hunteredpete

I am looking at buying a 1995 tahoe 4x4. How do I properly use the floor mounted shifter to go from 2 wheel drive to 4 wheel drive and how can I tell the the 4 wheel drive is actually engaged short of watching the front tires throw mud?

nauticstar87

If it has an owners manual, that'll tell you. Some vehicles have 'em on the windshield visor.

981500k

First if you are going from two to four you can do it one of two ways in park or nuetral when idling at a dead stop, when you go into low range it needs to be idling in nuetral at a stop and can be a bit tough and it will buck it a bit and make some noise but thats fine because it is actually making a gear change. To disengage I do the same altho when you are in for high and you are driving down the road you can actually push it in and out of four high as long as the wheels are traveling the same speed all the way around (not spining) but you can only do this with four high alowing you to use four wheel at anytime after you first engaged it. Now a little trick ive learned to test my 4x4 is find a parking lot or area big enough to crank the wheels and drive a circle, first try in 2x4 and see how it turns, ussually pretty easy, so keeping the same track stop and put it in 4x4 and see how it turns after that, because there is no differential between the front and rear axel it will bind causeing it to be tough to turn and you will defenitly notice 2x4 from 4x4. I would do this in a gravel lot so if need be one tire can spin so it doesent hurt it and it only takes a little bit to notice it working. I used to have a 95 tahoe its in my pics I loved it but I love my truck more. Hope this helped

981500k

Yes 285/75/16 will fit but you might need to put a two inch lift in wich is cheap and easy. My lift I did was rear blocks 2in and cranked the front torsion bars, in total about $80. The 33 12.5 in my pics were crapy and just to get me by. when I sold it it was wearing 285s on stock rims and it to me was perfect with the lift and size of vehicle.

T5258

If your system is the same as my 95 Suburban, it is a shift-on-the-fly type, which means at any (legal) speed, just pull the t-case lever back into 4-hi. 4-lo requires slowing to 1-3 mph before shifting. In my truck, you can feel the 4wd engage, as there is more driveline noise coming from the front, and the "4x4" light down on the t-case shifter bezel lights up. I wouldn't recommend putting it in 4wd & turning tight circles in a parking lot....these trucks only have a part-time 4wd system, which means they shouldn't be operated on bare pavement AT ALL, otherwise drivetrain windup can occur (the "tough turning" mentioned in an earlier post). That windup can break any number of components in the 4wd system. If you want to be sure 4wd is functioning, find a dirt road with loose gravel, sand etc...in 2wd, the back end should break loose if you nail the throttle...in 4wd, there should be a BIG gain in traction when you do the same thing......

981500k

Oh contrare Yes as I metioned it is tough on the system thats why I mentioned doing it on GRAVEL to alow one tire to SPIN ask a expert theyll tell you the same. But if you really want to replace your four wheel drive for no reason in your truck go ahead and do just as they say in previous reply rip that sucker right into 4hi and 4lo when ever you want when you are drivng, (now do that when you want to replace the wheel drive cuz youll blow it heck liturally) oh yeah go ahead and just nail that throtle and wind it up thats safe for factory units. either way Igave you my deffanition from the manual and service providers. Do what you want just enjoy it.

981500k

Listen do what you feel is best if either one of us helped thats great, I was not trying to imply that you need to go out and whip donuts in 4 wheel just be carefull and like I said enjoy it.

mudmaniac

OK I'll chime in since I have the 95 Tahoe with a floor shifter. 2Hi to 4Hi at any speed, in or out of 4 Low, in nuetral on level ground.

981500k

I hate to make this a debate becaue its simply not worth it the only thing is is that if you are going to go in and out of four hi it needs to be engaged prior to driving it other wise you will end up with a whole ton of expensive repairs and sittin right were you dont want to be. Im sorry chevy, dodge, ford, or even a rice burning inadequet truck you cant just say lets throw it in four wheel at any old time it needs to be engaged first. My 92 f150 my 95 hoe, 96 bronco, 94 jeep, 97 yukon, 98 z71, 03 f150, 05 hoe all require you to engage the four wheel drive before you can just pop it in and out of four hi. No auto maker has even come close to perfecting this, my 05 hoe has auto four, 2x4, 4x4 and four low now the auto four is the closest ive ever seen but yet not perfect....

981500k

If we all want to wind up our panties on this then you can go right ahead and ask my girlfriend, she will tell you exactlly what I did. Please remember she fixed her own truck when the intake gaskets went out, ripped it down and put it right back, and rebuild her engine in her 99 neon. So if we all want to cry over whos right then I challenge you to be a REAL MAN and ask a... You know its coming....

GIRL, oh yea I said it... HE HE