geting out of 4wd

83toybeater · Post by **83toybeater** » Tue Sep 27, 2005 7:14 pm

first off i just have to say hello to everyone, i just got home 5 min ago with an 83 sr5 for 275bucks. i have a few questions.

1. i pulled off to a dirt road to try the 4wd and it was hard to get it out of it, is there a procedure to do it correctly.
2. its hard to get it into 1st at a stop mostly, i think it may be the syncro? how hard are they to change once the tranny is out?
3 fuel gauge doesnt work, where should i start on tackeling that? sending unit in take?
4 whats the capacity and how far can i expect to go before i run out(untill i get it fixed)

i work at a goodyear and have acess to all tools and a liftand profesional help when i need it. just like to hear from you guys.

ps im gona lift it a few inches and maybe put some 14inch muders, maybe a roll cage, hd brush gaurd and so on. i got some cool plans instore.

83toybeater · Post by **83toybeater** » Tue Sep 27, 2005 9:58 pm

ok i read the sticky thread and it explained number 1, i was doing it at a stop.

brianp · Post by **brianp** » Tue Sep 27, 2005 10:11 pm

hi, welcome!

what I do to get out of 4wd is to just drive slowly and turn the steering wheel while my other hand is on the 4wd lever. you will feel when it is ready to disengage.

download the sevice manual (listed in the sticky) for the fuel gauge problem, it tells how to diagnose it and everything else.

fuel capacity is 13 gallons, I get about 34 mpg, but you could probably try to estimate off 25 or so until you have it figured out. I usually go off of the tripometer to know when I'm getting low.

Also, like the sticky said, search the posts, there's a lot of info here.

Again, welcome!!

-Brian

simon84 · Post by **simon84** » Tue Sep 27, 2005 10:22 pm

I find the easiest way to get out of 4wd is to take my foot off the gas for a moment and let the car coast in gear for a second and then shift out of 4wd. My instinct was always to use the clutch as if I'm changing gears. It was alwasy a pain to shift to 2wd but without the clutch it goes easier, usually.
Does your low gas light work? that may help with the no gas guage thing. I'd say carry a gas can until you figure it out.

83toybeater · Post by **83toybeater** » Tue Sep 27, 2005 11:04 pm

thanks for the replys

ya i have serched a bunch and read all the old posts on the 26 pages (ones that intrested me of course) is 275 a good price? it has 272miles on it, some minor rust on the shell but looks pretty rust free under neath and in the trunk. no dash cracks seats arnt ripped headliner perfect. just discusting inside. i cant even get my girlfriend to ride in it till i clean it. the engine is a ball of grease though, very thick all over looks like from the valvcover gasket and distributer. well im sorry for rambaling i just got talk to someone about this im so excited for the new projects to come.

dcn · Post by **dcn** » Wed Sep 28, 2005 12:08 am

Nobody above mentioned the fact that the tires seem to have to have the same amount of wear, that is be the same size, for the cars to engage and disengage 4WD easily. (Edit; it's in the sticky, shoulda known better) It's like the if tires are different radius it puts too much tension on the gears to do it easily. I used to have two new and two older summer tires, but this year when I bought and installed a complete set of four I started being able to go in and outta 4WD with just a finger. I still let off the gas slightly though, that helps as well.

Just my observations.

d

3A-C Power · Post by **3A-C Power** » Wed Sep 28, 2005 1:08 pm

A jolt with the gas pedal can work wonders getting out of 4WD. My corolla wagon came with one tire that's different from the rest, and it has electronic differential lock so you can't even try pushing harder on the shift lever. I need new tires.

xirdneh · Post by **xirdneh** » Wed Sep 28, 2005 3:24 pm

83toybeater wrote:

1. i pulled off to a dirt road to try the 4wd and it was hard to get it out of it, is there a procedure to do it correctly.

4 whats the capacity and how far can i expect to go before i run out(untill i get it fixed)

put it in reverse and while backing up push in clutch and disengage 4wd in one smooth motion.
has worked everytime for me. (even on a toyota truck that was stuck in 4wd)
i recenty installed smaller diameter tires on the front of one of my tercel wagons. i was going on a fishing trip and the tires i replaced were looking pretty bad. its not a good idea to put mismatched tire diameters on a 4x4 but i did not plan to use the 4x4 capabilty on the trip. when i got to the lake chopaka road it was steep and rocky. i was pulling a small trailer and the extra weight caused the front end to bounce and make bad noises. i had to use the 4x4 to get up the hill. i was worried about binding up the gears but i had no problem except for getting it out of 4wd. i used the backing up technique through out the trip. also the granny gear in 4wd sure was usefull for coming down that hill with the trailer. Whew!

83toybeater · Post by **83toybeater** » Wed Sep 28, 2005 9:06 pm

thanks everyone