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4X4 LOW Question

10K views 17 replies 10 participants last post by  07JeepXK 
#1 ·
Hello everyone i have a quick question. Last night we got a few inches of snow here so i decided to test out the 4 Low for the first time in the commander. I just barely hit 5,000 miles this month. Well prior to doing this i had read the owners manual which stated that when putting the vehicle in LOW you need to place the commander in neutral while going 0-3 miles per hour (rolling) ????? Out of all the 4X4's i have ever owned i have never heard of this. Well anyways i did exactly what it said and when i do it it makes a clunking noise when it engages. So i tried it the way i have always known which is just to come to a complete stop, shift to neutral and then engage the 4 LOW. Well that worked perfect with no problems. So is there something wrong with my commander?

Next question is i noticed when im in 4 Low the vehicle shifts gears really hard. I never went over 15 mph in low. Is this normal? Thank you!
 
#4 ·
I appreciate it guys, this whole full time 4 wheel drive is new to me. I'm used to 4X4 trucks were you just push a button to activate the 4WD.
 
#5 ·
I always go to full stop to go to 4LOW.
 
#8 ·
NO you do not have something wrong with your JK.

It actually makes more sense to be moving while engaging your transfer case and front axle. They both consist of gears and moving parts, it is rather difficult to be sitting still and make the gears line up at their specified locations for the four wheel drive low to become active.

The reason for the hard shift when set in 4lo is because you are using a different gear of your TC. These are all normal functions of a vehicle that is equipped with 4lo range TC.
 
#9 ·
stratamet said:
Why would you need 4 low in the snow? That's usually a job for 4 HIGH, or the Full time 4x4. The commander's do all that automagically. It was always my understanding that 4 LOW is really more for really deep mud, or serious off roading <shrug>.
I was just testing out the 4 LOW since i just bought the commander a few months ago and it had never been engaged yet. I really dont plan on off roading anytime soon so i figured snow would work perfect to test it out. I do realize that Full Time 4X4 is perfect for everyday driving for the snow!
 
#10 ·
19JEEP86 said:
NO you do not have something wrong with your JK.

It actually makes more sense to be moving while engaging your transfer case and front axle. They both consist of gears and moving parts, it is rather difficult to be sitting still and make the gears line up at their specified locations for the four wheel drive low to become active.

The reason for the hard shift when set in 4lo is because you are using a different gear of your TC. These are all normal functions of a vehicle that is equipped with 4lo range TC.
I assume you meant to say XK? Every other 4x4 i have owned stated to come to a complete stop and shift to neutral then engage the 4 Low so thats why i was confused because this is the first time i heard that you need to do it from a 0-3 mph roll in neutral. Anyways the 4x4 works great and i appreciate all off the responces!
 
#11 · (Edited)
4 HIGH is actually better in the snow. I am actually curious now how these qudra trac II systems work. I am used to the selec and command trac, where you actually had control over the system, and had a 4 HIGH range. I understand that the qudra trac system is FULL TIME, but when it senses wheel slip, does anyone know if it engages a 4 HIGH type system?

EDIT: And by 4 HIGH I mean 4 HIGH PART TIME.
 
#12 · (Edited)
stratamet said:
4 HIGH is actually better in the snow. I am actually curious now how these qudra trac II systems work. I am used to the selec and command trac, where you actually had control over the system, and had a 4 HIGH range. I understand that the qudra trac system is FULL TIME, but when it senses wheel slip, does anyone know if it engages a 4 HIGH type system?
Here you go. Everything you need to know about Jeep 4WD systems:
http://www.jeep.com/en/4x4/how_systems_work/

And a related thread:
http://www.jeepcommander.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1827&page=7&highlight=Jeep
 
#13 ·
07JeepXK said:
Hello everyone i have a quick question. Last night we got a few inches of snow here so i decided to test out the 4 Low for the first time in the commander. I just barely hit 5,000 miles this month. Well prior to doing this i had read the owners manual which stated that when putting the vehicle in LOW you need to place the commander in neutral while going 0-3 miles per hour (rolling) ????? Out of all the 4X4's i have ever owned i have never heard of this. Well anyways i did exactly what it said and when i do it it makes a clunking noise when it engages. So i tried it the way i have always known which is just to come to a complete stop, shift to neutral and then engage the 4 LOW. Well that worked perfect with no problems. So is there something wrong with my commander?

Next question is i noticed when im in 4 Low the vehicle shifts gears really hard. I never went over 15 mph in low. Is this normal? Thank you!
When using 4 low, use tiptronic mode. start from first gear (1) and move up if required. The thing is you do not need to change gear when you go to low because you need the slow movement with maximum torque and shifting when in auto will produce that clunking sound which is normal but is not necessary when in 4 low.
 
#15 ·
You are correct, I did mean XK.

It sounds as though there are different ideas as to how you engage your 4lo system, Jeep tells you a certain way to engage and that is what makes the most sense, you cant make gears fall into place sitting still, espcially if you have your vehicle in a compromised position(ie. downhill, uphill, off camber ect.) Oh yeah, when in 4lo, dont try to hit the rev limitor this will cause you to have an exploded TC.
 
#16 ·
19JEEP86 said:
You are correct, I did mean XK.

It sounds as though there are different ideas as to how you engage your 4lo system, Jeep tells you a certain way to engage and that is what makes the most sense, you cant make gears fall into place sitting still, espcially if you have your vehicle in a compromised position(ie. downhill, uphill, off camber ect.) Oh yeah, when in 4lo, dont try to hit the rev limitor this will cause you to have an exploded TC.
BTW i noticed that you sig says you have a 4.7 liter engine. If that is true then you dont have QD II...you have QT II
 
#17 ·
07JeepXK said:
BTW i noticed that you sig says you have a 4.7 liter engine. If that is true then you dont have QD II...you have QT II
Yes, he could have QD II. It is an option on the 4.7.
 
#18 ·
Oh i was unaware of that i was under the assumption that it only came on the 5.7 Liters. Dammm i wish i had the QD II.
 
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