ya know this has been a concern since day one and the dealer keeps telling me its normal, but after thinking about this im not sure. when in 4wd, the floor well the whole truck seems to like viberate a lil bit, like something is out of shape. its weird, and u can actually HEAR the 4wd when cruising... i mean u KNOW its engaged. dont need no light on my dashboard to tell me its on cause for one, u can feel it... i thought u werent supposed to feel it.. its almost like something is rubbing on something else.... what i really wanna do is test drive another 4x4 ranger and play with the 4wd to see if its the same or not, but im not exactly sure on how to go about doing this since now im seriously running out of mileage.

 

Thats funny becuase i noticed mine is the same way. The weird thing is i dont remeber it anyother year except this one. It cant be my tires or any of the lift components?

 

When my 05 is in 4x4hi I can barely tell it is engaged. The only way I know it's engaged sometimes is if I'm coasting to slow down I can hear it up front. It really isn't a whine but it's just louder up front. I don't know it's hard to explain. My windows have to be down and my head out for me to be able to tell. Usually when I'm done trail riding or wheeling I switch to 2wd and I give it a little extra gas so I'm positive it's out of 4x4. Only one time it was stuck but I did the reverse trick and it worked. To help answer your question I've never experienced any vibration while in 4x4hi. I don't feel it for the most part but my RPMs tend to be a tad bit higher while driving at normal speeds around 25-35mph. I'm no expert but maybe it's the front drive shaft? I've heard others say that that could cause some vibration.

 

It has to be something with the gears....The front DS spins all the time in our trucks.

 

No vibrations on my 98 with 130k miles.... I can keep the hubs locked and switch back and forth from 2hi to 4hi on the road and not feel a difference.

 

ii get a lil bit but nothing bad i can hear it when im in 4x4 and can tell that its engaged..doesnt bother me though its been 100 000km so far and no prbs!

 

Something doesn't sound right to me. My current rig ('01 XLT Off-Road) is the only 4x4/truck that I've ever owned. I use 4-HI mode quite a bit, pratically every weekend from this summer to current. To be honest, I wouldn't be able to tell you whether if it was on/off if it weren't for the light. There have been a couple times we'd be wheelin' thru sand and I'd have to stop and get out to take a picture, etc. I'd get back in and catch the wheel tires spinning, then it would dawn on me that I never engaged 4x4. I'd throw the switch and off I'd go, no problem. They're the only 2-ways I know whether I'm in 4x4 mode or not.

 

my floor vibrates a lil bit when its in 4wd... and its like a grinding noise

 

I've driven several 4wd vehicles and I can always tell when its in 4 or 2 by the way it feels. I know jeeps make noise when in 4wd (my step-mom drives a cherokee blehhh!! ) and Ive noticed drivetrain noise in Nissan, Ford, and Chevy trucks when in 4wd. So it wouldnt surprise me if yours is making a little noise when 4wd is engaged. Personally I wouldn't worry about it.

 

It's going to be normal. It's driveline windup. It's going to be more prominent on surfaces where you have good traction.

 

x2..i only get it on dry pavement but i dont get grinding! in sand and snow and mud its pretty good you can hear the difference though..dunno if its cause of the 33's or not

 

I have a 98 4x4, the only way I can tell mine is in 4wd is when I turn. No vibration period.

 

Mine is very quiet and smooth.

 

You can't tell my 05 is in 4x4 Hi. I had an 02 and you couldn't tell when that was in 4x4 Hi either...unless you are making a turn on dry pavement, then you can tell.

 

you could never tell on mine until i installed this POS Superlift Driveshaft.

 

 

mine sometimes does not engauge and it does vibrate a lil but once its in and going good its normaly ok but i hope its ok this winter i'm afraid to try it lol

 

It's normal to hear some added noise or vibration in 4x4, but I wouldn't generally call it a grinding noise. I'd would suggest you compare it another truck that's equipped the same way before deciding whether or not it's abnormal or not.

It will make noise if driven on dry pavement in 4x4, this creates a binding situation due to the fact that there is no viscous coupling to allow for slippage between front and rear wheels.

When in 4x4, keep in mind that the transfer case chain is now under power, the front differential is now being driven under power, and the front axles are now turning under power. The engine is also working harder to turn the added components which can create a different sound as well. There is always a change in the sound of a vehicle when in 4x4, but it depends on how sensitive your hearing is or how in tune you are to whats happening with your vehicle whether or not you notice it. Larger vehicles tend to absorb the normal noises of a 4x4 better as well.