Wouldn't disengage from 4x4

[Kingman]

Yesterday my friend had to get soemthing from the other end of his property, through his well used mudy field. Since 1) it was a good reason to get the pathfinder muddy and 2) my truck was the only 4x4 at his house at the time, we took it

 

Got stuck in 2x4 so i popped it in to 4hi and continued

 

i took it out of 4i normally and parked the truck.

 

when i left his house and pulled on to the main road, thats when i noticed something wasnt right. the steering was jerkinig left and right and actually pulling the truck, as i gained speed it felt like the front end was floating

 

i was scared !@#$less by now

 

Pulled the truck over, and engaged(moved the lever to 4x4 again) and disengaged it as normal

Still wouldnt come out of 4x4

 

I got fed up and put it in reverse and hit the gas and for a while i felt the fronts digging in, then disengaged and the back tires started spinning. i've never had issues with engaging/disengaging before, and never had to reverse to get it to disengage.

 

now its out of 4x4

 

I'm a little worried about this...anyone think it was a fluke thing, or are my hubs shot? I suppose putting it back in 4hi would tell me, but im kinda worried its not going to disengage. Is there a way to force it out of 4x4 if they hubs dont disengage?

 

they're the stock autolocking, and i didn't use 4lo this time out.

Edited December 1, 2008 by kingman92010

[Pezzy]

Let some of the other guys who have the same hubs as you chime in... but AFAIK, it's not entirely uncommon to have to reverse to disengage the hubs.

[94extreme]

you have to back up to disnegage.. otherwise you're not disengaged at all. check your OM or the back of your visor for factory instructions.

[Precise1]

^Exactly. And if your hubs are dirty/poorly greased/etc they may not function properly. ie, sticking in or out of 4x4. I recommend thaking them apart, cleaning everything and reassembling them with fresh grease.

 

B

[adamzan]

If you back up slowly enough you will hear them disengage.

[Kingman]

^Exactly. And if your hubs are dirty/poorly greased/etc they may not function properly. ie, sticking in or out of 4x4. I recommend thaking them apart, cleaning everything and reassembling them with fresh grease.

 

B

 

Will do. Any particular brand of grease and what not?

[Precise1]

Personally, I would use the high temp disk brake bearing grease as the rotors and hubs can get pretty warm. This will help keep it from migrating/puddling... I'll check to see what the manual says next time I go down stairs...

 

B

[94extreme]

yeah, i used high temp grease.

 

if you have a parts cleaner (station), that is definitely the best way to clean them out. other ways are harder or more involved but doable. make sure it's clean and dry before you slap some grease back in them.

[Kingman]

I shifted it into and out of 4wd and 2wd and into 4lo just now in front of my house a few times

 

They're working fine now...Hmmmmmm.

 

I took them off for a quick peak and they were packed good with what honestly looks like fresh grease. I think they've been serviced before, since the bolts and color patters/rust residue and marks don't match the holes they came out of. Most of the bolts I could match up to the correct hole, so it looks like they've been taken off before and the bolts weren't put back in their original spots.

 

Maybe it was a glitch thing and I was worried about nothing...

Edited December 2, 2008 by kingman92010

[94extreme]

sounds like it.

[Alkorahil]

As stated the owners manual specifically states to come to a full stop, put in reverse and roll one full rotation of the wheel to disengage the 4wd. Yes it will disengage without doing this most of the time, but it is not the 'proper' way to do it.