Jeep, the oldest manufacturer of off-road vehicles, has historically designed four-wheel-drive vehicles for both civilian and military use. Four-wheel drive is a mechanism which allows drivers to better experience off-road conditions by simultaneously transferring torque to all four wheels from the engine. Turning on your Jeep's four-wheel-drive capabilities is a simple process that can be accomplished in just a few steps.
Turn the key to the ON/RUN position and locate the transfer case lever, which is typically located between the driver and front passenger seats.
Shift the lever from 2WD to 4WD to engage the four-wheel-drive capabilities. You can shift to 4WD either in motion or while stopped. If you are shifting to 4WD while in motion, momentarily release the accelerator immediately after shifting to allow faster engaging/disengaging by the transfer case. On some Jeep models, such as the Jeep Wrangler, the maximum allowable speed for shifting into 4WD is 50 mph, while others do not have a speed limit. Check your user manual for the maximum speed at which you are able to shift into 4WD.
Drive your Jeep in 4WD only off-road and in extreme conditions, such as snow or on wet pavement. Driving on a hard, dry pavement, such as a city street or highway, can damage your Jeep's drivetrain if it is in 4WD mode. Always shift to 2WD when the conditions for engaging 4WD are not present.
Use the steps above to shift into 4WD LOCK and slow down to 2 to 3 mph.
Shift the car's automatic transmission into neutral or, if you are driving with a manual transmission, depress the clutch completely and firmly shift the transfer case lever to 4WD Low while the car is still rolling. Make sure to skip neutral on the transfer case lever when shifting into 4WD Low.
Check the instrument cluster for the light indicating that the shift was successful before releasing the clutch or placing the car in gear. If the indicator light flashes, the shifting has failed. If it stays on consistently, the car is in 4WD Low mode. In this mode, the engine speed will be much higher than usual. This mode should only be used for towing or for extreme conditions. Avoid over-speeding the engine or exceeding 25 mph.
Turn the key to the ON/RUN position and locate the THandle, typically located between the driver and front passenger seats.
Pull on the T-Handle once and check the instrument cluster to see if the 4WD indicator light turns on. If it turns on, your Jeep is in 4WD mode.
Pull the T-Handle again once your are done using the 4WD mode. Check the instrument cluster to make sure that the appropriate light turns off. Remember, never use 4WD mode on dry, hard pavement.
