turning the front wheels side-to-side to engage 4HI or 4LO?

[sid justice]

Hi
Before 1 month i has bearing problem ( front axle disconnected)
I Fix it but,
Why should i turn the front wheels side-to-side to engage 4HI or 4LO?
Is there i solution for this problem?

[bartonmd]

Go into 4HI while you're moving, then stop to go into 4LO...

Mike

[The Roadie]

Since you fixed your disconnect, you will remember what the splined collar looks like, item #12. When you engage the front axle actuator (#19), all it does is press on the fork (#17) with a strong spring, but it cannot force the collar to slide over the inner splined gear #13. The collar is always touching splined gear #11.

If the teeth on the gears #11 and #13 are not perfectly lined up, the collar will wait until there is some RELATIVE movement between #11 and #13 to line up the gear teeth and allow the collar to move. Rolling straight ahead does not naturally give you any relative movement between the two gears, as long as the tires are the same diameter and they're rolling on flat terrain. Turning the wheel slightly while rolling makes the two gears travel at different speeds and sooner or later this will allow the collar to slide over the teeth on gear #13.

If you are in 4HI or 4LO, and develop some driveline binding, and then DISengage the front axle actuator, it's also possible that the torque buildup will keep the collar stuck in place by friction on gears #11 and #13 until you move a small amount and turn the wheels. Sooner or later, the friction force on the gear teeth will reduce, and then spring #16 will be able to move the collar outwards and then the gears are disconnected.

This behavior is not a problem unless you have too much grease in the disconnect housing, or your springs are weaker than normal. It's all explained by the design.

[bartonmd]

Or if you are moving as you shift in, it will drop in, because the shafts spin opposite while it's disconnected... It's only a problem, usually, if you try and put it in 4HI when you're stopped...

Mike

[navigator]

I have engaged mine when going fast, I thought I read somewhere that you could engage it unde 60mph but now I am usually going really slow for 4Hi and about 2mph in N for 4Lo.