Second Generation Nissan Xterra Forums banner

Weird 4WD Issue

2K views 18 replies 7 participants last post by  orionshadow 
#1 ·
Hey guys, anyone able to decipher this. Went to put my truck in 4wheel low, it ran fine then i stopped to go to a store. When I came back to my truck and started going again the 4WD light came on with an ear piercing sound. along with the ATP light. I turned the truck off, waited a bit and it went out.

Any ideas?
 
#9 · (Edited)
Automatic transmission park warning light ( model)

This light indicates that the automatic transmission
parking function is not engaged. If
the transfer control shift lever is not secured
in any drive position while the automatic
transmission selector lever is in the P (Park)
position, the vehicle may move unexpectedly.
Shift the transfer control shift lever into the
2H, 4H, or 4L position when the warning
light comes on.

When parking, always make sure that the
transfer control shift lever is in 2H, 4H, or
4L and the parking brake is set.

If the ATP light is ON, this indicates that
the automatic transmission P (Park) position
will not function and the transfer
control shift lever is in the N (Neutral)
position.

Failure to engage the transfer control shift
lever in 2H, 4H, or 4L could result in the
vehicle moving unexpectedly, resulting in
serious personal injury or property damage.
I don't know where you pulled this from, but it's not applicable to a second gen (2005-present) Xterra. We don't have a t-case shift lever, and our t-case cant be put into neutral. This is for lever shift t-cases that have a neutral selection on the t-case.

@ o.p.: as said, you shouldnt be driving around town in 4-lo in the snow. You should be in 4-hi for that.
 
#8 ·
I suspect the t-case never actually made it into 4Lo ... did you stop, put it into neutral, step on the brake & then shift from 4Hi to 4Lo? Was the indicator light (the LCD outline of 4 wheels on the instrument cluster) flashing while you were driving around in 4Lo?

If that's what happened, and you parked and then started up to go again, it's possible that as you went from Park to Drive, the t-case encountered a condition where it was finally able to try and make the switch to 4Lo, but as it moved through t-case neutral the ATP switch was tripped and set the alarm/code.

Pure speculation though ...

As long as it's functioning properly now, I wouldn't worry about it too much.
 
#12 · (Edited)
I disagree. I believe its meant exactly as typed, but applicable to the 1st gen xterras. This is a warning so that if you accidentally had the manual t-case in neutral, it warned you that parking with the tranny in park, would allow the vehicle to roll backwards and forwards. This is a common warning of manual t-case vehicles which can be placed in neutral for flat-towing etc... On ours it can set if the auto trans is in park and the t-case attempts to shift between lo and hi, but there is no lever and the t-case cant be placed in neutral selectively.

So yes, I switched to 4 Hi when I went back out, didnt feel/see any issues. In the 4WD screen in the dash I didnt see the 4 HI symbol next to the truck wheel display. Is that a problem?
That is the problem. You switched from 4-lo to 4-high without being in Neutral, and likly while in park. That will cause the warning you received. You must put the tranny in neutral when attempting to shift between 4-lo and 4-hi. As mentioned earlier, you should really take a couple minutes and read the 4x4 section of your owners manual. Thats two mistakes in a row that could have been avoided if you read the manual and became familiar with the vehicles operation. Not intending that to be rude, just helpful suggestion.
 
#14 ·
Try driving in 4HI. Does it drive the same as 4LO? If so it never shifted.
"Drove normally" is not a comment that is normally used for driving on city streets in low range. The throttle is very doggy, shifts tend to be late and at higher RPMs, stuff from having the extra gearing of low range.

I also vote for you were not in low range.

I am going to guess that it started to shift as you were stopped and went through neutral. Partially shifted and the transfer case stopped between low and high range, thus the transfer case is in neutral, thus the warning that the park won't work.
 
#15 ·
It drove normal like it normally does in 4Hi, (ive owned the truck for 3 years now, been in 4 Hi and 4 Lo multiple times, this is the first time its done this).

**This morning** The warning came after I was out of park and in Drive. Before that, it never made the sound.
 
#17 ·
I appreciate the help, not trying to start a flame war here. But is there a reason my 4 HI would not be showing up on the display? It shows all 4 tires engaged and it defintely feels like 4 HI, just no "4 HI" next to the car icon
 
#18 ·
The LED display only shows 4-LO when in 4-LO, in 4-HI the display shows the 4 tires, no letters. Here's a pic that shows all the LED display spots in the dash. As you can see there is no display for "4-HI".

 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top