Mits Triton rear diff issues-help!
Submitted: Tuesday, Nov 11, 2003 at 10:38
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joem
Hi,
Looking for a bit of technical help. I have a 99 Mits Triton DC GLS (manual) v6. When 4wd is engaged, the thing is bloody hard to turn at slow speeds, it jumps around,shutters etc, almost as if the diff is locked.
As far as I know, the Tritons come with LSD's and there are no switches or buttons for a manually operated diff lock.
whats going on and how bad for the vehicle is this?, is there a gremlin here or is this a triton thing?
Reply By: floyd - Tuesday, Nov 11, 2003 at 12:03
Tuesday, Nov 11, 2003 at 12:03
Read the owners manual about engageing 4WD. It will probably tell you not to do this.
My simple advice to you is DON'T DO IT!!!
I dont know of any part time 4WD that will steer and drive normally on the tarmac. Full time 4WD vehicles are different as they have an unlocked transfer case that allows the front wheels and back wheels to travel more or less independantly of each other while both having drive from the engine. These vehicles have a centre diff lock so that you can manually lock the transfer case up when on slippery surfaces only.
If you use the 4WD system in your car while on hard surfaces like bitumen then you run a real risk of damage to the vehicle. The CV joints may break or at worst the transfer case may break. Both these are expensive to fix. Best case scenario you risk putting large strain on your drive train (uni joints, diffs gearbox, tyres etc) which may cause premature failure.
This is not a LSD problem as rear units perform the same weather in 2WD or 4WD.
If you have a front locker installed (aftermarket product that operates whenever the front diff is turned) then this may be contributing to th esteering problem and noises that you are hearing.
The jumping around and shuddering will be the tyres being pushed against each other because the transfer case is trying to rotate all wheels at the same rate. If you continue driving it in 4WD on hard surfaces the jumping around and shuddering will be replaced by the sound of snapping axles, breaking CV joints or the transfer case breaking into lots of pieces of metal.
Hope that this helps.
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Follow Up By: joem - Tuesday, Nov 11, 2003 at 12:16
Tuesday, Nov 11, 2003 at 12:16
Thanks Floyd, bloody helpful info,thanks for taking the time , I didnt know about the difference between fulltime 4wd and parttime 4wd capabilities.
From some of the replies, this must be basic stuff, but it was great to get it explained.
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Follow Up By: floyd - Tuesday, Nov 11, 2003 at 13:26
Tuesday, Nov 11, 2003 at 13:26
Any time Jo, this
forum is a great place to learn about a lot of stuff. I have learnt heaps here. Remember that there is no such thing as a dumb question. You occasionally may get a dumb answer though. Just ignore them.
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Follow Up By: Leroy - Tuesday, Nov 11, 2003 at 13:50
Tuesday, Nov 11, 2003 at 13:50
Joe,
You would not of known if you didn't ask! Maybe you should look into doing a 4wd course or joining a club (they usually have couses). Great
places for learning things.
Leroy
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