How to engage 4WD with manual hubs

I know I need to turn the knobs on the front hubs, but I have never done this before, and the owners manual is missing,

1/2 turn? Full turn?

do I need to do anything ( like reverse for 5 feet after engaging)?

similar for returning to 2WD, anything I should know?

probanly been years ( decades?) since it’s been in 4WD, anything I should expect?

many problems doing this in a dry street or parking lot? Not a lot of public areas for off roading nearby.

thanks

 

Find a spot with loose gravel, grass, dirt, or sand. Don't make tight turns in 4wd on dry pavement.
Turn hubs lock to lock 180° start engine, MT in neutral or AT in park.
Pull Tcase Jshift back 3" from 2Hi to 4Hi and look for green 4x4 dash light.
Put MT in 1st or AT in D
To shift to 4Lo Tcase shift to right and up while stopped.
You can shift from 2Hi to 4Hi at up to 50 mph. Stop to shift into 4Lo.

 

Quite possible the hubs may not turn or engage just from not being used in years.

Here in Pa that would be a given you might get lucky .

 

Hubs marked free / lock. If you can't fully turn by hand it's time to disassemble to clean and regressed.

 

If you want one, set up a search on eBay, and one will eventually appear that has a price suitable to you.

Currently there is one listed that's pretty reasonable for a 26yo vehicle.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Toyota-Tacoma-1995-Owners-Manual-OM35677U/333810361441?vxp=mtr

 

Turn hub from “free” to “lock” before shifting into 4hi. There should be a little arrow on the hub dial. The dial will only turn between free and lock, you can’t turn the dial all the way round.
It’s clockwise for lock and counter clockwise for free.

also, if the hubs are the same as my 85 4runner (I’m pretty sure they are, but I could be wrong) its definitely not a full half turn between free and lock. It’s more like a third of a turn or 120 degrees between free and lock.

 

all correct, except that it isn’t 1/2 turn.
It’s 1/3 turn, or 120degrees.

*i don’t think the manual hub setup will disengage at 50 mph with manual hubs I’m pretty sure you need to reverse for a couple of feet.

It’s been a while, I use my taco far more than the 4rnr with manual hubs. But the 4rnr was my first car as a teenager.

side note, you can swap a Nissan Pathfinders manual hubs with Toyota manual hubs.... I did it when some drunk Lady sideswiped my 4rnr in high school and cracked my hub in half. Went to the junkyard and pulled hubs off an old pathfinder. Prefect fit

 

If they haven't been used for a long time, as someone said they may be reluctant to engage. Grease gets dry and stiff. Before taking them apart, you might try raising the front wheels and use a little hand rotation while moving the dial.

The grease can also get stiff in the Winter and not want to turn. If you drive through water when temps are cold, I have had them freeze on F150s. I haven't had the front of a Taco in water over 6" deep at low temps, so no experience with ours.

Those dials are hard to pinch with gloves on, so I made a little cheater for Winter time engagement.

Before someone blasts me about potential damage:

NOT RECOMMENDING YOU USE ANY MORE FORCE THAN A SINGLE HAND CAN APPLY! This tool is just meant to keep my fingers from being abused.

 

You know what's cool about manual hubs and 4wD? 2 Low! all good tips here. Just don't bind it up on dry pavement.

 

Brings back memories I had forgotten...

Back when I was in high school , my mom bought a 1978 Chevy Blazer ( full size). 3” lift, 33” tires, 400 cubic inch, automatic. True dual exhaust, and despite being a California vehicle it had no smog equipment required!

Previous owner installed Warn manual hubs.

I’d put the thing into 4L which was really 2L with unlocked hubs. Very Quick! A rocket but a top speed of about 40 mph... fun times.... until I snapped the front u joint on the rear driveshaft.

 

Isn't there a directions label on the drivers Sun Visor on how to operate these manual hub 4x4. If memory serves me, when you take it out of 4 wheel drive, you have to back it up about 50 ft or so. Correct me if I'm wrong.

 

I noticed info on the visor while I was cleaning it, but I never stopped to read what it was about.
My nephew can’t find any paperwork for the Tacoma; manuals, receipts, etc... his dad was very organized, so it’s a little baffling that he couldn’t find anything.

 

The backing up helps release the Torque bind so sometimes is needed sometimes not .

the more torque bind the harder to get out of 4 high or 4 low

The less the wheels can slip the harder to get out of 4x4

 

There were warning labels on the visor, and in the owners manual advising drivers to NOT use lo range in 2wd for that very reason. I've seen several guys snap U-Joints doing that. Now we have guys re-wiring Tacomas so they can operate in 2 lo. They are just asking for trouble.

If there is any remote possibility of needing 4X4 go ahead and lock the hubs. You can still drive in 4X2 and shift into 4X4 and back to 4X2 as needed. Technically they should called Unlocking hubs. Original 4X4's didn't have them and the hubs stayed locked all of the time. "Unlocking" hubs were invented in order to improve fuel mileage.

In fact it is a good idea to lock them every few weeks and drive around for a few miles to keep everything lubricated. The owners manuals have always suggested about 10 miles/month in 4X4 to keep everything lubricated. You can lock the hubs and drive on pavement with no damage as long as you stay in 4X2. And you can shift into 4X4 and drive safely on pavement for a few miles as long as the hubs are unlocked without hurting anything.

Manual locking hubs are SLIGHTLY more reliable than the automatic locking hubs on newer trucks. But if not used regularly to keep them lubricated they will also fail to engage.

It doesn't matter which 4x4 system you have sometimes you need to drive a few feet in reverse to get the gears to release. This is especially true when coming out of lo range. The type of locking hubs you have does not matter. This is due to gears binding in the transfer case.

 

These are nice, too.

https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/locking-hub-key-handle.648090/

 

@Marshall R , very good explanation of the 4x4 system. I even back up in my 03 4x4 when switching back to 2hi.