Newbie question don't laugh about engaging 4x4
 

Hi all, sorry to sound like such a nube, but I recently purchased a 98 xj sport, I've only ever had hiluxs and 4runners, what 4x4 do I select for different conditions, eg sand, mud, general dirt tracks, and can they be changed on the fly?

Thanks heaps, love the forum

Kirk

Welcome to the forum Kirk. You can shift an XJ from 2wd to 4wd on the fly. I usually just back off the loud peddle and shift. Low range can be a little tricky. Select neutral and shift into low at a walking pace. It will go in with a small clash. Coming out of low range is a reverse procedure When going back into 2wd I usually back off the loud pedal after shifting and you can feel it drop out of 4wd trough the TC lever.

Regards Rusty.

and part time 4wd is for the dirt and full time 4wd is for the bitumen

Yeah basically 'part time' is the same as locking the center diff in H4 on Land rovers and mitsubishi's

There should be an orange sticker on the back of your drivers sun visor.

4HI for general loose terrain - hard sand, small rocks,
4LO for difficult terrain - deep sand, mud, big rocks

The easy way I think about it is this, if you have to change the way you walk it (think walking in hard sand vs walking in soft sand) from looking in the distance and walking normally to looking a few steps in front and picking your 'line' to avoid tripping or losing your balance, you will have your difference between 4HI and 4LO. this will change over time as you get more confident in your ability to drive on said terrain, sometimes you'll stay in 2WD until you start slipping a wheel, then move to 4WD to get traction

Changing from 2WD to 4WD I think can be done under 80km/h but shifting in and out of 4LO is better to be done and a slow walking pace as mentioned above.

In the Xj petrol we have 2 options for 4hi part time (locked) and 4hi full time (unlocked), this is different to the Wranglers and the Xj oilers which don't have the 4hi fulltme option....

Maybe I'm old school but I always stop before selecting L/H or normal .
Cheers,
Andrei

Not completely old skool... I usually stop before hitting LO, but I use the lever while moving to switch between HI and 2WD all the time. I use 4WD on road due to the road conditions here in Italy.

Haha, Italy....that brings back some memories.....5 row traffic in 3 lanes in front of traffic lights, merging to 2 lane in 100 meters..."first honk, than look". Going again in two months time.

Anyway, shifting out of 4wd every now and then I needed to reverse and foward a few times...sometimes.

I can't actually remember if I ever selected 4part time....because I wouldnt really know what it would add....4Lo ok, but everyting else in 4 fulltime? I dunno, never really though about it, but curious as to what or why people found 4 parttime made a difference and when..

You can shift between 2wd & Full time 4wd (Centre diff unlocked) on the fly at up to 100km/h Works a treat when the sky opens up and the roads are at their slipperyest.

Sent from my SM-N9005 using Aussie Jeep Offroad mobile app

It's not like that now... Not in the North at least. I've heard the traffic down South is worse. That actually sounds more like the time I spent in the Middle East... You were either in traffic, or had the foot to the floor to keep up with traffic. The biggest difference between your analogy and the ME is that they would never look. We would say the mentality is "if I don't look, you're not there." Then they would just pull right out in front of you. It looked a little like this most of the time...

http://www.ausjeepoffroad.com/forum/...d4d41d5bb2.png

Sounds like the mentality of the Romans with pedestrians who actually try to kill you on a pedestrian crossing!!!!

for safety i always stop just in case something ********ed up, touch wood it hasnt but i wouldnt personally, it takes all of 5 seconds to stop, disengage and get going again.

yes its possible to switch while in part time and full but not from hi to lo as far as i am aware.

I find it shifts far easier whilst moving espcially in and out of low range (but only at low speed, like walking pace)

yeah sometimes its picky for me but yeah your right

X2 Mine likes neutral and SLOW to shift into low.

mines picky going into low but it always goes in, easier to put it in part/full time

I always shift the transmission into neutral to shift the transfer.
And always on the move. I find it will shift smoother and easier on the move..... into hi range speed ins't really a consideration, but going into low range, I slow to walking pace.

Oh yeah shoulda mentioned transmission in neutral for low range in or out....