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Shifting on the fly.


TeenZombie
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Shifting on the fly does not work for me.

 

I have tired it before and i heard bead noises so I did not do it again.

 

There has been a lot of snow so I have been having to use my 4WD a lot.

 

What I usually do is:

 

come to a complete stop

switch to neutral

shift 4WD stick to desired position

then switch back down to drive

drive off

 

both times I have shifted on the fly I:

 

was going somewhere from 15-25 mph

while moving

popped it into neutral

shifted down to 4H

heard bad noises

stopped

but back to 2W

and continued hoping nothing really bad just happened

 

I have never been into 2L.

 

Am I doing something wrong or what else could be going on?

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Two things I can think of:

1. where does the manual say to "popped it into neutral"

2. what type of surface are you on when you do this? It should be one which allows some tire slip.

 

Of course your hubs could also need servicing.

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This was covered a couple of weeks back. The consense was as I recall to stop all forward motion before engaging 4 wheel drive. While I'm sure you can shift on the fly into 4 wheel drive it's just easier on the system if you're not moving. I will shift out of 4 wheel drive on the fly and have never expeienced the horrendous clunk that you are talking about when going into 4 wheel drive while rolling. I bought my 'finder new in '91 and it has always clunked into 4 wheel drive while in motion. So I just stop and lock it in and roll on.

 

Keep the shiney side up!

 

M

 

PS and as Animal sez you might have to service your hubs.

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to do it on the fly you just pull the 4x lever into 4hi (semi low speeds (under 35mph)).. that's it.. no clunking no nothing.. to get it into 4lo you have to stop, then put tranny in N and then yank on the 4x shifter all the way down to 4lo...

 

to dis-engage you don't necessarily have to stop (4hi only) but you will not unlock... to unlock you have to reverse 3ft (1m)

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As a rule I usually come to a stop to put it into 4WD (HI) the first time (hubs not locked), but once the hubs are locked n you are rolling in straight line on a solid surface it can be shift in and out of 4WD (HI). The key is that all wheels need to be turning at the same speed. I do this all the time, not a single jerk or odd noise.

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Mine is 50/50 on noise, sometimes it's like it doesn't want to synch/mesh right while moving (always under 25mph). :shrug: It will sometimes even do it while at a stop too, but it does it more going into 4lo. Goes in every time, but throws a fit about it.

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It happens to me just the first time I try to shift into 4HI. After that, if I have to disengage and shift into 4HI again while running, no problem. But for the first shift I allways have to stop, otherwise I'll hear those bad noises too.

 

It's not necessary to stop and reverse to unlock the hubs, just in case it does not happen a while after you shift back to 2HI.

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I've never been able to shift mine into 4Hi while moving.... The transfer case has always protested loudly enough that I abort the attempted shift, stop, and do it while in Park or Neutral.

 

I came to the conclusion that Nissan's "Shift on the Fly" (at least in my model year) sucks.

 

Cheers!

 

Gary

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Mine works, once in a while one clunk, but that's also happened from a stop (when I was stuck). Best I can figure is that clunking is the auto hubs when the wheel and axle speeds don't match, grinding is probably from shifting too slow; there's a spline clutch in the transfer box that appear to operate momentarily during shifts from 2H to 4H.

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TeenZombie, ss far as I know, there is now such thing as shifting on the fly for WD21 Pathies. It can be done, but it is a stress for transmission. You should shift to 4H when not moving, or moving so slowly that it makes no difference))

 

But there is one more thing. Let's imagine you want to climb some hill. You stop, shift to 4H, continue moving, climb that hill, and you don't need 4WD anymore. So you put it back into 2H (not stopping or even slowing down) and go on. Next time you need to use 4H you can switch to it on the fly, though on reasonable speed only... not more than 40 kph I guess.

 

It happens because you "disconnect" the front wheels from the engine, but all gears in transmission are still mechanically connected. I'm sorry for lame explanation, I just don't know the technical terms))

 

But if you switch off the 4H and then go in reverse for 1.5 meters, then all gears and stuff will disconnect from each other, and your car will be completely in 2WD. Thus, you have no shifting on the fly.

 

I am talking about Terrano, but I don't think Pathies are any different. My friend translated Japanese manual for me, and it says that when you don't need 4WD anymore you should back up for 1.5-2 meters, so that there is no unnecessary pressure on the transmission. By doing so you will give it a longer life))) It doesn't mean backing up every time, even when you know you will need 4WD in 5 minutes. But if you use 4WD to make it through the snow from your house to the road and then go by cleaned highway for some long time, it is not enough to just shift into 2H.

 

I do not use 4WD constantly, even if there is snow on the road. I shift to 4H before moving, move a bit for the 4WD to start working, then shift back to 2WD but do not reverse. So when I see that I'm going to need 4H, I just slow down a bit, shift it easily without having to stop completely. It's very useful when you are driving up a hill and in the middle you find out the pathy is not going to make it to the top in 2WD)))

 

Hope I managed to write something helpful)))

 

EDIT: if you hear this terrible noise when shifting into 4H, you are doing something wrong... doing so often will result in breakdowns and spent $$$... how soon it will happen will depend on the condition of your pathy.

 

and one more thing: do not drive in 4WD on clean asphalt. On any car that is not full-time 4WD. I shift to 2H every time I am back on the clean road.

 

Driving in snowy conditions in 2H is so fun!))) I try not to use 4WD every time I see snow or ice ahead. Handbrake also comes in handy for making turns (of course if there are no cars around) ))) As my friend says, "4WD and brakes were invented by cowards!" :lol:

Edited by Terrano
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yeah when u back up it unlocks the auto hubs

 

 

when u put it 4 for the first time and pull forward u can hear the hubs locking into place and when ur done with 4 and put it back into 2 and u know u wont need it any more back up about 3 feet and u can hear them unlock (poping nosie, not to loud) and then ur ok to go

 

when i get done wheeling i unlock right before i get back to pavement and put my foot on the brake and give it some gas, if i see the rear tires spinning them im ok, if not and it wants to move forward and the tires dont spin then i know im in 4

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when i get done wheeling i unlock right before i get back to pavement and put my foot on the brake and give it some gas, if i see the rear tires spinning them im ok, if not and it wants to move forward and the tires dont spin then i know im in 4

This is a VG30-only test... it won't work for us slow-moving TD27 owners :lol:

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This is a VG30-only test... it won't work for us slow-moving TD27 owners :lol:

hehe...mine has no problems spinning 32x11.5 on tarmac. ;)

although I have only done it once with the MTRs...tyres too expensive!

Boost it and intercool it Terrano. :aok:

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LOL MZ, I shift on the fly to 4Low in reverse at 40mph no problem other than the grinding and clicking noises... Those damn manuals don't know that they are talking about !!  :D  ;)

 

B

RTFB

To quote the damn manual (a few pages past MZ's reference):

From “2H” to “4H”

- Move the transfer lever to “4H”. This can be done at any speed up to 50 MPH (80 km/h), and it is not necessary to depress the clutch pedal. Perform this operation when driving straight.

 

From “4H” to “2H”

- Move the transfer lever to “2H”. This can be done at any speed up to 50 MPH (80 km/h), and it is not necessary to depress the clutch pedal. Perform this operation when driving straight.

 

From “4H” or “4L” to “4L” or “4H”

1. Stop the vehicle.

2. Depress the clutch pedal.

3. Depress the transfer lever and move it to the desired “4L” or “4H” position.

 

From “2H” to “4L”

1. Stop the vehicle.

2. Depress the clutch pedal.

3. Depress the transfer lever and move it to “4L”. Change gears quickly and smoothly.

 

From “4L” to “2H”

1. Stop the vehicle.

2. Depress the clutch pedal.

3. Depress the transfer lever and move it to “2H”.

 

This is from the '96 owners manual (manual transmission). I believe earlier models may state 25 MPH instead of 50 MPH. The trick is driving straight. Even if you stop, the auto hubs do not automatically engage, not until the half shafts start to turn (somewhere around 1 or 2 revolution, IIRC). So you are always moving when the the vehicle goes from 2H to 4H, even if you do stop to shift.

If you are stuck in 2H, as I was once, shifting to 4H will likely cause a clunk since the axle part of the hub is spinning and the wheel part is stationary.

 

edit: for automatics replace "Depress the clutch pedal" with "Move the selector lever to the “N” position."

Edited by Animal
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lol... animal that's exactly what it said on the visors of both of my truck, the 89 (RIP) and the 94.. except, i will check tomorrow, that it says 45mph.. and something about backing up 1m to unlock the hubs.. :hide:

 

:D

Edited by mzxtreme
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My '92 didn't come with a manual (one of the problems buying used), but Slick was kind enough to relay this information to me, which is where I got the 25MPH. If your '94 says 45 and the '96 says 50, I am wondering what the difference is. On the first shift from 2H to 4H, the stress is mostly in the auto hubs. Were these redesigned over the years 92-94-96? After having mine apart years ago, I am amazed that they work as well as they do - and do take a considerable amount of abuse.

Also, it has been stated here or somewhere else that leaving the auto hubs engaged in 2H is hard on the parts. I do not believe that it is particularly so, but it will measurably reduce mileage and performance (things few of us are willing to throw away). So there is some motivation to back up a few feet after going back to 2H. :beer:

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