Hi gang,
I'm a proud new owner of an HZ73 with Aisin locking hubs as well as factory electric locking diffs. To be clear though, this issue does NOT concern the diff lockers. According to factory manual and plenty of what I've already read on this forum, it sounds normal to leave wheel hubs locked for, say the winter season, so when the occasion does arise (snowy roads) all you need to do is hit the 4H button when needed. Then in spring, folks will "free" the hubs for the summer and use as needed off road.
Here's the scenario I just experienced on a short drive:
Prior to leaving my house I locked the wheel hubs. Vehicle remains in 2H. The 4H transfer case button is NOT engaged. I start out my gravel driveway with some snow/ice on it that slopes up to a dirt road. Hitting the snow/ice, back wheels spin and I can't get out the driveway and up onto the road (perfect test).
So I stop, engage the 4H button, dash light illuminates and I try again. This time front wheels engage as expected and I drive out of the drive way no problem. Once on the dirt road, I disengage 4H (dash light turns off) and resume 2H driving with wheel hubs locked still.
A half-mile down the road, the surface changes from dirt to paved and descends a steep winding hill. Through the descent I start getting weird feedback through the steering wheel, like the wheels are slow to respond to steering input requiring quite a degree of concentration and slow driving. At the bottom of the hill, the road t-bones with another paved road. As I slow to a stop, the steering gets even harder. And after stopping, as I try to turn 90º onto the next road, I can barely turn the vehicle at all. So I get out, return the wheel hubs to "free", and resume my drive at which point everything feels normal again.
So what gives? Is the 4H not disengaging even though the dash light turns off? Is this a potential problem with the hubs? It should be normal to drive in 2H with wheel hubs locked right?
Thanks!
I'm a proud new owner of an HZ73 with Aisin locking hubs as well as factory electric locking diffs. To be clear though, this issue does NOT concern the diff lockers. According to factory manual and plenty of what I've already read on this forum, it sounds normal to leave wheel hubs locked for, say the winter season, so when the occasion does arise (snowy roads) all you need to do is hit the 4H button when needed. Then in spring, folks will "free" the hubs for the summer and use as needed off road.
Here's the scenario I just experienced on a short drive:
Prior to leaving my house I locked the wheel hubs. Vehicle remains in 2H. The 4H transfer case button is NOT engaged. I start out my gravel driveway with some snow/ice on it that slopes up to a dirt road. Hitting the snow/ice, back wheels spin and I can't get out the driveway and up onto the road (perfect test).
So I stop, engage the 4H button, dash light illuminates and I try again. This time front wheels engage as expected and I drive out of the drive way no problem. Once on the dirt road, I disengage 4H (dash light turns off) and resume 2H driving with wheel hubs locked still.
A half-mile down the road, the surface changes from dirt to paved and descends a steep winding hill. Through the descent I start getting weird feedback through the steering wheel, like the wheels are slow to respond to steering input requiring quite a degree of concentration and slow driving. At the bottom of the hill, the road t-bones with another paved road. As I slow to a stop, the steering gets even harder. And after stopping, as I try to turn 90º onto the next road, I can barely turn the vehicle at all. So I get out, return the wheel hubs to "free", and resume my drive at which point everything feels normal again.
So what gives? Is the 4H not disengaging even though the dash light turns off? Is this a potential problem with the hubs? It should be normal to drive in 2H with wheel hubs locked right?
Thanks!
