4 wheel drive problem I think.?

Question

I have a 2002 Dodge Durango STX 4wd. It has two options 2wd and 4 lock. When I put in 4wd And turn the wheel all the way either left or right. and put the transmission in gear it jerks slowly foward till i give it gas then it stops. Is this normal?

Answer 1

In 4 lock, the transfer case it making the front and rear wheels turn at the same speed. Unfortunately, when turning, the rear tyres actually turn in a smaller arc than the front, effectively cutting the corner - this is why, when turning tight corners, the rear tyre can hit the curb even if the front was well clear of the curb when it went past. This also means that the rear tyres actually travel less distance that the front. Since all the tyres are being forced to rotate through the same distance even though the rear haven't gone as far, the inside rear tyre has to spin a little - it will give a brief spin, regain traction, spin a little again, etc. When you are moving faster, you don't feel it as much, but it is still happening. This is why the manufacturers say not to put the vehicle in 4WD on dry roads - the shock of losing traction, then getting it back again, then losing it again WILL damage the vehicle. I have seen some people snap axles, trash transfer cases, twist drive shafts like pretzels, shatter universal joints and destroy differentials doing this. You need a somewhat slippery surface to do this (like dirt, snow, etc.) This is why so many SUVs these days are AWD instead of 4WD. AWD automatically compensates for this problem - but isn't as good off-road.

Answer 2

In 4 wheel drive mode it is typical for the car to jerk like that, because in 4WD you are putting power to both the front and rear wheels. Basically, they will fight with each other to control the vehicle. Your car is jerking when you turn the wheel is normal. But using 4 wheel drive on dry pavement could possibly break something in the chassis.

The person who said something to you about Dodge being "your problem" obviously knows nothing about automobiles. Mopar is arguably the best manufacturer of 4 wheel drive automobiles.

Answer 3

if you're putting it in a 4wd low then probably b/c the gearing is so low...

i'm taking that this automatic and it might be because u just put it in gear and 4wd so it has to lock (the wheel has to spin i think like once to lock the 4wd) and the 4wd high and 4wd low are a have a different gear ratio (low shifts quicker and has a top speed around 50 but has great torque/acceration)

Answer 4

Yeah, it's normal if you're playing with 4wd on hard pavement, or when on unpaved or slippery terrain if your front axle U-joints are going bad.

In a turn, all four wheels of the vehicle turn at different speeds. But if you're in a condition where all the wheels have equal traction, and you're locked in, all four wheels are trying to turn at the same speed. On, say a dry, grassy field, applying throttle allows at least one of your front wheels to break traction and smooth things out.

Answer 5

it's just some thing that is standing still, suddenly thrust into a slow motion

Answer 6

Dodge. There's your problem.