Driving in Low Locked

[onda Junior Member Find all posts View Profile Close onda]

I'm living in a rural area with lots of hills and mostly narrow dirt roads where many times I have been driving in Low locked for a while (3-5 minutes), sometimes I switch gears all the way to 4th gear reaching 25-40kph max on somewhat flat sections.

I never drive locked on asphalt, I always move back to High on the dirt before entering asphalt, and almost always the locked indicator turns off right away or within seconds.

So my major question: is this bad for the diff? Should I not be driving around for maybe 5 minutes in Low locked, shifting into 4th gear?

And if not, is there a time, speed, RPM, limit on Low locked?

All guidance appreciated.

[404pug Avid PP Poster! Find all posts View Profile Close 404pug]

Do you really need to be in low range?

[onda Junior Member Find all posts View Profile Close onda]

Maybe not, but it's it damaging? I have more control and am not riding the brakes or clutch.

For instance, my 15m driveway entrance is steep, a mixture of dry dirt and rocks, a curve, and just a bit wider than the truck, with low rock walls on both sides.

Then before the asphalt (3 minutes later) there will be a slightly less narrow but same dry dirt and rocks and steep other hill, now possibly with cars and moto taxis coming the other way.

In between I would be mostly in 1st and constantly on the brakes. I just have more control in low as the throttle provides the overriding input.

To answer the possible question: I am in Peru up in the Andes in the Sacred Valley, ancient farming villages off the only paved road that follows the river to Machu Picchu.

[Guest Close Guest]

Likely not doing any damage at all, as long as you are keeping it under the speeds listed in the manual for low range. Your location situation sounds like it is of a benefit to you to drive like this.

Would be interested in a Close map marker to where you live to check the area out on Google earth, sounds like a great place!

Are you driving an Automatic or manual transmission Prado?


Have a look at: https://toyotamanuals.com.au/docs/la...jul-07-aug-09/

Page 146 & 147. Has info.

Page 145 has LL max speeds for your type of motor Vs Gear selected.

[RPP Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close RPP]

Back in May did 15 day remote trek. 9 days in low range, centre diff locked, for about 300kms, at 5-30Km/hr
Up & down gnarly rocky hill tracks, numerous river crossings. Might have reached 40 Kms/hour for 2 minutes, on an old airstrip.
Rear diff locked for a few minutes when needed.
Did the same trip 2 years ago, conditions where better, drove about 5 days in Low range with the centre diff locked, for about 250Kms.
No problems.

[onda Junior Member Find all posts View Profile Close onda]

Thanks for the help and advice, as well as the manual link. Invaluable. I don't know what a "Close Map" is but put Urubamba, Peru in and you can notice all the farms, even though this is the biggest city in the valley. I have found a guide and will be venturing out truly 4x4 shortly. But it is a great place for sure!

I am driving a manual transmission... forgot to mention all that at the beginning: 2003 Prado VX TurboDiesel 3.0 (1KZ-TE), manual, no mods except Ironman suspension.

But I just read in the manual passed to me above that you need to press the clutch to move into LLocked? I always do it in neutral, most of the time not moving or below 5kph. Has that caused damage??