[ntomer]

Hi,

I am in my home town nowadays for Holi. A friend borrowed my Gypsy, he had helped me a lot in it's rebuilding therefore I coulndn't say no.

When he returned it, the 4WD indicator was on, and he said it was on for at least 15 KMs. He doesn't know anything about 4x4, so must have shifted the transfer gear lever unintentionally.

I am very worried about transmission wind up. He returned the Gypsy at 12:30 AM and I immediately went for a drive to check if everything is fine. And felt everything was normal.

But I need to make sure that everything is absolutely fine, for peace of my mind. Please tell me how can I check for damage in axles/differential/gear-box/transfer case/anywhere else. Can I do it myself, or I'd have to take it to some mechanic?

Please help, I am very worried.

Nitin

[SS-Traveller]

Check to see if your tyres show scuff marks - if they do, the transmission has probably unwound itself to a large extent. Nothing you can do now, but drive on as usual, until something breaks/fails. Once back to 2WD mode, no further damage will occur.

Checklist:
- Is your gearshift movement smooth as usual?
- Is the car vibrating at speed?
- Is there any whine from the gearbox/axles when driving at speeds above, say, 60 km/h?
- Can you switch in and out of 4H and 4L as easily as you could earlier?

[gsferrari]

If you are unable to shift between 2, 4H & 4L easily, just reverse in the current position for 10m or 15m and it should sort itself out.

[Ragul]

I spoke about using 4WD on tarmac just today with the service manager at Indiranagar MASS. When I told him I never use 4WD on tarmac because I fear damage he said not to worry the damage will not be severe, because of an additional gearbox in the front that absorbs the slight extra friction.

I know little about mechanicals and can't say if he is right or wrong. I dont know if he meant differential when he said gearbox.
But on the drive line damage front, I looked up a lot and it seems real damage will occur @about 100 miles of continuous abuse. 15kms should not harm too much.

HTH

[DirtyDan]

Because Gypsy is so light 15k may not be enough to do noticeable damage. If you cooked the tranny you would have trouble shifting into and out of some/all gears and you might hear a high pitched whining noise while moving at moderate speeds.

For piece of mind you may want to have a good mechanic change the gear oil in the tranny and inspect it....or, just drive it.

[speedmiester]

There will be no real problems. 15Kms in 4wd on tarmac will not cause any damage to the transmission. Can you confirm whether it was driven at high speed or normal speed?

[headers]

No damage will occur. Enjoy! I have done WORSE many years back :(

[susan3004]

No damage should have happend at all. I have come across worse drivers an varied terrain using 4X4 on a Gypsy.
However, if you feel that smoothness in shifting through gears has been affected, then it is recommended that you must pay a visit to the mechanic. If no signs of any trouble are apperant, then drive on!

[Ragul]

Originally Posted by DirtyDan

Because Gypsy is so light 15k may not be enough to do noticeable damage. If you cooked the tranny you would have trouble shifting into and out of some/all gears and you might hear a high pitched whining noise while moving at moderate speeds.

For piece of mind you may want to have a good mechanic change the gear oil in the tranny and inspect it....or, just drive it.

I get this very faint ultra high pitch whine at 2WD in high speed anyways from my brand new Gypsy. Makes it sound similar to an aircraft turbine except noise levels are extremely low. I have used 4x4 only for 15 mins or 1/2km off-tarmac. Is that normal? The faint noise begins @70kmph and increases pitch over the next 15kmph acceleration.

--Ragul

[gsferrari]

@Ragul - please use the Gypsy more extensively and all the other possible noises will make themselves known. You will soon learn to ignore certain noises and be alert to the more critical ones. Whistling noise can be caused by wind-flow through glass/soft top/front bonnet top-air intake, radiator fan, transfer case and gearbox.

[DirtyDan]

Originally Posted by Ragul

I get this very faint ultra high pitch whine at 2WD in high speed anyways from my brand new Gypsy. Makes it sound similar to an aircraft turbine except noise levels are extremely low. I have used 4x4 only for 15 mins or 1/2km off-tarmac. Is that normal? The faint noise begins @70kmph and increases pitch over the next 15kmph acceleration.

--Ragul

The whine I am talking about is not faint. It is very noticeable...hard to ignore..but yes, it sounds like an aircraft turbine. I have this same sound in my Mahindra Invader but faint. Many vehicles do it. Bearings, I think. As long as it is not loud it's okay.

Hi, Major, (susan3004), good to know you are still around. (You make colonel yet, Sandy?)

[susan3004]

Originally Posted by Ragul

I get this very faint ultra high pitch whine at 2WD in high speed anyways from my brand new Gypsy. Makes it sound similar to an aircraft turbine except noise levels are extremely low. I have used 4x4 only for 15 mins or 1/2km off-tarmac. Is that normal? The faint noise begins @70kmph and increases pitch over the next 15kmph acceleration.

--Ragul

The faint whining sound is very natural to the Gypsy(new). This will subsequently fade away as you click more kilometers. This shall also not be heard in 4X4 mode during that time.

@DD. Sir, this poor man is still a Maj! However, the only change in the nomenclature is the addition of a suffix 'SM' courtesy the govt for making me a receipent of a 'Sena Medal'(Gallantry) this year.

[headers]

The whine could be because of the Bearings from the GB/TC. They usually go away after a good service. The whine indicates needs for lubrication.

A friend of mine has this pronounced noise too.

[MexXxentric]

years back, I drove my first gypsy in 4H on highway for almost 25 kms(70-80kmph) & i became aware of this when i took a tight turn. some "tak" "tak" (metal against metal) sound came from front differential.
fortunately no damage happened to drive train.
My 4wd indicator was not working.

so stay cool.

[ex670c]

Originally Posted by susan3004

@DD. Sir, this poor man is still a Maj! However, the only change in the nomenclature is the addition of a suffix 'SM' courtesy the govt for making me a receipent of a 'Sena Medal'(Gallantry) this year.

Hi Sandy,

Congratulations and do send us the citation.

Regards,

Arka

PS - I hope you are not working too hard to add a Bar to it