first time offroad. many questions.

[josefgabriel]

So a good friend of mine went out and bought a brand spanking new FJ cruiser on Friday and could not wait to get it offroad. Saturday I followed him in my FJ62 to the nearest forest road. As soon as we pulled off the freeway I had my first issue. I went to lock the hubs and noticed that they were not in the "free" position. I have had them locked several times before (travelling up to go skiing ect.) and try to lock them every few months to keep them lubed. I don't know how they managed to get into the "middle" position but somehow they did. It took a pair of pliers to first get them into the "free" position then to push them back into the locked position. Have I done any damage?

So after I get my hubs locked a Jeep and what I think was an old Ford Bronco show up and they look like they are some serious offroaders. These vehicles looked to me like they don't do anything but offroad in them. My friend spoke with them and they said there was a lot of snow and someone was stuck up ahead and they were turning tail and heading back home. How they knew that someone was stuck is a mystery to me. So we pondered whether two first timers should just turn around right then and there. But we decided to go ahead. Sure enough we came upon the guy who was stuck (a new Explorer XLT with a bunch of people) and I managed to pull him out of the snow and back about three or four hundred feet to a flat area. Here is where my second question comes in. When I first got on the trail I put it into "H4" by depressing the button on the console. Then soon after I went into park and moved the small shifter from "H4" to "L4" (it is an automatic). I think I also set the "H4" switch back to its normal position. The 4WD light was still lit. But when I first started towing this guy (in reverse), my friend noticed that my front wheels were spinning and my rear ones remained stationary. I am not sure if pushing in the "H4" button did someething or simply give the engine more gas did but the next go all four wheels were spinning. Can someone give me a clear explaination of the difference in the Shifter and the button and in what combonation I should be using them?

Thank you in advance for any advice.

 

[RredFJ40]

The button puts power to the front wheels. The shift lever put the transfer case in low gear. There is a switch on the transfer case that senses when you put it in low - if the front axle is not engaged it will engage it. When putting it in L don't take it out of 4wd.

Was your friend watching both right and left wheels? With open differentials one wheel on each axle will spin if it doesn't have traction and the other wheel will remain stationary. If your friend was looking from the side he may have seen one wheel on the rear axle stationary but the other may havebeen spinning.

Unlock your hubs when you are not wheeling - they might need to be regreased. Or some R&R.

 

[josefgabriel]

Thanks for the quick reply. So to clarify, I shouldn't need to have the swtich "H4" engaged if the shift lever is in L4 because it will "know" I am in 4WD mode? Or should I always have that depressed when I want to be in 4WD regardless if I am in "highlock" or "lowlock"?

I believe my friend could only see one wheel. He was on the left hand side of the vehicle.

Is regreasing the axle something I would just have the dealer do? And what is R&R? Rest and Recreation?

Here are a few pics from our little adventure. We also have some good video (shaky cam) of bouncing around in the snow. And the first failed attempt at towing the Ford out. What finally got him unstuck was me accidentally putting some power to the wheels while there was a bit of slack in the tow rope. I don't think it was enough to damage anything though and the rope is braided in such a way that it looks like it can take up some of that force.

First time offroad - a set on Flickr

 

[IB14A69]

R&R. Remove And Replace/Repair

 

[RredFJ40]

"should" that doesn't mean the switch on the tcase is actually working.

Get a Factory Service Manual (not haynes or chiltons) and do all the work you can yourself. You'll learn a ton more about your rig.

You don't need to grease the axle, you need to take the locking hub apart and verify that it is assembled and working properly (you'll need the FSM for this).

Thanks for the quick reply. So to clarify, I shouldn't need to have the swtich "H4" engaged if the shift lever is in L4 because it will "know" I am in 4WD mode? Or should I always have that depressed when I want to be in 4WD regardless if I am in "highlock" or "lowlock"?

I believe my friend could only see one wheel. He was on the left hand side of the vehicle.

Is regreasing the axle something I would just have the dealer do? And what is R&R? Rest and Recreation?

Here are a few pics from our little adventure. We also have some good video (shaky cam) of bouncing around in the snow. And the first failed attempt at towing the Ford out. What finally got him unstuck was me accidentally putting some power to the wheels while there was a bit of slack in the tow rope. I don't think it was enough to damage anything though and the rope is braided in such a way that it looks like it can take up some of that force.

First time offroad - a set on Flickr

 

[sandcruiser]

depending on your tow rope, letting it get some slack is either very dangerous, or the right way to pull someone out. If yours is a "tow" rope with metal hooks, then you should be very careful about using it for recovery (I wouldn't use one, period) as those metal hooks can become very very dangerous.

if yours is a "snatch" rope, or a "recovery" strap/rope, then you did well by adding a little bit of slack and popping the explorer out.

you don't have to worry much about the hubs. once you got them to move, did they move freely?

you can leave them locked for as long as you want but it will wear out the front end just a touch faster and consume a tad more fuel.

sounds like you guys had some fun!

 

[josefgabriel]

I would love to get the FSM and work on my own truck but unfortunately my current situation doesn't allow for it. I rent a condo and the "condo association" frowns on even so much as opening ones hood. Until I can buy a house that will have to be a pipe dream. I have actually been keeping an eye open for an industrial spot to possibly split rent with and store my tools and have a place to do just this. Back in Texas I had a sportscar that I loved to work on (which coincidentally had 4WD and an LSD) but I also had a two car garage at my disposal.

The rope was the "tow" rope you descibed with metal hooks on the end. Although the jerking the rope was completely unintentional I can see your point. That is not a safe idea. Can you tell me a little about or point me to this "snatch" rope? Even with my one time experiance offroad I really enjoyed it and want to go again this weekend. I plan on getting some snowchains this week, and can keep an eye out for this other kind of recovery rope. I am also thinking about new tires.

I just went out to the truck and the hubs have mysteriously returned to thier previous state of being able to easily lock and unlock with my hands. i am thinking perhaps having them in the "middle" position on the freeway might have heated something up or did something to make it hard to move at the time.

IB14A69, I see you are from Olympia. Can you recommend any local groups I could go with and learn from? My friend (with the FJ Cruiser) is also interested in finding some locals to go with and learn from. I did find a local group but it seems to be comprised soley of FJ Cruisers and that appears to be a requirement for membership.