4WD shimmy and shake

[New87jeeper]

When my jeep is in 4WD Low and I turn tightly on rock or pavement there seams to be a fight going on between the front and rear or left and right side I can't determine. Is that due to a positraction like effect where the tires rotate exactly the same so they fight a bit due to the inner and outter tires having different distances to travel? or is my car messed up? It seems to be fine in a straight line. I am new to the jeep 4WD thing and I don't know all the ins and outs of the car yet. This just didn't seem completly right to me at first. Thanks for the input.

[fredjacksonsan]

You're right about the difference in speed between wheels. What happens is that your front wheel on the outside of the turn travels much further than the rear wheel on the inside of the turn. Since the transfer case locks the front and rear together so they move at the same speed, the difference has to go somewhere, and either the tires slip or you break something. This is also why it seems ok when you're going straight, there's little or no difference between the wheel speeds.

This is why you can use 4Lo to tow your boat out of the water in a straight line, and also why the conflict is greater the sharper you turn.

4WD LOW is NOT for use on dry pavement or any other surface where you have good traction. You will break components in your drivetrain. Check the owner's manual, it is explicit on this.

4Lo is for where you need maximum power, like in deep sand or deep snow.

I don't know which transfer case you have (part time or full time), but if it's part time then 4Hi isn't for dry pavement either. But if you have the full time TC (with markings, 4 Full Time, Neutral, and 4Lo) then you're in 4Hi all the time unless you shift to Lo.