I recently (accidentally thanks to a two year old that got hold of dials) drove my husband’s 2005 F150 about 200 miles in 4 wheel drive low. I didn’t notice the engine making any strain or different revving while driving this vehicle, but it was a rather windy day.
Did I ruin his truck? Needless to say, my husband is giving me a lot of grief about this. Thanks!
What were the road conditions?
normal (dry), windy gusts. driving between 65-75 mph on highway.
Damage might occur if you made a lot of sharp turns on dry roads, not from over-revving the engine. Are you sure you were in 4WD low, and not just 4WD high? 75 mph in low is pretty hard to do.
I don’t think it’s possible to go 65-75 mph in 4WD Low. The engine would be screaming.
You weren’t in 4WD low. In order to engage it, you have to be in neutral before the low range will engage. You were likely in 4WD Hi though.
You would be lucky to hit 40 in low range. You would have noticed it. You would have ran out of fuel too. You still might have caused damage.
Depending upon the speed the two year old turned the dials, you may never have gone into 4 wd for most of the trip. It won’t engage, even 4 wd high if speeds are too great. If it were turned directly to 4 wd low…and you had to be stopped (like mine) for it to even engage itself, you may be in good shape and remained in 2 wd. If hubby isn’t even aware of this, he should be the one given a hard time, not you.
You’d know immediately if you were in 4 low…wind or not. It would be a good idea to always operate your truck in every mode (esp 4 low) so you know what to expect. I constantly remind my family members of ours and it’s function, even though they seldom have a use for it (4 low). Another ding for your husband,you’re now ahead 2-0.
Thanks everyone for the info! My son turned the knob while the truck was off, so after your answers and researching the manual, seems that it won’t engage the 4 wheel drive low. Will have to give my husband a hard time!!
The truck would not go 75 in low range. If it was in 4-hi, you might have worn the tires a little, nothing to worry about. Take the truck out on a dirt surface and see if the 4-WD system engages and operates normally. If it does, no damage has been done.
This is the kind of ending we all like. No damage done and some of us (like me) learned a little more about a car.
75 in low is IMPOSSIBLE in most vehicles!!!