4x4 How?

I just purchased a 92 Pathfinder SE Automatic. In fact, It's my first time to own a 4x4 vehicle. Would someone please tell me how to shift 2H to 4H? Do I have to stop the car to do that? Can I shift anytime (ex. during free way driving)? How first can I go when it's in 4L? Probably, these questions sound damn to most 4x4 owners, but please help me. I have no owners manual.
Thank you.

You can shift into 4HI at any speed in motion up to about 25 MPH. Simply pull the transfer case shifter back one notch towards the rear of the vehicle. That's 4HI. If you shift into 4HI at a speed higher than that you might encounter some gear clash, but it won't hurt anything if you accidentally do it. To shift into 4LO, you will need to stop the vehicle, put the transmission into neutral, then pull the transfer case shifter towards you to put it into 4HI(if it already is in 4HI then...), push down on the shifter lever and pull it towards you another notch to go to neutral, then push down on the lever and pull it towards you one more notch to go into 4LO. When you move the vehicle in 4LO you will notice a definite increase in ease of movement due to the reduction in gearing. Do not make turns on pavement in 4LO or you can damage your front hubs/axles/transfer case due to the low differential gearing and the additional effort to turn the tires on hard surfaces. Anything else?

Hi Tom, I'm new to this forum and i'm hoping you'll be able to answer my question. I've been thinking of buying a "92 Terrano WBYD21 with a 2.7ltr Diesel engine. Does this unit have central differential? Thanks in advance.

Hi Tom, I'm new to this forum and i'm hoping you'll be able to answer my question. I've been thinking of buying a "92 Terrano WBYD21 with a 2.7ltr Diesel engine. Does this unit have central differential? Thanks in advance.

I can't say without knowing what your definition of "central differential" is. Also, I live in the US, and we never got the Terranos with the 2.7L diesel.

The transfer case is that piece of equipment which is connected to the transmission, where the front propeller shaft connects to the front axle differential. Some of these have a differential and some don't. I own a Toyota Surf (Jap version) 1992 SSR-X 2.4L Diesel Turbo EFI (2LT-E engine). This is what they call a 2nd generetion Surf (4Runner in the US). It does not have a central differential thus you can't run it on 4wd on aspalt or any hard surface for that matter. The center differential allows differential motion between the front and rear propeller shafts. This allows true 4wd on or off the road. Before I bought the Surf, I was looking at a Terrano (Pathfinder in the US). That's why I'm interested in the specs of the unit.

Hi Tom, I'm new to this forum and i'm hoping you'll be able to answer my question. I've been thinking of buying a "92 Terrano WBYD21 with a 2.7ltr Diesel engine. Does this unit have central differential? Thanks in advance.

The WD21 Terranos (Pathfinder) does not have a central diff. Consequently you cannot drive it on grippy surfaces such as a bitumen road with 4WD engaged - you can I suppose however it won't do it any good. Some later R50 Terranos (actually they were badged Regulus at this spec level) have a central diff however these were all JDMs and there wasn't that many made. Hope this answers your question.

Thanks Cyclone. That bit of info was indeed very useful. The Nissan dealership in my country does not import these units. So the units that are available are "grey market" imports which are actually JDMs. Thus there is a dearth of information and specs for these units.

Thanks Cyclone. That bit of info was indeed very useful. The Nissan dealership in my country does not import these units. So the units that are available are "grey market" imports which are actually JDMs. Thus there is a dearth of information and specs for these units.

No problems - glad to be of help

is it possible to install a center differential onto part time awd SUV's that do not have one?

i'm not totally sure, but my guess is that you can't, because i have been told that most all-wheel-drive vehicles are computer controled, and not by a manual locking differetial