this may be a stupid question but i have a 93 blaxer 4x4 and i want to know if i can shift it into 4hi while i am driving?

 

Do you have a shift or push button selector? I personally don't like the "shift on the fly" idea. If I were to shift on the fly I would be driving about 10MPH or less.

 

it has a shift

 

I'm pretty sure you have to stopped. I certainly would not try it moving.

I guess you don't have the owners manual.

Bocomo

 

My '85 S10 4x4 Pickup had the shifter on the floor and was shift-on-the-fly. You just need to make sure that you aren't spinning any tires when you shift it in, and don't shift it into neutral, duh...

 

I'm glad someone asked, as I've been wondering, too. The owner's manual for my '91, which has the shift lever on the floor, says you can shift into 4HI while driving. But the guy who sold it to me said even though the book said that, he preferred to stop before shifting. Was he being overly cautious? The book didn't say anything about a speed limit for shifting on the fly, or about spinning tires, but it did say that it would engage faster if you ease up on the gas pedal a little while shifting.

We got some snow and ice last week in western Washington, so I used 4HI a little. I was nervous about shifting on the fly, so stopped and shifted the first time. Later, I did it without stopping while going fairly slow. Would there be anything wrong with doing it at, say 40 or 50 mph? And is there a speed limit at which you should be driving in 4HI?

4LO will be another adventure for another time, but I do have the directions in the manual.

 

Push button and floor shift can be shifted into 4hi while driving. Not recommended at speeds over 55mph, not like your going to be going faster then 55 when you need 4hi anyways. The recommendation to reduce pressure on the gas peddle is to relieve some of the torque running through the gears when it shifts. Provides for a smoother shift. Stopping to shift into 4hi is being overly causitous.

4lo is a different story and usually people confuse getting into 4lo with getting in to 4hi. You must have the tranny in nuetral and going slower then 5mph to shift into 4lo. I prefer to be moving a couple mph when shifting into 4lo, lets the gears mesh easier. Can be done at a complete stop. Careful when you shift into 4lo, your truck WILL lurch when you shift the tranny into gear. Also realize that you should not exceed 25-30 mph while in 4lo. 4lo is a power gear, and your truck will walk away if you don't have the brakes on. Don't leave it in gear and get out, by time you turn around the truck won't be where you left it. [&:]

 

Thanks for the reply, Hanr3. I now feel more confident using 4HI and am almost looking forward to it snowing again if we should be so lucky, ha, ha. It's amazing how many people around here drive SUVs or other 4WD vehicles but don't get much of a chance to use it unless they're skiers or offroaders. Of course, a lot of them have AWD now, too. And I always found front wheel drive cars to do pretty well in the small amount of snow we usually get around here. And then there was my '71 VW Squareback with the rear air-cooled engine and rear wheel drive.... it was a champ in snowy and icy conditions!

Thanks for the advice on 4LO. I think my manual says to stop before doing it, as well as to put it in neutral, so that's what I'll probably do. It also cautions to shift in a steady, smooth motion without hesitating between 4HI and 4LO, otherwise the gears will clash. I tried this during the summer, and it was difficult, I think it took both hands to do it, and the gears did clash a bit the first time I tried it. Then I successfully did it in a smooth, non-clashing motion, and up the driveway I went. Makes me a little nervous, though, so should practice some more.

 

I always go from 4hi to neautral, wait a few seconds, and then into 4lo. This avoids the clash...


One thing to remember, I prefer to tell people to drive in 4wdr like you would while in 2wdr in the same conditions. Having 4wdr will not make you stop any faster then a 2wdr. 4wdr means you can go in more places then a 2wdr. Doesn't mean you can go faster.

 

Thanks. Hmm..... I'l have to try that.

Yes, going slow is the first rule, no matter what you drive, and most people around here seem to realize that. I would sure hate to endanger myself or my Blazer by being in a hurry, and I always watch out for the other guy or gal who may have an attitude, not be thinking clearly, or is driving in snow for the first time.