93 Mazda Navajo 4 wheel drive issue

[mezrein]

Lo all, new here, and not very mechanically inclined. As stated in the title, I have a 93 Navajo with some 4 wheel drive issues. The 4 wheel engages just fine when I hit the button. I can drive straight without any issues at all. However when I go to turn, either left or right, backwards or forwards, my front wheels start to bind and eventually lock almost entirely. I asked my dealership about it, and he said that its completely normal for this to happen on dry ground. I don't think this is right, but I wanted to confirm it from a second source. If it is right, I'll move on and forget about it. If not, need to know where to start looking to fix this issue.

 

[MountainMonkey]

i have the same problem with my 93 xploder xlt and a buddy of mine has a 94 sploder with the same problem. is it binding only when you take turn with the wheel turned alot like 45 degree corners or is it doing this when your just driving and going around bends in the road?

 

[mezrein]

Ya, its when taking sharp turns, like turning at intersections and what not. bending turns didnt really seem to notice the issue.

 

[chiefadamus]

it migth be normal then cause my 91 navajo does the same

 

[MrShorty]

That behavior is perfectly normal for any traditional part time 4wd system like is used in the 1st gen Explorers. The transfer case locks the front and rear driveshafts together at the transfer case so the front and rear have to spin at the same speed. However, when turning, the front and rear have to spin at different speeds. The conflict creates that binding feeling you experience. It is generally a bad idea because it is possible to break something if the wheels can't readily slip.

It seems like howstuffworks has a decent animation that shows why this happens.