4 Wheel Drive Questions

[n0useforaname]

Yes I've searched.. and yes I've done Google searches. I'm not sure if the answers I find are too complicated for me to understand, or what.. So here it goes.

1. When switching from 4HI to 4HI lock.. how do you KNOW it's actually engaged? My light switches pretty fast, and I hear zero clunks or anything. Is that normal?
2. What is the difference between 4HI and 4HI lock?
3. Whether I'm in 4HI or 4HI lock.. when I spin, I get the "traction active" on my dash.. is that normal to show up in both HI and HI lock?

I'm really impressed with the way this thing move in deep snow. We just got hammered here with about 10 inch of pure wet/icy snow.. and last night I was hauling my Polaris Crew around to help plow my uncle out (he had surgery) and this thing never skipped a beat.. just trudged through everything like a champ, even with a trailer attached.

 

[LagunaH1]

Yes I've searched.. and yes I've done Google searches. I'm not sure if the answers I find are too complicated for me to understand, or what.. So here it goes.

1. When switching from 4HI to 4HI lock.. how do you KNOW it's actually engaged? My light switches pretty fast, and I hear zero clunks or anything. Is that normal?

I'm pretty sure that's normal. My '08 Alpha never made any noises when locking the center diff

2. What is the difference between 4HI and 4HI lock?

In 4 hi lock, the differential inside your transfer case is locked and thus forcing the front axle and the rear axle to turn at the same speeds, evenly distributing the torque from the engine 50/50. When you are in 4 Hi (also sometimes referred to as "4 Hi open") the differential inside your transfer case sends 60% of the torque to the rear wheels and 40% to the front, and also allows the front and rear axles to spin at different speeds, which is useful for things like, say, turning

3. Whether I'm in 4HI or 4HI lock.. when I spin, I get the "traction active" on my dash.. is that normal to show up in both HI and HI lock?

Yes

I'm really impressed with the way this thing move in deep snow. We just got hammered here with about 10 inch of pure wet/icy snow.. and last night I was hauling my Polaris Crew around to help plow my uncle out (he had surgery) and this thing never skipped a beat.. just trudged through everything like a champ, even with a trailer attached.

I loved my H3, it's a very capable truck.

 

[RamRod]

What he said!^^^

You can turn of TC and Stabilitrac.
Both with the same button, push once for T/C and then hold for 5 sec for the later.

 

[n0useforaname]

Well that was the best dang explanation I've heard so far.. and I understand it Thanks! And mine is an H2, so I'm not sure I have the option to shut off the TC.. unless there is a button I'm missing somewhere? I have a TC2 button, but that's it.

 

[RamRod]

oh right, I forgot to check what section I was in oops!

 

[n0useforaname]

It's cool. Last week I posted in the H3 section

 

[Big2dabank]

The H2 has a TC2 button which allows more wheelspin to occur before TC kicks in, for instance if you want to keep tires spinning in snow/mud sugar sand, etc.. to clean out the lugs and keep forward momentum, TC2 will allow the wheels to spin more before TC put the brakes on the wheel(s) that is spinning. I am not sure you can disable traction control on the H2, I've never tried to be honest and never really had a situation where I need to, If I don't want traction control to kick in, I simply ride the brake a little and it overrides TC all together. But, traction control, if used properly, is very well done in the hummer, and if you allow it to work properly it will get you through quite a bit of terrain.

As far as the transfer case, shifting from 4Hi to 4Hi Lock does not make any audible noise or clank and is normal. Only shifting to/from 4 lo lock will give you a clunk/clank as you might expect.