4x4 turning concerns

[BlitzKeg]

first off, I wanna give props to anyone that works on these trucks....
I have a very intimidating engine bay.

but I bought a 2000 chevy blazer 4x4 recently, Its been nothing but good driving, and its damn fun to drive.

except one thing, Im not sure if its a normal thing or not thats why I'm posting, When I engage the 4wd, it has a problem making sharp turns.

opposed to 2wd.

this is my first 4x4 so I'm not sure of the regular turning radius of the truck.

also the truck had tasteful aftermarket rims when I bought. --this may be a cause if its a illregular problem.

[BlazerBoyLT98]

When I have mine in 4 Wheel drive it tends to understeer a tad but I am pretty sure it is normal. You are never going to be able to handle like can in 2 wheel drive but remember this is SUV not a sports car! I tend to drive mine pretty rough but I never drive it hard in 4 Wheel drive. So as far as your concerns I believe they are normal as I have the same thing happen with my 98. Happy Trucking!

[BlitzKeg]

yea i kinda figured it was normal...just wanted to make sure thx man..

and yes YANKEES NEED TO LOSE!!!!

[wolfox]

Just make sure that you are not using that 4x4 on dry pavement. You'll have more troubles that just skippity,wierd handling in tight, low-speed turns. *laugh* I do not even use mine on wet pavement. It only gets engaged when I am on loose surfaced roads (Only half the roads are paved out here in Arkansas) and when I need to push my way out of a snowdrift that has accumulated around the truck in winter.

[GirlBear]

Wow. I'm so happy I read this thread. Same thing happened yesterday to me. While in 4wd I made a U-Turn. And I felt it to be real tight. like my brakes were on slightly. guess thats normal tho. Phew! Thats a minor load off my mind. Considering I live in Northern New York. The winters here are Hellafied. 4WD will come in real handy.

[MT-2500]

No problem.
It is just a little crow hop like any redneck will tell you about 4 wheel drive operation.
Normal operation. Just check the fluid in the transfer case when it is serviced. And a good fluid change at 50-100k helps them live longer.
Also anyone with the new type all time 4W transfer cases the fluid has to be changed more often with a special fluid or you will get a chatter/shudder out of it.
The crow/hop or binding up also lets you know the 4W drive is working.
When I am working on them I always check for the crow hop.
No crow hop no working right.
MT-2500

[BlitzKeg]

yea I usally engage my 4wd about once a month just to keep things lubricated.....especially how hot it can get in texas.

but I did try the 4wd on wet concrete and it did exactly what bear said.....feels like the brakes are grabbing on tight turns.....

GO COWBOYS!!!!!!

[wolfox]

Yeah, 97 and later trucks, especially with AWD or "Active 4x4" packages need to run on the new Blue Synthetic fluid GM made for these trucks. "Alltrak-II" is ALL that can be put in those machines. THe older machines (like my 95) with either pushbutton or floor shifter 4x4 only needs Dextron-III Type-F or later spec to stay happy. You CAN and often have really slick results when you put the synthetic Alltrak-II in older NP-2 X-fer cases, it's actually a good upgrade! But never, EVER refill the NP-3 and newer than '96 trucks' x-fer cases with Dex-III. That will *screw them up* harshly in short time. It's easy to remember:

If you drain out blue, refill with blue. If you drain out red, you can refill with either blue or red. If you drain out black goo, someone already mis-servied the truck, accidentally putting red in place of blue.

[muzzy1maniac]

Originally Posted by GirlBear

Wow. I'm so happy I read this thread. Same thing happened yesterday to me. While in 4wd I made a U-Turn. And I felt it to be real tight. like my brakes were on slightly. guess thats normal tho. Phew! Thats a minor load off my mind. Considering I live in Northern New York. The winters here are Hellafied. 4WD will come in real handy.

It's funny what some call "Northern" NY. I have trouble calling my area North. Somehow everything other than NYC became "Upstate" - goofy f'in city folk!

[rlith]

Since our trucks are not AWD, when we throw it into 4wd it hops on sharp turns due to the design of the front differential. Like posi rears, the AWD diff allows some slippage due to various turning rates of the wheels whereas the 4wd diff turns both wheels at the same time causing the wheel hop. This is completely normal. (The above explanation is simplified and not exact)

[chcknugget]

Originally Posted by muzzy1maniac

It's funny what some call "Northern" NY. I have trouble calling my area North. Somehow everything other than NYC became "Upstate" - goofy f'in city folk!

Hahaha, but Rochester still gets a ton of snow! I'm from Rochester too, but right now I'm in school in Michigan. I can't wait to go home to Tahous! I actually saw someone with a dinosaur bbq tshirt on and I asked him if he'd been to rochester, but he got it in NYC. Apparently the NYC branch is doing well.

[blazee]

My Blazer has a tendency to put itself in 4wd ocassionally. if not for the wheel hop, I wouldn't know when it does it. I hardly ever notice the 4hi light until after I get the wheel hop.

It's gone into 4lo a couple times, too, but it's pretty obvious when it does that.

[GirlBear]

Originally Posted by muzzy1maniac

It's funny what some call "Northern" NY. I have trouble calling my area North. Somehow everything other than NYC became "Upstate" - goofy f'in city folk!

I know what ur sayin, LOL . But I dont want any1 to get the wrong Idea. When you say ur from NY. People think NYC. I am a New Yorker. I am not a NYC New Yorker. There is a difference. Plus I live about a 150 miles from Canada. Thats pretty North.

[XPC2004]

Like up here in Canada eh, I ere in 4x4 for two months or more outta a year, eh. it's like pure ice on the roads and liek the snow is bitchin , eh.

We don't talk like that, and it never snows as much as it does in Buffalo... wow...

Xpc