4WD issue at low speed

[LowAltitude]

I put the Jeep in 4Hi today driving through a monsoon. When I turned into a parking spot at low speed I felt something really weird in the front end. I don't know if it was a wobble, or really how to describe it, but I felt like I couldn't control the steering well as I was turning in at about 5mph.

Does anyone have any idea what that may be? Sorry for the poor vague description.

Thanks!

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[texanjeeper]

Was it like it was bouncing? Before I had a chance to go on dirt and put it in 4WD, I did it very briefly in a parking lot. When I was turning, it was like the front end was bouncing. That's the best I can describe it. I read later that it's not a good idea to put it in 4WD on pavement, I hadn't thought about doing that during a flood though. I'm not sure if you're gaining anything by doing that, or if it would hurt anything if you did it for a long period of time.

 

[Kevin_D]

I put the Jeep in 4Hi today driving through a monsoon. When I turned into a parking spot at low speed I felt something really weird in the front end. I don't know if it was a wobble, or really how to describe it, but I felt like I couldn't control the steering well as I was turning in at about 5mph.

Does anyone have any idea what that may be? Sorry for the poor vague description.

Thanks!

There's not any differential action between the front & rear axles with a standard transfer case.
When you turn while in 4WD, on a solid surface, something has to give due to speed differences between the front & rear driveshafts, and usually what happens is one of the wheels will slip or hop.

Kevin

 

[OHJeeper]

I put the Jeep in 4Hi today driving through a monsoon. When I turned into a parking spot at low speed I felt something really weird in the front end. I don't know if it was a wobble, or really how to describe it, but I felt like I couldn't control the steering well as I was turning in at about 5mph.

Does anyone have any idea what that may be? Sorry for the poor vague description.

Thanks!

VERY common in 4WD when on any surface that doesn't allow wheel slip (unlike dirt, sand, mud, snow). As mentioned above, when you turn, the inside wheel is traveling less than the outside wheel (think of two concentric circles). This means the outside wheel has to essentially move faster to keep up with the inside wheel - but since you're in 4WD the differential won't let that happen easily. So, you get binding, or wheel hop.

 

[texanjeeper]

VERY common in 4WD when on any surface that doesn't allow wheel slip (unlike dirt, sand, mud, snow). As mentioned above, when you turn, the inside wheel is traveling less than the outside wheel (think of two concentric circles). This means the outside wheel has to essentially move faster to keep up with the inside wheel - but since you're in 4WD the differential won't let that happen easily. So, you get binding, or wheel hop.

That's the most logical explanation and demonstration of this issue that I've ever seen. Thanks for the good info.

 

[Alan_Hepburn]

Wait a minute: unless you have lockers on the axles the differentials will allow for the difference in turning radius - it's the fact that the transfer case doesn't have a differential that causes the wheel hop.

 

[Kevin_D]

Wait a minute: unless you have lockers on the axles the differentials will allow for the difference in turning radius - it's the fact that the transfer case doesn't have a differential that causes the wheel hop.

True.
But the differential action of the axles causes the driveshafts to spin at different speeds, and that creates binding between the axles.

Kevin

 

[brianinca]

The binding is between the driveshafts, not the axles. The rpm for the front driveshaft is higher because the distance traveled is further.

4Hi should be used for low traction conditions, and if the rain isn't enough to slick things up, it's not low traction any more. It is a shift on the fly operation, no need to stop (unlike 4Lo).

Wait a minute: unless you have lockers on the axles the differentials will allow for the difference in turning radius - it's the fact that the transfer case doesn't have a differential that causes the wheel hop.

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