldn't be doing when behind the wheel...

Within 3-5 yrs. every vehicle will have some sort of VSC, just as they all have airbags now.

Click here to see proof that it saves lives.
Click here to learn what VSC is and how it works.

Originally Posted by lee
vsc is not has nothing to do with the actual awd system.. its a stability control system that interferes with your driving and doesnt let you skid!

but otherwise, yorue right.

Last edited by DealMaker; 03-07-2006 at 12:26 PM.
Old 03-08-2006, 05:17 AM
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I think the VSC is cool on the road. Off road it is not so great. But can be turned off in 4wd so no big deal.
The big benifit of our late 3rd Gens and 4th Gens is the Trac system. It is outstanding in my opinion. It allows an open diff'd rig to do things that normally could only be done with a traditionally locked vehicle. Not as good as a locker but I think it is close. It is simply a smarter system when wheel spin is sensed.
Old 03-08-2006, 05:22 AM
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Originally Posted by deathrunner
I am not sure wht the Andy mod is.
The Andy mod is a switch that allows you to disable the VSC/Trac systems. The switch is put in line with the systems ground wire. This allows you to spin tires at will in any drive mode.
Old 03-08-2006, 07:58 AM
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Originally Posted by DealMaker
Center diff can be locked in high and should always be locked for low. Activating the center diff lock disables the VSC on the 4th Gen.
Why should the center differential be "always" locked in 4LO?

Top speed in 4LO is 35MPH according to my manual
Old 03-08-2006, 08:06 AM
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Originally Posted by Sharp4runr
Why should the center differential be "always" locked in 4LO?
It doesn't have to be but there is no advantage that I can see to having anything but a 50/50 split when crawling.
Old 03-08-2006, 08:07 AM
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Originally Posted by ecchamberlin
The Andy mod is a switch that allows you to disable the VSC/Trac systems. The switch is put in line with the systems ground wire. This allows you to spin tires at will in any drive mode.
Ahhhhh, I get it now.....


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