2005 Jeep Liberty Limited 4WD

I just purchased this SUV and I have a question about the part time and full time 4WD. When I have the Jeep in part time or full time and I turn pretty sharply (aka. into a parking space) it starts kicking and shaking. It seems that it happens more violently sometimes than others but it typically always does it. There is no grinding noise or anything like that but it kicks and it doesn't do it in 2WD. Hope someone can tell me if there is a problem and if there is, most likely what it is.
Thanks!
Thanks!
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Stay out of part-time drive unless you are in loose gravel, deep mud, or other very slippery conditions.
Shift into or out of full-time drive ONLY on the fly below 50mph. Don't shift in your garage or when parked.
Happy trails to you.
Here is my case:
I need to drive backwards on an icy slope to park in my driveway. It's a 25% slope with ice on one side and asphalt on the other side. If I don't engage 4WD Part time before approaching home (on the street), I can't stop the truck while backing up and going downhill on ice.
The ABS is dangerous in this case because when the truck looses trajectory it's practically impossible to get it moving in the opposite direction (going upwards) in 2wd and give it enough time to engage the transfer case differential. It will keep sliding sideways until it hits a wall :sick:
Conclusion:
Whoever foresees using 4WD Part Time to leave a tricky parking spot should engage the transmission before stopping the vehicle. The risk of engaging 4WD after the event (snowfall) is digging into the ground with the rear axel before the front wheels start spinning.
What you articulate is why many owners of other brands of older 4wd's installed manual locking front hubs. They would lock in the front hubs at the beginning of winter or before a snow storm so that when 4wd was engaged there was no delay in front lock-up. You have also identified the main reason why many high-tech high cost-suvs are useless in some situations such as a steep slick driveway. The suv's that rely on sensing differential motion between the front and the rear can be already spinning on one axle (usually the front) when the second axle is engaged (usually the back) and the second axle starts spinning also. Hence, the vehicle does not move.
The Liberty front axles are fixed to the hubs so no delay at that point. However, we ended up with a transfer case that creates the delay. :sick: With a little fore thought...
Thank you,
Claire
This is normal. The vehicle will jump cause the tires are grabbing when your are locked in.
This skipping or hop on dry pavement is just breaking traction and indicates there is a excess differential load on the drive line in tight turns. The differentials are not perfectly adjusting to the arc of the turn. Normal ! Normal ! Normal !.
Ah... not a good idea to be in 4WD on a good traction surface and be making lots of short turn though, Duh!