4wd problem...questions

[04bluetrd]

I had a 4Runner previously, where if the road had patchy snow/ice I'd just leave it in 4hi to drive. This past weekend we had some snow and ice conditions, so I was driving around in 4hi in my 04 Tundra TRD which I got in April. I pulled into Home Depot parking lot, which is under another garage, so no snow, and while pulling into a spot at full turn, slow speed, it seemed like the tire wanted to skip and there was a sound kind of like a spring binding up when I turned the wheel back to straight, and I thing it was doing it while moving foward. I just installed my 2.5" lift so initially I thought maybe the added height was causing this, or the spacer in front was causing the spring to bind. I put it back into 2wd and it was fine. After reading around on TS I learned that it's pretty bad to drive in 4wd on dry pavement. Today I was pulling into an unplowed driveway which was pretty icy, so I thought it would be safe to put the truck into 4hi and turn in...same thing. I guess I should have waited until I turned in to put it in 4wd. It's fine driving straight thankfully, and it seems okay in snow at full turns, but I think I may have already screwed something up...what could my problem be? If I take it in for service (certified preowned) should I take out the lift kit or at least the spacer? Also, what's the difference between the 4Runner and Tundra 4wd systems? Thanks.

[tempetom]

You might not have hurt anything although it's not good to make sharp turns on dry pavement in 4wd. I forgot to take mine out of 4hi once and made several 90 degree highway turns before I noticed it without damage. What upsets me is that I've driven several miles a couple times with the parking brake on. It didn't seem to hurt anything, but I was pretty P/O'd about it.

[labountyphoto]

That herky-jerky motion is normal when turning a 4wd on dry pavement...or backing up on any surface or turning sharply while in 4wd. an occasional 4wd drive on dry surface isn't likely to cause any damage.

[DevinSixtySeven]

I'm not familiar with your model 4rnr drivetrain, so bear with me here...

If it has a lockable center differential, you would be able to leave it in 4WD (actually AWD) all the time with little effect except some tire wear and gas mileage decrease. Some Land Cruisers use that system, some of the Jeeps (Grand Cherokees, IIRC), various Land Rovers, and I think the Sequoia as well...not sure about any of the Tundra model years.

With those vehicles, you can use 2WD or AWD, and you can lock the center differential which gives you 4WD.

With 4WD, the front and rear axles cannot turn independently, causing the scrubbing and bouncing you felt. The lift should be fine .

There was a great thread, maybe in 1st-gen, maybe in the Tundra forum, very recent, about how and when people use their 4WD. There were quite a few comments about icy roads and foul weather. Basically, avoid making sharp turns on dry pavement in 4WD...dry also includes rain and mixed snow/ice/dry conditions, like melt after a snowstorm. In a straight line, you're generally OK. Check out that other thread...

-Sean

[04bluetrd]

Thanks for the responses. I was worried about the noise I heard...I don't think I broke anything though. I saw some of the threads regarding driving in 4wd, but nobody mentioned any noise, just the hopping wheels.