4X4 Items

Q: Is it bad to drive my pick-up with the front hubs locked even though I am not in four wheel drive? And if it isn't, how long should I be driving with them locked in, before unlocking them? Eric
A: It not a problem at all. The only thing is that you are creating more drag so the gas mileage is a little worse. Try leaving the right one locked and unlock the left until needed.

Q: Coming back from a ski trip my husband drove my 98 4 Runner in 4 wheel drive on dry roads for about 84 miles. When we began to hear a slight vibration noise he shifted to 2 wheel drive and the noise stopped. My question is how much damage (if any) was caused to the vehicle and how can the damage be evaluated. The 4 wheel engage mechanism works fine and there are no new noises so we think everything is OK. Most mechanics we spoke to think little if any damage was done. The average driving speed was 50-60 mph on secondary roads with some turns. If everything appears OK now can we expect problems in the future and what should we keep an eye on. Any advice would be
greatly appreciated! Ann
A:I gave you a quick answer before then I got you more through description.
In all honesty the type of driving you were doing was not too damaging on the drive train.
I have known customers that have done this in low range and drove several hundred miles without any damage and this is years afterward.
The way to put your mind at rest is to remember when you or your husband noticed that on some tight turns that the steering seemed to be tight and vibrate back and forth.
This is when the drive train was binding since the front and rear axles were not going at the same speed. Once you were able to relax the drive line it returned to normal.