Shifting in and out of 4wd?

I haven't driven this thing in 15 or so years, I had even forgotten the shift pattern of the 3 speed So please refresh my memory on the 4wd shift pattern.

It's a 75 cj5 w/a 304 (renegade edition). It's got a 3 speed tranny, and 1 4wd shifter on the right side of the regular shift stick.

As near as I can recall. 4H was up, 4L was down??

And I also recall it was a real bear to get it in and out of 4L (so I mostly used 4H). Any tips on that? I used to have to back it up, rock it, use my foot, beat it, etc.

thanks

 

you've got the positions correct.

4h-2h-n-4l

mine is sometimes a bear to get out of 4l, too. i do exactly as you do. i rarely use 4h, though. almost always 4l.

 

It's ok to be rolling at a baby crawl when you shift into/out of 4L. Maybe a little gear clash, but rolling makes it a lot easier.

 

So should the 4wd stick remain in "2wd high" for normal operation (not neutral)?

And is the general process to shift into 4 as follows: turn hubs, shift tranny into N, and then shift 4wd into 4H or 4L. Or can you leave the jeep in gear and just push in the clutch?

 

john,

in addition to what lynn mentions, if you have the transfer case in neutral, the vehicle won't move when the transmission is put into gear and the clutch released, that's why you need to be in 2-hi for "normal" street operation.

as a follow up, as long as your hubs are locked in, it's ok to shift from 2-hi to 4-hi up to modest speeds of 25 to 30 mph, and back from 4-hi to 2-hi. however, as tim reese points out, to shift into 4-lo, vehicle speed needs to be either really slow or non-existent.

wally

 

Related Questions, if you will:

What exactly does 'locking the hubs' accomplish?

If the Jeep can be driven with the hubs locked in both 2WD and 4WD then why ever unlock them?

On a good gravel road with occasional rough spots can you just stay in 4WD or switch back and forth? Hubs locked or unlocked?

Thanks !

 

It saves wear and tear on the front axle components. Why have the axles and gears turn when driving around town on the pavement ?
If you add a locking diff of some type up front, you WILL want to leave the hubs unlocked on pavement.
In your road example, I would leave the hubs locked and just go back and forth between 2wd and 4wd high, if needed.

 

It's not so much what 'locking the hubs' accomplish as JEEPs came that way w/ a splined flange. Therefore you were 'locked' all the time. By 'unlocking' you do a few things. You reduce wear on front axle components (when locked all pieces turn back to TC). You reduce parasitic power loss required to turn all those pieces. This will also increase fuel mileage some. Braking is reduced (reduction in rotating mass). Turning is easier (not noticable w/ open diff, but an extreme difference w/ any automatic front traction adder) because of less binding. Tire wear is also reduced and evened up (less sculping).
You can leave them locked or unlocked all the time, your choice.:v6:

 

Everybody above is correct.
Just thought I'd put a different spin on it.

Think of it like this, coming out of the front of your transfer case is the front drive shift which connects into the axles that go out to your wheels.
Ideally, in 2wd you don't want any of that to turn (lots of extra weight to spin, wear & tear, etc)

1) If you lock the hubs but leave it in 2wd, that connects the wheels to the whole axle assembly and will cause the drive shafts to turn with the front wheels as you drive. (no connection to power at this point)
2) If you shift into 4wd without locking the hubs then the driveshaft and axles turn with the engine, but aren't connected to the wheels and therefore no added benefit.
3) If you shift into 4wd and DO lock the hubs then everything from the engine to the wheels is now connected and you have power to your front wheels.

As Lynn pointed out, once off road and wheeling its helpful to go ahead and lock the hubs and leave them locked, for convenience. When he shifts into 2wd, the whole front axle still turns with the wheels, but independently of the engine and gearing, no big deal if you are going to slow. Then its easy to re-engage the front wheels by just shifting into 4wd.

Also, keep in mind that shifting into 4H &4L does more than just engage the front wheels, it also changes the gear ratios.
Hope that helps.

Official Message: The Horse has died from a severe beating

 

I am new to jeeps and found this exchange very helpful. I tried putting my cj n2 4wd recently and it felt fine, but when I shifted back to 2wd, felt like I was driving with the brakes on? Pulled over and played with the transfer case shifter and was finally able to put it in neutral (prior to this veh would not roll freely), then back into 2wd. Have not touched it since. Did I do something wrong?