Is it really 4wd?
 

Hi everyone. I have a question that I hope is not a dumb one but I would like to know if I put my 97 Blazer into 4lo does that mean all 4 wheels are driving or is it one wheel in front and one in rear because of limited slip?

4 lo send power to all 4 tires, BUT because of your front and rear differentials, if one tire has less, or no traction it will spin that tire. The front and rear axles will always be driven equally by the transfer case regardless of traction while in 4wd.

The only difference between 4hi and 4lo is the gear in the transfer case. 4lo just shifts the t-case into a lower (numerically higher) gear than 4hi will. Useful for steep hills, pulling a heavy load, etc. (More torque multiplication from the gear ratio) The same tires will be driven regardless of the range. Usually one in front and one in back. (maybe two in back, if the G80 is working)

OK, so if front driver tire is spinning because of no traction front passenger tire still has drive? I was told if one tire slips than power is transfered to the other side. that didnt make sense to me.

ok....You lost me on this one. I thought 4 hi was 4wd on demand and 4 lo was full time 4wd.

some vehicles do just that, transfer the torque, but no Blazer that i know of does.

if one front tire is spinning, the other is still recieving power, it is just being wasted through the spinning tire.
If you have the G80 limited slip option, it limits, but doesnt stop the torque from going to the tire with the least traction by way of a set of clutches inside your rear differential. its an ok system, but the clutches are pretty weak. there is no factory option for a front limited slip.

Some blazers have a four button switch. With an "Auto 4x4" button. This button is the 4wd on demand you're thinking of. Instead of a traditional transfer case, I believe it has what's called a "viscous coupling." It can transfer an amount of torque between the front and rear axles depending on road condition, traction, etc.

On the regular 3 button switch (2hi, 4hi, 4lo), either 4wd button engages the transfer case, and will split the torque 50/50 front and rear. However, each axle will transfer power to the tire with the least traction. This is what's called an "open" differential. If you have one tire in mud, and the other is on pavement, the mud side will spin, and pavement side not turn at all.

4lo is just a lower range gear for more applied torque. Think of 4lo as driving around in 1st gear, and 4hi as drive.

Hope that's as clear as mud, lol

Put your blazer in neutral, press 4Lo, then put it in drive and push the gas. You'll understand what the LO is all about :D

I destroyed the hood on a VW passat this way and felt great about it. LOL. Got stuck at the end of my driveway and did not want to help out getting it out of the drive way, so i said "screw it" and bumped my rear bumper against his front bumper and put it in 4lo, and destroyed his hood.

Thank you all for the answers. I guess I didn't understand what 4wd was about. Transferring power to the wheel that's slipping makes no sense to me, seems like it would spin faster and do nothing! My 4wd never worked when I bought it so I have never used it. I fixed it this year and was looking forward to using it when It snows. I guess I will find out more about it when it snows.

This may sound silly, but when I was a kid in the 80s, Lego came out with their "Technic" sets with gears and wheels and u-joints and stuff. I had a set with a plastic differential for building cars and trucks. To this day, whenever I think of how a differential works, I go back to that Lego set...

http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-cO0zZuJmRe...fferential.jpg

Thats so cool! Never knew about that!

To be more accurate, 2wd is really 1wd, and 4wd is really just 2wd. With regular open differentials, only one wheel on each axle will be receiving power, which is the one with least resistance (traction). The only way to have true "four wheel drive" is lockers front and rear.

Yes, like these:

http://www.midwestmonsters.com/toy/IMG_0785.jpg

stompers
 

i Loved those toys as a kid.