PSA: How Much Drivetrain Damage can happen from pushing the wrong Button ?

[VictoryLights]

Thanks for publishing for folks to consider and discuss.

One item that makes no sense is the slippery mode and 4A. It says driveline issues can occur on dry pavement. That is flat wrong. The 4A allows for slippage between the front and rear drivelines. Heck Sport mode uses 4A on dry pavement.

I think it’s because 4H is the default in slippery.

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[Raptor911]

some say common sense is not common

Common sense is in short supply these days, especially when it comes to the operation of vehicles.

 

[Razorback]

Thanks for publishing for folks to consider and discuss.

One item that makes no sense is the slippery mode and 4A. It says driveline issues can occur on dry pavement. That is flat wrong. The 4A allows for slippage between the front and rear drivelines. Heck Sport mode uses 4A on dry pavement.

I think that is under the section with rear lockers... You can drive 4A just fine, but not with lockers on dry pavement...

 

[ctandc]

No offense - but this has applied to every 4WD vehicle I've owned since I started driving 35 years ago. On the flip side - when you destroy a ring and pinion in a rear axle, engaging the front axle CAN get you home. Unfortunately I've had to do that more than once.

 

[calgecko]

some say common sense is not common

none of this would be 'common sense' for someone who's never had a 4wd/off road vehicle though. It'd be like me criticizing someone who's never used a camera, for changing lenses with the camera body facing upwards.

 

[uncledoodoo]

Owner's Manual over 550 pages - have people read it

True or False ?
. . driving regular streets can cause major damage if,

A) . . select the wrong G.O.A.T. Mode ?

B) . . push the wrong 4WD button ?

C) . . dash buttons Front or Rear Lockers ?

D) . . dash button Trail Turn Assist ?


Answer
- all True
- these easy mistakes can damage the transmission drivetrain

A) GOAT Modes ' Sand ', ' Mud/Ruts ', ' Rock Crawl ', and ' Baja ' default to mechanically locked 4WD - and ' Slippery ' also w Part-Time 4x4
- these Modes are not made for regular dry pavement

- dry pavement advisable GOAT Modes are ' Normal ', ' Eco ', & ' Sport '

B) Four-wheel High ( 4H ) and Four-wheel Low ( 4L ) use mechanically locked 4WD
- these are not made for dry pavement

C) the Front & Rear ' Lockers ' mechanically lock your differentials. These prevent the normal differential slip when making turns - these are not for dry pavement

D) Trail Turn Assist requires 4H or 4L 4WD
- this is not for dry pavement


A driver could be new to 4x4's - not familiar w 4-wheel drive
- maybe your 17-year-old wants to take the Bronco for burgers & fries. Can they really resist all those neat buttons & fancy lights ?

Reading the manual has some surprises. For example the various GOAT Mode defaults. These also depend which transmission you have. Wanted to document some of these drivetrain features/variations as a reminder -
Bronco has fantastic 4x4 technology and deserves a driver who knows how to use it
- some highlighted pages

Where did you get a physical manual?

 

[AMTRV]

Everyone expects everything to be idiot proof. Maybe it should be these days.

 

[Panaran]

Slippery on dry pavement shouldnt be an issue with advanced 4wd.

 

[sledboy]

Also one area of concern that I have with powertrain binding is when using the sway bar disconnect (sta-bar disconnect) because it will only disconnect when in 4H or 4L. One huge advantage of the sway bar being disconnected is the more comfortable ride when going over uneven surfaces such as Moab's slick rock. FYI... slick rock is not slick! It provides traction similar to pavement. So why doesn't ford offer the ability to disconnect the sway bar when in 4A or even 2H? Even the Jeep Wrangler Rubicon will allow you to disconnect the sway bar in 4A. This is a huge oversight by Ford. There is a lot of binding of the powertrain that occurs when going over this type of surface in 4H or 4L but we are forced to if we want the sway bar disconnected. @Ford Motor Company, please fix this! I believe it could be fixed with a software update. There is no reason why we should not be able to use the sta-bar disconnect in 4A and even 2H.

 

[Techun]

none of this would be 'common sense' for someone who's never had a 4wd/off road vehicle though. It'd be like me criticizing someone who's never used a camera, for changing lenses with the camera body facing upwards.

Wait why is that bad

 

[Bodge Garage]

Common senses tale. When i worked at the Land Rover dealer a local hot shot cardio thoracic surgeon called in all irate that his larnd rover had a nlown motor and was missing so bad he almost didn't make it to the hospital. We went and picked it up, it was in 4 low and he had been bouncing off the rev limiter. Not alot of common sense in the world.

 

[Zero_chance]

Owner's Manual over 550 pages - have people read it

True or False ?
. . driving regular streets can cause major damage if,

A) . . select the wrong G.O.A.T. Mode ?

B) . . push the wrong 4WD button ?

C) . . dash buttons Front or Rear Lockers ?

D) . . dash button Trail Turn Assist ?


Answer
- all True
- these easy mistakes can damage the transmission drivetrain

A) GOAT Modes ' Sand ', ' Mud/Ruts ', ' Rock Crawl ', and ' Baja ' default to mechanically locked 4WD - and ' Slippery ' also w Part-Time 4x4
- these Modes are not made for regular dry pavement

- dry pavement advisable GOAT Modes are ' Normal ', ' Eco ', & ' Sport '

B) Four-wheel High ( 4H ) and Four-wheel Low ( 4L ) use mechanically locked 4WD
- these are not made for dry pavement

C) the Front & Rear ' Lockers ' mechanically lock your differentials. These prevent the normal differential slip when making turns - these are not for dry pavement

D) Trail Turn Assist requires 4H or 4L 4WD
- this is not for dry pavement


A driver could be new to 4x4's - not familiar w 4-wheel drive
- maybe your 17-year-old wants to take the Bronco for burgers & fries. Can they really resist all those neat buttons & fancy lights ?

Reading the manual has some surprises. For example the various GOAT Mode defaults. These also depend which transmission you have. Wanted to document some of these drivetrain features/variations as a reminder -
Bronco has fantastic 4x4 technology and deserves a driver who knows how to use it
- some highlighted pages

Bear in mind, things aren’t going to just magically blow up with an accidental button press and most of the real damage potential ones won’t engage unless the vehicle is at low or no speed. Plenty of the owners of new F150s that I build have 700+ of supercharged horsepower and use four wheel drive to drag race on fully prepped tracks. Ideal? Certainly not, but it’s done all the time.

 

[Bronco21fan]

I think it’s because 4H is the default in slippery.

4h is only the default on slippery with Manuel transmission if you have an automatic and put it in wet slippery mode the default is 4a if you have the advanced 4wd if it’s pouring rain I put it in wet slippery mode and it goes to 4a it only applies all 4 wheels if it senses slippage it’s perfectly safe it’s like all wheel drive same as sport mode

 

[OmahaKevin]

Everyone expects everything to be idiot proof. Maybe it should be these days.

They just keep building better idiots ....

 

[airishfan]

In Baja mode I can then select 2 high and drive it on the street without binding. I just did that on the way home from an appointment, it drove great and the front camera stays on.

I think it's one of those things that might happen not it well .

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