Very Newb question here...

[Dabba]

Okay, ive been unclear on this for awhile. 4 wheel drive. I know on my civic and other 2wd vehicles theres one "driving wheel", i know this because i was told, and when my tire slips on my civic, its only the front right, not both front tires. As i understand it rear wheel drive 2wd are the same, only one driving wheel. I also know that alot of people have posi which allows both wheels to turn. Now, how exactly does 4wd work on my 86 k5? Is it only 1 wheel driving in the front and one in the rear or is it actually all 4. I swear ive seen both tires spin on the sand when i got stuck a few times. Im askign this just because i want to know for sure and new york is suppose to be hit by bad snow this year. I wanna know how shes gonna handle in snow. I mean i assume its all 4 tires cause i know driving on the road with 4wd engaged is a no no, and thats where awd vehicles come in. But then again i see awd vehicles who cant go off road. Yeah, im a n00b.

 

[southernspeed]

There's quite a few threads about this if you want to search, but basically your civic has 2 whels driven. The power is split to both by a differential unit. Without a diff both wheels would always turn at the same speed making cornering and even straight line driven a real pain. When one wheel loses traction all the power goes to the spinning wheel (path of least resistance) and is wasted. A locker or posi effectivly eliminates the diff under those circumstances, locking both drive shafts as one.
Your truck has the same system front and rear if your diffs are 'open' (no posi or locker). You may well have seen both wheels slipping in sand etc because, as I said, the diff distributes power to both wheels equally, so until one loses a lot more traction than the other, both can spin.
Then on your truck you have a transfer case. This (if a part time unit) can be engaged to send power to the front and rear axles. So in the right circumstances, you could spin all four wheels but if one wheel loses it's traction....your down to three wheel drive. Then if one of the wheels on the other (still spinning 2 wheels) axle loses grip, you're down to two wheel drive!
Hope that makes sense!
Don't worry about asking questions around here. A thirst for knowledge is admirable.......but doing a search first sometimes may stop you getting nOObed by the grouchy amongst us!!

 

[Dabba]

Alright, understandable. So how would the blazer handle in the snow and ice in 4wd? Would one wheel hit a patch of ice and then i loose all power to that spinning wheel? What would it take to put posi on it? Is it really worth it? and does it still alow slip for turning and such? Also another question occured to me, whats with the neutral on the transfer case? Whats the uses? thanks!

 

[Goose]

On snow and ice it will do really well. However, there is the possiblility of you being on a really slick spot and only 1 tire in front and 1 in rear spinning. Most of the time you will be able to move a ton easier than just 2 wheel drive. It depends on what type of 'posi'' you put in as to how hard it is. Worth it?? really depends on what you plan on doing with it. If it's only street driven, maybe not. Depending on the type of posi changes how they allos for slip in turns. The gov-lock (factory style limited slip) is designed to be "open" until one tire turns more than the other. So it does really well for daily driving, turns and stuff. The more popular, but more expensive, detroit locker, is a lot stronger more reliable unit. It has its quirks on really slick stuff tho. Think of it like this...if you go into a turn on a dirt road and stand on it with an open diff one tire starts spinning out but the other not so much. You don't get much speed, but you don't really fish tail out of control either. The non-spinning tire keeps the vehilce pretty much in line. Do that with a detroit locker and both tires spin and you fish tail a lot. Since both tires are spinning, you don't have the stability created by the non-spinning tire. So on ice or really slick stuff you have to 'drive' different. You have more control IF your tires have enough traction.

So, in my opinion, your tires play the biggest role when you talk about ice and hard pack snow.

Neutral on the transfer case. If you have a PTO off your t-case, you put your tranny in gear, t-case in neutral, and engage the PTO.
Or...you put your t-case in neutral when at the mall for an extra security step agains Blazer thieves.

 

[Dabba]

Ah, thanks for the info. So gov-lock is stock or aftermarket? Also, whats PTO?

 

[jonrpick]

Ah, thanks for the info. So gov-lock is stock or aftermarket? Also, whats PTO?

The Gov-Loc is a factory option. They're known for their lack of durability. I had one go on me, and I blame it on the few times I had the K5 in the snow and ice.

As was stated earlier, you'll have more control if less tires are slipping. One winter, I had it in 4WD because the truck was still fairly new to me and I didn't know I had the locker or what it'd do. I was on the interstate, and everyone was doing about 30mph. I lost traction, and it was a VERY tedious few minutes until I regained it. I basically had to slowly reduce speed with the gas pedal until I was tracking straight again. Up until I regained 100% control I was fishtailing uncontrollably back and forth. That was probably due to the locker, but the fact that the front end was pulling as well made it impossible for me to regain control until I was down to about 10mph or so.

Had my rear differential been open, and had I been running in 2WD, I would've been fine. I grew up driving RWD vehicles and was taught how to do controlled slides and such in wet and icy conditions. I could handle my Caprice Classic and my Dodge Van in the worst conditions, and often when I was out in the snow I'd pass Jeeps and other 4WD vehicles that were in the ditch. 4WD can lead to overconfidence to the inexperienced. Be warned.

PTO stands for "power take off". Some transfer cases and transmissions have it. It's basically an output that doesn't connect to a driveshaft, and can be used to power an external accessory such as a winch or pump.

Here's a thread I started on PTO because I wasn't sure what it was used for:

http://coloradok5.com/forums/showthread.php?t=216122

 

[Dabba]

Ah, interesting. thanks for the advice.

 

[4X4HIGH]

A gov loc is a factory style locker. A PTO is power take off, it is used for various things such as a PTO driven winch and other type of accessories.

 

[Thunder]

If you want to know if you already have a Gov-loc or not. Open up the glovebox. On the cover you will see a sticker with a bunch of 3 digit codes
These are called RPO codes and tell what equipment/options are on your truck. Look thru the 3 digit codes for:G80. That is the code for a gov lock.
If there is no G80 code, and you only have a code GU or GT followed by a number from 2-8 you have an open diff.
I live in snow country it snows here from Oct to April I have a Gov loc and love it. It is a good locker with good manners in the snow and ice. A lot of people here dont like them because they are not a good locker to use with big tires and don't hold up well to severe offroad use. But for a stock truck with tires up to 33" they will work fine. They are a good durable unit if used within their limits.
GM has been using Gov locks in their trucks since the 1960s and still use them. If they were really that bad of a locker GM would have stopped using the a long time ago because of warrenty/replacement issues.

 

[4X4HIGH]

If you want to know if you already have a Gov-loc or not. Open up the glovebox. On the cover you will see a sticker with a bunch of 3 digit codes

Not really much good if anyone has ever swapped an axle in the past. You know how people never do such a thing.

 

[Thunder]

Not really much good if anyone has ever swapped an axle in the past. You know how people never do such a thing.

True. My axle code is GT4 but there is a gov lock in it. I know that for sure because I swapped out my Detroit with it. I wanted a locker with better street manners. I am locked in the front also so I depend on my Gov Loc to get me around in the snow, without locking in the front unless I really need it.
I was also curious how long it would take to blow up a rebuilt Gov Bomb... 2 years and still ticking.

 

[Dabba]

Well apparently i dont have gov lock. Although it said it also came with a 305 and auto hubs but i have a 350 in it with manual hubs. the t-case looks like its been worked on too so i have no idea what tranny/t case or diffs i have. It said it came with 3.08 gears but who knows?

 

[Dabba]

Alright bumpppp. Can anyone help me with identifying what tranny and t case i have? and whats better to have? It seems my truck has been modifyed. The engine was originally a 305, but it was replaced with a 350. The t case looks new or worked on, and i assume that whoever did this did something to the tranny. So if anyone could help me identify them, that would be awesome. Also, could someone explain to me what 10, 12 and 14 bolt axels are. Just beefier axels? How do i tell what i have with those too? Also, it says it came with 3.08 gears, but im not sure anymore. How could i tell what i have and whats the difference between the different ones? It sounds really n00b but thats what i am so, thanks for the help, id like to know what i have in the truck because someone tells me the drivetrain is nowhere near stock. and if its all reworked, ill probably start to put money in it. Thanks!

 

[jonrpick]

Alright bumpppp. Can anyone help me with identifying what tranny and t case i have? and whats better to have? It seems my truck has been modifyed. The engine was originally a 305, but it was replaced with a 350. The t case looks new or worked on, and i assume that whoever did this did something to the tranny. So if anyone could help me identify them, that would be awesome. Also, could someone explain to me what 10, 12 and 14 bolt axels are. Just beefier axels? How do i tell what i have with those too? Also, it says it came with 3.08 gears, but im not sure anymore. How could i tell what i have and whats the difference between the different ones? It sounds really n00b but thats what i am so, thanks for the help, id like to know what i have in the truck because someone tells me the drivetrain is nowhere near stock. and if its all reworked, ill probably start to put money in it. Thanks!

You may need to post a pic of the transfer case for identification.

Here's all you need to identify your axles:

http://coloradok5.com/axleguide.shtml

To determine your gear ratio, you can do a couple of things. One, jack the rear axle off the ground, make sure you chock the front wheels first, and put the transfer case in neutral. Have someone watch a back wheel spin as you manually turn the driveshaft. Count how many times you spin it until the wheel makes one full revolution.

A little past 3 turns of the driveshaft means 3.08. Three and 3/4 would be 3.73. Slightly over 4 turns would be 4.10.... You get the idea.

Another method is to remove the rear cover on the axle. On the side of the ring gear (the big one) should be some numbers stamped in. Mine actually says "373" on it. Again, you'll probably need to have the back wheels off the ground and spin them to find the lettering on the gear.

Finally, with the rear off the ground, cover removed, you can could the number of teeth on the ring gear and pinion gear. Divide the number of teeth on the ring gear by the number of teeth on the pinion.

 

[Dabba]

Thanks. Whats better to have? Im guessing the higher the number the more low end power? and the lower the number the high end/top speed? Ill take a pic of the t-case. I heard the tranny has a number and im not sure where it is though. Can anyone help me id the axles?

 

[jonrpick]

Thanks. Whats better to have? Im guessing the higher the number the more low end power? and the lower the number the high end/top speed? Ill take a pic of the t-case. I heard the tranny has a number and im not sure where it is though. Can anyone help me id the axles?

That's pretty much right. Except you don't want too low of a gear (higher number) because fuel economy will suffer. That is, unless it's primarily a trail-only rig, and ultimate performance is your goal.

 

[Dabba]

What do you think the best to have is? As far as a mild off road/trail rig. Its not my DD. I think it has 3.08 now but who knows.

 

[jonrpick]

What do you think the best to have is? As far as a mild off road/trail rig. Its not my DD. I think it has 3.08 now but who knows.

That depends entirely on your tire size and the style of wheeling you do.

3.08's suck even with 31" tires on the street. I had that setup and it wasn't too great. At 80mph, I'd lose speed on long hills, so I'd have to drop down out of OD into 3rd gear. Even then, it didn't have much pull.

So for 31-33" tires, 3.73 would be my bare minimum on the street. 4.56's would be a bit much with anything under 33 on the street, but that combo would have good torque off road. What size tires are you running now? Do you plan on going bigger?

 

[Dabba]

ITs stock, so i think they're 31s. I do notice the thing start to loose it going up long hills on the expressway. Think the 3.08 does not use the engines power most efficently? I was planning on a 4 inch lift and then putting 33 or 35s on it when the current rubber runs down. This is it now:

 

[jonrpick]

ITs stock, so i think they're 31s. I do notice the thing start to loose it going up long hills on the expressway. Think the 3.08 does not use the engines power most efficently?

Well it's just a matter of leverage. Smaller tires would have the same effect as lower gears.