[ilovemountains]

4wd into a 2wd?

I was thinking about this today on my way to work... What damage would it do, if any, to mark and remove the drive shaft from the transfer case to the rear diff and run my 4wdL as a FWD for the summer months when I really don’t need 4WD?? I guess I would still be turning the rear drive shafts and diff but Im wondering if it would increase power and fuel economy without trashing the transfer case and rear diff in the process! It’s only a few bolts to remove the shaft so for the 3 months a year that I actually need 4 wheel drive for the snow season I could bolt it back in place... Just a thought???

 

[ilovemountains]

I know in my old 88 4x4 pickup with manual hubs that power and fuel economy drop when I click them in, even in 2H... When I’m actually using 4H or 4L the fuel mileage gets cut in half so removing the drive shaft in theory would help.. Hmmm might be worth a shot!

 

[ilovemountains]

My 99L is an automatic so Im not sure it has the center diff lock... There is no button like the 5 speed version...

 

[ilovemountains]

I replaced my front struts the other day so while the front end was in the air I tested my theory. With the trans in N and the rear wheels down you can turn the front wheels which leads me to believe that the center diff is electronically controlled and not engaged all the time,though the front diff is an open diff so when I turned one wheel one direction the other turned the opposite, perhaps if they were both turning together in the same direction the transfer case might have engaged... I’m not sure, I guess I could drop the prop shaft and see what happens, though it might not be worth the effort or risk of screwing up the trans case or rear diff....