I am thinking of buying a V8 Explorer some time this year and am curious about how the full time 4WD works. I know that it engages automatically when a rear wheel spins and that there is no way to lock the system in 4WD. What I am curious about is how the 4WD releases and returns to 2WD. In other words, when a wheel spins and the front wheels begin to drive, how long do they continue to drive and what event triggers them to stop driving?
My reason for asking about this is that I often use my '99 V6 Explorer to carry stuff into my back yard. I then lock it in 4WD to come up the hill out of the yard. If wheel spin happens, it will tear up the hill, so don't want that.