Shifting into 4WD

[Cov]

Selec-trac seems pretty good right about now.. Too bad it has to come with ugly wheels and tires.

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[JLWF Dealer Guy]

You all are doing this shifting on like a dirt road and not dry pavement, right? I hope?

 

[Mattyp1214]

You all are doing this shifting on like a dirt road and not dry pavement, right? I hope?

Wet/snowy pavement in new england, 20mph or so, foot off gas quick throw. Going into 4h is quite a bit of resistance, going back to 2H is smooth. Havent used 4L yet or tried

 

[The Great Grape Ape]

It shouldn’t be ‘hard’ to shift into 4H but it is definitely more deliberate and requires slightly more effort than the transmissions’ shifters.

Occasionally you might meet some resistance when shifting into 4H where if it seems to not want to go more than half way, don’t force it, just a quick pop back to 2H and back again should have you getting it easy.

A few things to remember that make it tougher to shift into 4H, first if you’re not moving then it’s stuck in whatever the mesh position was at rest, so the teeth might be aligned directly into each other not tongue/groove. For this reason any motion is good when shifting (I prefer the direction you were going anyway rather than a rocking back/forth). Second, don’t shift while accelerating, it again makes meshing tougher. You can do it at speed (up to about 90kph/50mph, and likely faster) with no problem, just take your foot of the gas first while doing it to ease the process. Thirdly, try not to engage it while your doing a sharp turn as again it simply makes it harder to mesh, besides the obvious binding issues from the different radii.

If you’re having trouble shifting into 4H, then definitely make sure you familiarize yourself with all the procedures for 4L before attempting, because it’s the one that will make horendus noises and occasionally kick-back at you, even when done correctly.

 

[The Great Grape Ape]

You all are doing this shifting on like a dirt road and not dry pavement, right? I hope?

In a straight line it wouldn’t matter for the shifting really, dry pavement matters most for turning and such, which even on dirt roads is not a good time to shift in part-time 4WD if you can do it when going straight instead.

 

[Quigley]

You all are doing this shifting on like a dirt road and not dry pavement, right? I hope?

Hey JLWF DEALER GUY

Sorry this is off this particular topic, but

Will you comment on the wind noise issue many new owners and test drivers like me, are experiencing ?

There is a separate thread devoted to the wind noise issue.

Thanks

 

[JLWF Dealer Guy]

In a straight line it wouldn’t matter for the shifting really, dry pavement matters most for turning and such, which even on dirt roads is not a good time to shift in part-time 4WD if you can do it when going straight instead.

Agreed, It also helps to be moving at a decent clip going into 4H, not stand still or the 2-3mph range you want to be with 4L. The guy who delivered our first JL had it in 4L taking it off the truck, whipped it up to the drive 100 feet away. It was a sumabitch getting that thing to 2H after that.

 

[xpsruler]

Here's a pic. Got to take it on some smaller trails earlier today.

 

[DanW]

It is definitely harder than the JK, but works fine. You just need to be moving. If you are doing it sitting still, it is even harder. It does better on the fly. To go to 4 low, you need to be moving a mile per hour or so.

So, from the consensus here, it looks to be normal.

 

[DanW]

You all are doing this shifting on like a dirt road and not dry pavement, right? I hope?

Yep. Wet dirt/gravel, for me. I've done it on snow, too.

 

[xpsruler]

So, from the consensus here, it looks to be normal.

That's what I'm thinking as well. Worked great while on trails today.

 

[DanW]

That's what I'm thinking as well. Worked great while on trails today.

JK is easy, but the little plastic pieces that connect the shifter linkage make me really nervous. I keep spares with me, although I've not broken one in over 10 years with the JK. Maybe this means the JL has a more solid connection.

 

[macintux]

I keep thinking I should buy a Dana 300 for my LJ...maybe I'll need one for my JL too.

 

[mgroeger]

Hi,

We just bought a Sahara JL and while waiting for it to be detailed we were sitting in a JL unlimited and I tried to put it in 4H. Holy cow, I thought I was going to break the lever off. I mentioned it to our sales guy and he said it is normal and it helps to be driving slowly 2, 3 mph forward to engage it. I haven't tried it yet but what you are seeing is normal.

Now the question is what is the max speed that the shift can occur at?

 

[simpleJL]

Hi,

We just bought a Sahara JL and while waiting for it to be detailed we were sitting in a JL unlimited and I tried to put it in 4H. Holy cow, I thought I was going to break the lever off. I mentioned it to our sales guy and he said it is normal and it helps to be driving slowly 2, 3 mph forward to engage it. I haven't tried it yet but what you are seeing is normal.

Now the question is what is the max speed that the shift can occur at?

That info would be in the owner's manual. Give it a read. Same thing with the info for 4L.

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