am I in 4wd

[greaseland]

I love my new 90 wagoneer but I am not sure if the 4wd is working. It does not have the owners manual so I dont know if I am doing something wrong. I put the rig in park move the dash switch to 4wd and when the lever under my seat is in hi I cant really tell if it is doing anything and if I try and move the lever to low I get a loud grinding noise! How do you tell if 4wd is engaged and what is wrong with the low setting? I searched the tech forum and most answers about 4wd seem to point to vacum leaks so I will start there, but can anyone tell me a method for determining if the front wheels are getting power?
Thanks.

[Bombadier]

to find out if 4x4 is engaged, unlock the hubs and with the dash switch off, get under the truck and try to spin the front d-shaft by hand. it should spin freely. Then go and engage the 4x4 switch, move the truck a little back and forth, then get out and try to turn the d-shaft again. It shouldn't rotate at all.

Another way to tell is to lock the hubs, engage the 4x4 and drive around the block a few times. if your front tires are pulling, you should feel a little extra resistance in the steering.
This is unadvisable, though, to drive on hard surfaces with the 4wd engaged for longer than a minute or two.

HOWEVER, my wife's '80 Wagoneer's 4wd works fine, and when it's engaged, i can't tell even if i am driving on pavement.

Sometimes it's a bear to get that gearshift lever into low, on our '80 i really gotta reef on it to get it to go in.
If you're still having problems engaging 4low, try putting it into neutral first.

[wrinkledmeat]

on a 90 there should be a dash light that indicates 4wd engagement IIRC

[Crazy_Jeepman]

You will have no front hubs to unlock or lock, the T-case in your 90 (NP229) allows you to run 4 wheel drive at any speed on any road surface. There is an indicator light on the dash that should come on when in 4 wheel drive. You should feel a differance when wheels are turned one way all the way and driving ahead. You should feel the steering wheel trying to kick back when in 4 wheel drive and turned tight.

[porchpiggy]

Your post didn't say anything abut moving after you flipped the vac switch, try driving in four high a little ways. Flip the switch to 4wd then drive and see if your light comes on. if it does, pull off somewhere and put your wag in N, while rolling slow, 1-2 MPH try the low lever. You may get a little grind but it should go.

[Bombadier]

no hubs to unlock???
Huh.... I coulda swore the only '91 i've seen had "Jeep" unlocking hubs on it. :confused:

And IMHO, i never trust indicator lights.... i've been nailed too many times by faulty idiot lights..... :mad:

[Mavawreck]

What does it mean if you get stuck in low and have to rock the jeep back and forth to get it too come out? The fourwheel drive had never been used before i bought it, is there anything i should check?

[ffej]

If you can even move your lever..you're in 4wd. That lever will "not" move unless the shift motor has engaged the 4wd. Sometimes, after having it in low range..if you don't shift it quickly back into high..you'll have to put it into nuetral..hold a small amount of pressure on the lever, as the gears spin down it will go. You should be shifting into low or into high ranges while driving "very" slowly..1-4 mph I think is what the book say. Hope this helps.

[key]

Greaseland -
Find a dirt road, from a dead stop put your vehicle into drive, slide your selector on dash to 4WD, move forward 25 yards or so very slowly, while moving put your vehicle into neutral, now your rolling about 2 miles per hour, reach down and pull the lever up into 4 low, bingo you are in 4wd low range - go find a mud hole or sand hill and raise a little H__! shouldn't take you long to find out if the 4WD works.
You could also put your front wheels into a mud hole turn your wheels to the right, stick you'r head out the drivers side window, nail the gas, now take your left hand and remove mud from your face - Yup your 4WD works!

[greaseland]

Thanks everyone for all the posts. I went upstate this weekend and there was about 3 feet of snow. I used the 4wd in hi to drive on some unplowed backroads and it definatly works, but not the dash light. I will try the rolling shift into low this weekend when I head back up. 4wd in the snow is a blast, that thing just pulls right through it.

[Al Johnson]

Welcome to the wonderful world of 4WD!!

:D :D

[ffej]

Thats what I'm talking about......HEEEEEEEEE!!! :D :cool: