I bought a 98 F-150 last year. It runs great/drives great but when I use
Did you read the owner's manual? You're not supposed to use 4WD on dry pavement.
On Sat, 11 Jun 2005 10:13:11 -0600, AFMAN72 rearranged some electrons to form:
Well, firstly, hopefully you aren't trying to do this on a dry road because you will break something quickly.
Most likely there is nothing wrong with it. The CV joints aren't perfect and when you turn them at a sharp angle, they are going to have some resistance. Try not to make tight turns in 4wd and don't worry about it.
The Ujoints used in in that type of axles and all striaght axles at that, are not constant velocity and they will bind more the sharper you turn the wheel because the joint is trying to speed the wheel up and slow it down twice with each revolution. The result is tightness and a binding feeling as well as some steering wheel whip too. It is also compounded by the fact the the rolling radius for front axle is more then rear tires since they take a wider arc in turns. A truck with true IFS (like GM’s) have true CV’s in the front axle and they bind and lot less and steering wheel "whip back" is non existant too.
There is no problem at all when on icy or snowy roads. I have lived in the So Calif mountains for the last 20 years where going for 2-3 weeks straight with the hubs locked is common. However, Just throw the Transfer Case lever into 2wd when moving from ice to non-ice. When the roads are icy you can leave it in 4wd all the time.
The 97-03 F150s do use CV joints, not U-joints. The front is binding up simply because in a turn the 2 wheels move at different speeds and on dry ground, one can not slip.
It's normal. Ignore it.
Have something to add? Share your thoughts — no account required.
Ask the community — no account required