front ,free and lock diff

[genesis]

Im the proud owner of a vitara 1995 , Do a good bit of off road driving , fields , woods etc through my work , question is changing the diff setting from lock to free everytime i use on the road gets a little tedious , will not changing from locked for road work cause damage ?

[Darrell]

Welcome to the club.
You can leave the front hubs locked all the time.
It just means it will use a little more fuel and wear the front components a bit quicker.
Just don't put it in 4wd on the road.
I would set them to free for longer road journeys though just to save a bit of fuel and prolong the life of the drivegear.

[genesis]

Thanks for that Darrell , Have to say im constantly surprised at where the little vitara will go

[Naylor]

Welcome to the club.
You can leave the front hubs locked all the time.
It just means it will use a little more fuel and wear the front components a bit quicker.
Just don't put it in 4wd on the road.
I would set them to free for longer road journeys though just to save a bit of fuel and prolong the life of the drivegear.

So I don't need to keep getting in and out to change my hubs every time I come out of 4wd I'm happy with that just another question will the hubs make a sort of noise once they are locked ? Not sure how to explain how the noise sounds mybe sort of sounds like a wheel bearing going if u know what I mean only when it's locked in 4 wd

[ScottieJ]

Is it clicking/clunking but most while steering in 4wd?

Could be a CV joint on its way out. Also check the diff oil is clean and topped up.

[Naylor]

Only when it's in 4wd and driving don't get any noise when it's in 2wd

[ScottieJ]

What sort of noise is it? Whirring? Whining? Grinding? Clunking/clicking?

[Naylor]

Whirring sort of noise

[Naylor]

What's the best oil to use in the diff?

[twiss]

You can just use 75/90 transmission fluid