Newb needs help with 4x4

[Bronco_Tex]

Need some instruction on how to operate my newly aquired 4x4. It's a 94 XLT 5.0. I don't have an owners manual and really don't know where to begin.

p.s Sorry if I posted in the wrong area earlier

 

[barrett86]

what are you wanting to know.how to operate the 4x4 or did u mean the bronco in general

 

[Broncobill78]

Need some instruction on how to operate my newly aquired 4x4. It's a 94 XLT 5.0. I don't have an owners manual and really don't know where to begin.
p.s Sorry if I posted in the wrong area earlier

Well, I'll take a stab at it but if I'm off the mark just let us know & tell us specifically what you're stuck on or wanting to know.

If you're wanting to use the 4x4 then probably the best way (understand this is just general info, some types are a bit different but what I'm saying should work for any of the 4x4 systems Ford installed, some work better on-the-fly than others so I'm just suggesting what should work with whatever you have) is to just pull over, shift into neutral, engage your hubs (ignore this step if you have automatic hubs), then either push your 4x4 button or (for pushbutton systems) or shift the transfer case lever into 4HI (for manual shift systems) then shift the transmission back into Drive and be on your merry way. You can usually confirm that you're in 4WD by taking a reasonably tight turn on a piece of dry pavement. If you experience a sort of "rocking" motion from the front end then yup, you're in 4WD. With automatic hubs you usually have to drive forward a few (20 or so) feet before the hubs will rotate & engage but if they're manuals then they're engaged as soon as you twist them into the "engaged" position. You can also confirm you're in 4WD by grabbing a buddy with nothing better to do and having him squat outside the truck while you slowly drive forward and have him look to see if the front driveshaft is turning.

Most of the systems will allow you to shift into 4WD on-the-fly as long as you're traveling at a slow speed (15mph or slower)

For the most part 4HI is what you'll want to be using. You can shift into & use 4LO but you shouldn't need it nearly as often, especially on the streets & in poor-weather conditions. 4LO is good on trails and in deep mud but doesn't see a lot of use on the street. Having said that, go ahead and try it out just to exercise the mechanism (trucks that never get shifted into 4LO sometimes have trouble getting there so it's good to shift it there a couple times a year just to keep things from freezing up & binding when you DO want to use it)

As I stated, this is just a shot in the dark so let us know if it's on the mark or what else you're looking for if I've missed it.

 

[barrett86]

quick question when in 4-lo is it safe and all right to put it into 1st gear is it 2-lo or is it just fine.

 

[noahsdad86]

you will find in 4-lo that you will not be going very fast, nor would you really want to. I personally always put it in 1st gear when in 4-lo to keep the auto tranny from shifting. I use 4 -lo very sparingly and only when losing traction in 4 hi. Be careful 4Lo is a bit punchy if you hit the gas too hard. But you will almost get out of anything in 4-lo. When you go testing your new 4x4 (congrats). It would be best to have another vehicle with you, if that is not feasible then you better have a cell phone or cb radio. Getting stuck alone with no way out is a real bad day.

 

[Bronco_Tex]

Thanks a lot. That is a great starting place. I am going to practice right now in my alley.

One more question. Where can I get an owners manual for a 94'?

 

[wileec]

Thanks a lot. That is a great starting place. I am going to practice right now in my alley.
One more question. Where can I get an owners manual for a 94'?

Try http://www.motorcraftservice.com/vdirs/ret...id=&gutsid= look for the section on the left owner guide. any 92-96 will be good.

 

[Broncobill78]

quick question when in 4-lo is it safe and all right to put it into 1st gear is it 2-lo or is it just fine.

You shouldn't really need 4-lo on the street. 4-hi is just fine for any of that. The gearing in 4-lo will make it hard to exceed 20mps & even then you'll be taching out. 4-lo is *not* something you use very often, it's sort of a gear of last resort. Stick with 4-hi.

Ford will be happy to sell you a manual or you can ck Ebay, plenty of them there too.

 

[Roadkill]

Here are the two books that come with a new truck. These are for a '96, but very little, if anything, will be different from a '94. Everything about operating your 4x4 system will be identical.

BroncoManual.pdf

BroncoMaintenance.pdf

 

[Bronco_Tex]

Wow! Thanks a lot for the responses. I was able to work the 4x4 out on a snow covered parking lot. Worked great. Thanks for the help with the manuals. Looking forward to being a part of this forum.

 

[barrett86]

how fast can u be going to switch into 1st gear, cuz in my brothers pathfinder he can slam it 1st and it does nothing just slows him 2 1st gear speeds

like it doesnt harm anything, but i think in my truck ill leave the tranny on the road behind me.

 

[noahsdad86]

uh, it may or may not break something. But brakes are a lot cheaper than transmissions so I would stick with using those. Drive your truck and see at what speed it generally shifts to first gear, Thats how fast if you must do it nothing above that speed to be safe.

 

[Broncobill78]

how fast can u be going to switch into 1st gear, cuz in my brothers pathfinder he can slam it 1st and it does nothing just slows him 2 1st gear speedslike it doesnt harm anything, but i think in my truck ill leave the tranny on the road behind me.

Well, with a stock AOD I wouldn't drop it into 1st from highway speeds that's for sure. To manually drop to 1st I'd probably slow to about 30mph or so at a *minimum*. Compression braking from the engine will help a lot but that's still a lot to put your tranny thru in anything less than an emergency situation.

With an aftermarket shift kit & an aux cooler I'd maybe bump that a few mph but really, brakes *are* a lot cheaper than transmissions.