Good question, I would hope and guess not, but I am no where near an expert.

 

No

 

I do it all the time.

 

I left mine engaged during a recent snowstorm for about 5 hours outside. When I got back in, it had settled into neutral. It took me a few nervous mins. to realize why the engine was only revving...:facepalm:

 

I used to live way in the back country,and 4x4 was the only way in or out in the winter so i used to leave my jeep in 4hi for several days at a time .ùit never hurt a thing..it is designed to work in 4x4 mode year round if needed,just ask the guys and gals living up north where it is snow almost year round,:thumb:

 

I make a point to put my jeep back in 2x4 instead of leaving in 4hi just as a precaution when i get home. We get crazy cold weather up here, nasty windchill factors as well. Now if i lived in a non-semi artic environment i would be less worried. A buddy who drives a Chevy blazer did leave it in 4x4 mode now cant get it out. May be comparing apples and oranges but i prefer to be cautious. Just my 2cents

 

Absolutely no problem.

Go here: http://www.wranglerforum.com/f33/4x4-left-in-4x4-over-night-218168.html

 

Well... Now that you all guys mentioned it... I left me 4hi ON since friday after i arrived home from work driving in that crazy snowing day...

Anyway... I never leave my JEEP gear like that way before.... Sooooooo.. I had to go to my garage and turn it OFF... I started me JEEP... Everything okay... (Y)

 

Nothing bad is going to happen...what do you guys think will happen? If you think its going to hurt something, then why do companies offer AWD cars and SUVs? Jeep commanders, Grand cherokees, chrysler 300s, and durangos have the option of AWD and they stay in AWD their entire life.

 

AWD is not the same as 4wd. AWD vehicles have a center differential that allows the front wheels to turn at a different speed than the rear wheels. 4WD vehicles like the Wrangler do not have a center differential so the front and rear wheels must turn at the same speed.

Leaving the Jeep in 4wd overnight shouldn't do any damage. I think the linkage could ice up under the right conditions, similar to what happens wit parking brakes in slush weather. Also, someone thread said to switch into 4lo while stopped. Not on the JK. You want to switch to 4lo with the Jeep rolling at about 3mph.

 

I leave my Jeep in 4HI for weeks, if the conditions call for it...i.e., snowy, slick roads. Sometimes it's only my driveway and the roads leading out to the highway that are slick, in which case I shift out of 4x4 when I get to exposed pavement.

But, since my access is often covered in snow/ice, my Jeep is generally parked with 4WD engaged.

No problems. :thumb:

 

My Jeep is in 4 hi for 6-7 months straight. Never heard of this 'getting stuck in 4x4' unless you are talking about vacuum activated hubs, which a vacuum leak can screw things up. No such issue on a Wrangler...

Urban legend that has no foundation in the mechanics of a JK transfer case.

 

If you are in 4lo and have a manual, don't forget it will start without the clutch pressed.

 

Why?

 

Probably a silly question but I'm new to all this jeep stuff and recently got a 13 JKR. Love it so far and had a blast this past weekend in the snow. But, when is the time I should be using 4lo? And, how fast can you drive in 4hi?

 

In 4HI you can go as fast as you can in 2WD...but why would you? I usually try to keep it under 60 mph...and that's probably more than it's meant for.

4HI is for slick conditions, and would indicate slower speeds and a little caution...

4LO you can go 20mph or so...maybe 25, I forget; anyway, it's slow...but I wouldn't exceed that.

Also, if you're driving in snow, sand, etc, turn your ESC off.

 

I heard you can engage 4lo no more than 5mph and 4hi no more than 65mph...

It is recommended to activate the 4lo in full stop or in motion less than 5mph... Otherwise you can damage your transmission...

You can activate 4hi in motion before get 60 mph... In my case i only activate my 4hi in snow days here in toronto area... And sometimes i been forced to do it while my Jeep is moving... Let say no more than 60kms/hr... Still running like brand new....

 

Have you used 4hi on the 400's?

 

I use 4lo on the trail, even easy trails so I don't have to use my brake as much. You can use 4 hi as fast as the conditions allow. If you are in 4 hi though there must be a reason. Most importantly 2 wd and 4 wd vehicles have similar stopping characteristics.

 

For the techno geeks (and I could be wrong about this...been awhile since I checked):

As I understand it, 4HI is 1:1, no gear reduction. For use in snow, sand, mud...anywhere you're gonna get wheel spin.

4LO is 2.72:1 in Jeeps other than Rubicons, which are 4:1.

What I do...2H till I think there are obstacles coming up offroad. Then 4H...also in snowy conditions (typical here in WI). 4LO in cases that are more extreme. I can tell you, I've probably used 4LO a couple times in the last year; that's it. And I've never used it on-road, even in the snowiest of conditions. It's just not compatible w/road driving, IMO.

 

I leave mine in 4WD plenty, my driveway stays muddy alot so I usually put it in two or three times a week going up it at night, then forget by the time I get to the top(long driveway). Take it out the next morning, no problems. Not sure why there would be any problems.

 

Thanks for the great info! I got to use 4hi a bunch while driving through a foot of snow this past weekend. We got about 13 inches where I live and 16 by my parents due to more open lands and snow drifts. I never went over 25 mph but I wasn't sure what it was capable of. Now I know

My last car was a mk5 gti. Fun, but nothing like this. I knew it was time to part ways the first week of January on a camping trip with friends, shamefully we had to call the ranger for help after getting stuck in a mere inch of snow and a slight incline. Glad those days have past!

 

I think everyone should put it into 4L and try to drive fast, that will answer their question in a hurry.

It's like driving a tractor.

 

It's not in all Jeeps, afaik. I know with at least the 2013 this is a feature. It was designed to make crawling more enjoyable for the driver, and probably helps with some potential clutch problems.

We tried it on my friends 2009 Rubi a few weeks back & it worked. I felt cool teaching him something, it's not often *I* teach *him* something!

 

Can you shift back and forth between 2wd and 4hi as you wish, as long as you're under 60mph? I've been cautious and only shifting back and forth when stopped and while the shifter is in Neutral.

Also, I'm curious what the 4:1 ratio in 4lo feels like. In my Sahara, shifting into Drive after engaging 4Lo gives a nice hard BUCK, the throttle becomes real sensitive and the engine revs very quickly. I can only imagine what it's like in a Rubi.

 

Yes, you can shift between 2wd and 4hi on the fly as long as you are under 55mph.

 

BTW...a single post will usually suffice. 4x4 Left in 4x4 Over Night

 

Used to leave it in 4wd parked all the time. Does no damage. Had to, lived on a driveway with a grade. I couldn't park with only the e brake in the snow without sliding away. Parked in 4wd keeps the frt wheels locked also.