hockeyref2

Hello,
I have an 2002 T4R SR5 with 99k miles that I bought last fall. The 4wd was always a pain to engage in and out, for whatever reason.
This spring I changed the rear differential fluid with Mobil 1 75W90 LS. The fluid was nasty looking and smelled horrible. There was a little bit of stuff on the magnet, but I didn't think too bad.

About a month later I did the T-case, the fluid was pretty clean. It did not have a magnet, I used Mobil 1 75W90 LS. It seemed to shift a little hard at first into/out of 4wd but it seemed to start working decently. (I tested 4hi/lo and center diff. lock) Maybe a little banging but I don't remember.

About 3 weeks later (and maybe 50 miles) i did the oil and the front differential fluid (Mobil 1 75W90 LS). The fluid was not too bad, but there was quite a bit of junk on the magnet.

It is still hard to get into/out of 4wd, but a lot of times now, when it goes to switch out of 4wd, I usually get a very loud clunk/bang. Sometimes its not there, but usually it is. It can shake the whole truck.

Any ideas on what to take a look at?
I have owned it since November and 96k miles!
Thanks
Adam

hockeyref2

Actually, it was 1400 miles and 6 weeks between the T-case and front Diff...
It seems like the clunk is coming from the T-case/front diff area.

Any suggestions on what to look at?
Leaks? Fluid Level? Phase of the moon?

Thanks,
Adam

moebiius

x2 on this please.

stir_fry_boy

Are you driving straight down the road?
Don't push on the gas too much when you try to shift out.
Mine comes right out when I coast down a hill in "D" or on a flat road.
You should be putting it in 4WD mode at least once a month driving about 10 miles just to keep everything lubed up.
After I put in AMSOIL in my TXFER CASE and diffs and it made a world of difference in shifting in and out of 4WD.
After going in and out several times over 3 months mine comes right in and out like it should. It seemed like the more I used it the better it got.

hockeyref2

I am going about straight as I think I can be. When going "straight" the steering wheel is not perfectly straight. I had an alignment done, and it did not change that. However the left toe was "all the way out" and they said they fixed it. I had to replace the rear tires - they were chopped and bad.

Rear tires were replaced between the T-Case fluid change and Front Diff change.

I do drive it about 10 miles/mo in 4wd to try and keep things lubed. I have never got it to shift into our out of 4wd when going over maybe 25mph - when I try, it just flashes. Maybe I need to lube the driveshafts. I know it calls for two types of grease, is there any single grease that will work as a suitable replacement?

After changing the fluid, it does seem like I can hear more noises when I hit the button, than before.
Could low or high fluid cause the "bang/shake"? It seems like something is catching and then releasing under a lot of tension/pressure at times.

I agree with what you said about use - the more its used, the smoother it "usually" is. Although some mornings at -10, when parked outside, it can be a pain until things have warmed up. (on the old fluid at least)

stir_fry_boy

Lubing the driveshafts should be done. But, I don't believe that would have any effect on if you can shift in or out of 4WD. It is a matter of all 4 wheels going the same speed. -10 is cold and when you park it, just leave it in 4WD that way you don't have to shift it when it is super cold in the morning when the oil is super cold. I like the AMSOIL 75w-90 because it is extreme temp rated which I don't know about the Mobil 1.
My 4WD doesn't make hardly any sounds. If I roll my window down I can hear clicks but that is it. I can't hear anything in the cab or feel anything in the drivetrain while I am driving and shifting if the windows are up even with the sunroof open.
If it were my vehicle I would park it on level ground, check to make sure all the fluids are full by sticking your finger in the fill hole. If you can't feel fluid, add some. Between the 2 diffs and the txfer case you should have used about 6.0 to 6.5 qts of fluid.
Do all your tires have the same amount of tread?
If you don't that could be an issue. I know that in a Subaru if you blow 1 tire and have half tread on all the tires you have to replace all 4 because the diffs are actually spinning at different speeds, although there is a minute difference. I don't know about our 4WD systems.

hockeyref2

Technically I believe that it is in "All Wheel Drive" as long as I don't lock the "center differential"... ?? The front tires are old, the rear are brand new - big difference in tread - could this be the (an) issue?

I learned the trick about putting it in 4wd the night before pretty quickly!
Thanks

moebiius

x2 on the clunk while shifting into 4wd...thats if it will shift into 4wd or out of it

stir_fry_boy

Yes, if the center diff lock is not on it is really in All Wheel Drive Mode. You never want to push the center diff lock button on the pavement.
As far as your tires go, all should have relatively the same amount of tread. This is important especially if you run the 4wd on the pavement to get it in or out of 4wd. As I said, it is the rotation of the tires and they all need to be the same. If not, as in a Subaru, you will burn up your diffs due to the rotational difference. I would get all 4 tires about the same tread. They just have to be close, not like 3/32" compared with 11/32". That is a big difference. If it worked before you put 2 new tires on and now it doesn't work, I bet you have your culprit.

hockeyref2

Well...
It seems to work 'worse' at times, now with two new tires. But not always. Since I normally use 2wd, I don't believe that it should burn out a differential or anything... My guess is the front tires are 4-6/32, rear are 11 or so...

stir_fry_boy

If it works worse with 2 new tires, you have your culprit. 11/32" compared to 4/32" is a big difference when it comes to 16" tires. So, the fronts are spinning more than the back. In order to get it out of 4wd and into 4wd they have to be spinning relatively the same, all 4 wheels. If the difference in your tires is 1-3/32" then you probably wouldn't have a problem. The diffs hook up to the wheels and into the txfer case. If one driveshaft is spinning more than the other, that can be a problem. If it continues in 4wd with the difference in tread of the tires, you can burn up the diffs which would be an expensive repair. I would put all 4 new tires on, same brand, same tread design and rotate them more often. Then you won't run into this problem in the future.

hockeyref2

Sounds like a good idea, thanks.

Normally I try to keep 4 good tires on my cars, but as I said I just got it used in Late November... and the previous owner drove it until they screwed up the tires due to mis-alignment.

I also had to replace the waterpump (and timing belt) right after I got it, so I was spacing out my work a little since its been pricy to get back to good condition. (down payment, plus water pump = $$$)

The good news is that I dont drive it much in summer, the bad news is the tire place I want to take it too is 95 minutes away. Hopefully I have a job in 3 months to pay for all of this!

stir_fry_boy

Just think, after you spend all of this you should have a well oiled machine.
Same with me, I bought my 02' with almost bald tires and the timing belt and water pump haven't been done yet. So, I talked him down but still has been a lot of money to get it up to where I want it. Slowly but surely I have.

hockeyref2

Well.. I installed 2 front tires - shifts into and out of 4wd great now.

However I now have a wiggle, once I hit 45-50 it gets bad. Not sure if its a tire, wheel, or some other bent something. Actually, it showed up after I did the rear tires - but the rear tires were so worn out, that I cant say if it was always there and I just couldn't notice it.

I have had way more than my share of bad tires and bent rims... so who knows!

stir_fry_boy

Glad to hear you got it fixed. You might have them rebalance the tires to see if you get that shimmy. There is a lot of things that could be (bearing, rim, tire, or your could have already thrown a weight).