Dissengagement Of 4 Wheel Hi On Dry Pavement

[timlahr]

Hello,
I am trying to get more information on what is going on with the Titans 4 Wheel Hi Dissengagement. Just to make sure EXACTLY what conditions I am talking about :
(1) Engage the 4 Wheel Hi as instructed in the Owner's Manual. This can be done on any road condition, but at the speed limits specified in the Owner's Manual (50 MPH I believe).
(2) Drive the vehicle onto a dry paved roadwhile still in 4 Wheel Hi. Imagine you are coming off of an Off-Road or other unstable road service.
(3) Drive straight on the paved road and reach a speed limit of around 40 to 50 miles per hour.
(4) While driving in a straight line and at constant speed attempt to dissengage the 4 Wheel Hi. I have heard many tips on how to do this, such as:
(a) Let off the gas before dissengaging.
(b) After dissengaging brake slighty.
(c) After dissengaging accellerate slighting and then decelerate.

None of these "tips" will make my 4 Wheel Hi dissengage.
I would very much appreciate it if everyone who reads this would try this procedure and make an entry in this thread as to whether or not the dissengagement above is successfull.
If it is unsuccessful the 4 Wheel Drive Lighted Icon on the Dash will just blink on and off. If it is successfull the the icon will blink momentarily and then go back to the 2 Wheel Drive mode (rear wheel lights steady).
Additionally, if the 4 Wheel Drive does NOT dissengage under the cirmumstances above, what does make it dissengage?
In my case I MUST :
(a) Stop the vehicle and back up about 2/3 the length of the vehicle.
(b) Slow down to a speed where I can make a slow 90 degree turn.
(c) Drive on an extremely slippery surface (Dirt road,ice,etc.)
No one at Nissan is making any attempt to explain the circumstances that would prevent this dissengagment. The manual is specific on what to do to dissengage it and makes NO MENTION OF A REQUIREMENT FOR SLIPPAGE NOR A REQUIREMENT TO SLOW DOWN OR BACK UP OR TURN. In fact it says in one note that if you are on dry pavement and in 4 Wheel Drive (Hi Mode)you should immediately move the Mode button to 2 Wheel drive and that this can be done at speeds up to 50 MPH.
I had a Ford F-150 before this with Electronic On-The-Fly 4 Wheel Drive and it worked perfectly...at any time and on any surface. It should be a mechanical dissengagement..period. Hope to hear from alot of you and thanks alot.
Tim

[jaho1979]

I ran my 4hi a little in rain the other day to give it a normal workout, and it worked fine. On mine, if I let off the gas a little, it will disengage. I don't like to run mine past about 30mph though, regardless of what the manual says.

[jaho1979]

On dry pavement, there may be some slight binding that will not allow it to disengage properly. What does yours do off pavement when you switch it off?

[bestatchess]

I added a poll. Obviously this pertains only to 4wd Titans.

[Kronos1965]

If you have not used the system, it may require you to stop, back up to fully disengage it so that the electronics acknowledget that it's truly disengaged.

Mine works perfectly as stated in the manual now.

From other posters who have experienced this similar issue, after a few times, this works...

[thedeer2]

I have the same problem, but it also remains on sometimes sticks while still on dirt and moving less than 20mph. Typically it has happened when I engaged 4wd to drive though a snow drift, and try to disengage once I get back to clean asphalt.

A solution or answer to this would be appreciated.

[4wheelpeel]

I am on my 2nd front diff and have the same problem. if I do some sharp turns at slow speeds it comes out. I hope it just need to break in,

[Boss Titan]

The only 2 cars i've owned have been nissan 4x4 trucks, and i find that the easiest way to turn off the 4 Hi is to disengage and make a 90 degree turn. (I really dont care what the manual says...)

I'm not saying it's a perm solution, but i live in snowy Reno, NV and this turning deal is real nice when i want to disengage as i'm pulling into the driveway.

BTW my old "truck" was an older Pathfinder, and i used the same method to turn off the 4 wheel Hi. Worked every time. Hope this helps.

[John Harden]

Tim, I won't vote in your poll because frankly, I've never tried to disengage 4HI while moving. This is despite having the thing in 4WD about 100 times or more. Mostly, I drive in 4LO. Occasionally, if my wife is with me, we'll stick to fire roads and I'll use 4HI, since 4LO isn't necessary.

I usually just stop the truck and switch it back over to 2WD. Once or twice, I've had to go to neutral to get it to disengage.

You've got me curious now, so I'll try it this weekend and let you know what happens. I will say that over time, the 4WD and e-locker have loosened up and are all easier to engage now.

Regards,

John

[blktitan1978]

Mine disengaged when I let off the gas- going like 25mph- If I keep a load on it it will stay engaged

[4wheelpeel]

Does anyone think that this is strange. everyone has a method of getting out of 4wd. I dont know why it is so diffrent for every truck. we all have the same parts but none of them work the same.

[timlahr]

Hello ALL,
I have an update on the 4 Wheel Drive dissengagement.

I re-purchased the OEM 17" Rims and Tires I had on my Titan (got them from eBay for 780 bucks). Guess what ? The 4 Wheel Drive Dissengages just as it is supposed to ! I am at a loss. The dealer was right after all, although they can't explain it which is odd. Seems there would be someone with enough knowledge about the Titan drivetrain could explain it.
I would suspect it is a Tire/Rim weight and offset issue. Ther is really nothing else that could. Anyway I have around 3000 bucks invested in this whole mess. I can sell the Boss/Michellin Rims/Tires and get something back. It was ahard lesson to learn. I will never again modify a wheel/tire on a sophisticated 4 wheel drive vehicle unless I get a specific recomendation from the dealer OR get a guarantee from the aftermarket tire shop that the modification will not effect the drivetrain operation.
Its amazing...to think with all these tire/rim modifications being done to Titan's and I am the only one that had this result? It could be I am one of the few persons that cares that the on-the-fly actually is that...On-The-Fly.Maybe this issuse is happening on other Titans with wheel modifications, but the owners do not notice the change or just don't care.
Anyway...Problem solved....for now...
C ya
Tim

[4wheelpeel]

I have stock 18in wheels and stock tires but it still sucks. I am picking up the 17in OR pkg wheels with bfg A/T tires in a couple weeks. hope this helps.

[John Harden]

Tim, I wouldn't necessarily conclude that that is in fact the problem. I know it sounds like a reasonable explanation, but it is hardly definitive. For example, those few times I had problems shifting out of 4WD were with the stock, 17" rims (7.5" wide) and stock tires.

I now have 17X9 rims with more of an offset, so they stick out about 1.5" more on each side of the vehicle. They are loaded up with 35" tires too, and since then, no problems whatsoever. My truck goes in and out of 4HI, 4LO and e-lock mode slick as anything.

My point is that what I just described that happened to my truck is anecdotal evidence at best, just the same as what you experienced. Its not evidence at all, only a guess based on what happened. Heck, based on my experience, I might be inclined to think that wider rims and heavier tires help our trucks to shift in and out of 4WD.

There could be many other reasons that we both experienced what we did. In my last post, I was guessing that maybe mine "loosened up" over time and with frequent use. I certainly don't know this to be fact, but its a guess.

I've never heard of this happening to other Titans, so my guess (there's that word again) is there is something going on with your front diff. You might check the oil level and/or change it out.

You might also hold on to those rims for awhile and put them back on in a few thousand miles to see what happens.

Just an idea.

Regards,

John