yellow 4wd light on

[Qxxx4]

what the heck! Did some pretty harsh drifting in the snow two nights ago showin off for the gf. did it in 2wd. the next day i start up the q and the yellow 4wd light indicating a problem came on and stayed on, then when i restarted the q it was gone and back to normal....wtf?

[AJRK]

I wouldn't worry about it unless you see it again. If the car is driving normally and working ok in 4WD I doubt anything is wrong with it.

[KoukiS14]

The 4wd is actuated by a small electric motor when you turn the switch (you can hear it hum as it's working). Perhaps some ice / snow was build-up on that and caused it to jam for a moment. . I wouldn't worry too much about it, unless it makes a come back.

[WINNIPEGS_MOST_WANTED]

When it dips below approx. -40, and I have the vehicle in auto, the yellow 4WD indicator light comes on and stays on for a few minutes. Usually once the vehicle warms upit goes off.

Perhaps the issues are related?

[Buzzman]

When it dips below approx. -40, and I have the vehicle in auto, the yellow 4WD indicator light comes on and stays on for a few minutes. Usually once the vehicle warms up it goes off.

Perhaps the issues are related?

It's not really an issue, as far as I know.I don't remember where I read it, but in cold weather this is normal.Mine does the same.Once the transmission/transfer case is warmed up, it's business as usual.

[Qxxx4]

ok its good to hear. Yeah i was on snow and tested the 4wd options seeing if it all worked and it did despite the light. It had been very cold the night before..typical canadian winter, so it could have caused it, thanks guys, it hasnt come back since

[fueler]

When it dips below approx. -40

BELOW MINUS FORTY!!!!! WHAT THE HECK!!!!!!!!!

its like +55* F outside right now and its freakin freezing

[Buzzman]

Hey, -40 is not so bad Fueler. Remember, it's Celcius, and it's Canada.Actually, I think -40*C is about equivalent to +45*F in San Diego.

[Qxxx4]

i hope you dont mean that in scientific ratio and more of a joke of canada vs SD. 32degrees F is 0 degrees C.

i used to live in windsor...right across the border from detroit. everyone from there is so americanized. they dont know what the heck celcius is. LOL

it was -16C on new years eve not including windchill and we were watching our lady peace concert outside for 3 hours.....

windchill subtracts/adds? a good 10-15C. Me n my dad start our trucks everyday even if we dont go anywhere and leave them run for a good 20 mins...or else they barely want to start

[Densetsu]

When it dips below approx. -40, and I have the vehicle in auto, the yellow 4WD indicator light comes on and stays on for a few minutes. Usually once the vehicle warms upit goes off.

Perhaps the issues are related?

Same thing happens to me, though it's usually around the -28C mark. It hasn't been -40C mark here for a long time, unless you're including windchill.

It says in the manual this is normal behaviour, so I just ignore it. Around the same temperature, my Pathy's transmission won't go into OD until it warms up a bit. All normal.

For the original question... likely some snow got packed into the transfer case when you were playing around. Once it melted, back to normal.

[Adnan]

lol i got that a while ago...it was on 4 hi and i stepped outi noticed there was a humming sound coming from underneathmuch louder then my engine lol...few minutes later it went away

[KoukiS14]

It's not really an issue, as far as I know.I don't remember where I read it, but in cold weather this is normal.Mine does the same.Once the transmission/transfer case is warmed up, it's business as usual.

come to think of it, I think the manual mentions that exact thing.

[Buzzman]

i hope you don't mean that in scientific ratio and more of a joke of Canada vs SD. 32degrees F is 0 degrees C.

windchill subtracts/adds? a good 10-15C. Me n my dad start our trucks everyday even if we don't go anywhere and leave them run for a good 20 mins...or else they barely want to start

A) Yea, I was just taking a shot at those poor Californians freezing their a$$es off in 55*F weather. I wish it was that cold here. I'd be in shorts.

B)Re: windchill. Interesting little tidbit on that: Windchill is not "felt" by, or has an effect on, inanimate objects (like cars). Only living tissue can feel the effect of windchill. If it's -15C, then your car will not get any colder than that, regardless of how strong the wind is blowing. Having said that, it will definitely cool off faster after you shut it off, but it will not get colder than the outside temperature. It can't. It only feels colder to us poor humans, or dogs, or cats, or whatever. It does not affect your car.

[Qxxx4]

someones a science major. lol thats really interesting! thanks for the fact. As for the 4wd light it never came back on and i didnt see in the manual anything about it being normal i just read it needed to be serviced. I was in a rush though so it must have said it was normal in there somewhere. thanks guys

[W O T]

Cold definetely affects your vehicles ability to start. Ive had mine not start because it was so cold out before, heck in all my cars if there out there for long enough.

I guess thats canada, -8 or 9 out right now

[Densetsu]

Whenever my car starts having trouble starting, it's usually when it's -30C or below. If it's really struggling to start, I just take that as a sign that the battery is nearing the end of its life cycle. Swap it out with a new one and all is fine.

If it gets below -35C, I'll plug it in or park indoors if possible. I don't have a heated garage but it's usually a good 10 degrees warmer inside it anyways. I haven't had a problem with starting the Pathy using a fresh battery, including when it was just above -40C last year and I left it parked on the street during work for eight hours.

My dad swears by using 0W30 oil during the winter. I'm starting to think that's a good idea.

[Buzzman]

Yea, I just replaced my factory battery 2 weeks ago. First cold morning and it wouldn't start. Can't complain though. 6 years with an OEM battery is not bad.Went to Costco and bought a new one. Good as new again.I also run 5W30 synthetic year round, so that really helps with cold starts.

[fueler]

Hey, -40 is not so bad Fueler. Remember, it's Celcius, and it's Canada.Actually, I think -40*C is about equivalent to +45*F in San Diego.

LOL just checked, -40C = -40F

[Buzzman]

Cold definitely affects your vehicle's ability to start. I've had mine not start because it was so cold out before, heck in all my cars if there out there for long enough.

I guess that's Canada, -8 or -9 out right now

Oh ya, the cold will definitely affect your vehicle. No argument there. To further confuse everyone, I actually saw this windchill phenomenon thing explained on a science type of TV show once. Your car, or any other non-living thing, cannot get colder than the surrounding air temperature. So your car, or your lawnmower or whatever, can't drop to -30 if it's only -20 outside. Wind or no wind. Stands to reason really. The wind makes you feel colder because it draws heat away from your skin. In reality, it isn't really colder, it just feels that way.

[fueler]

temp supposed to go back up into the mid 70's by the weekend, where i live.

~24* C for you silly celcius people

[Buzzman]

LOL just checked, -40C = -40F

Don't confuse us with facts damit.I think those temperatures are only equivalent in Canada anyway.I'm pretty sure -40C still equals about +45F in California. LOLThis whole metric thing sucks doesn't it?I once told a guy I met in Virginia when I was there on business, that Canada was going whole hog on this metric thing. I told him we were going to change our calender and clocks and everything. Instead of 12 months, we would now have 10 months. We were going to eliminate January and February, thus shortening our winters by 2 months.Our clocks were also only going to have 10 hours instead of 12, and we were going to have 10 day weeks instead of seven. I went on and on, completely straight faced.He believed every word. Lotsa fun.

[brew happy]

Hello all I am new to this board, but I was wondering what it means when the yellow 4wd light stays on? My wife's rig is having that problem. I know that it isn't in 4 wheel, but if you switch it to auto it does go into 4 wheel even though the pavement is dry. Also when you start the pathy the dash indicator for the 2wd/4wd, like what KoukiS14 has as a avatar, lights up for a second, then goes away and doesn't come back on. Any ideas? Thanks guys.

Oh on a side know -40 degrees C is the same as -40 F, who would have thunk it...

[Qxxx4]

if your system can still switch between all the modes i wouldnt be too worried. Mine went away the next day.

have you changed your front and rear diff fluids and transfer case oil? its very important

[fukkeneh240]

hey... yes, it's a dumb question, but is the yellow 4wd light model specific... ie only on qx4? because my green 4x4 light (r50) does not look anything like KoukiS14's avatar. or is it a separate indicator light somewhere on the dash board?

i never had any problems with my 4x4 system yet so i don't know.. haha still a newb to this... i'll go search for the answer right now.. but just in case i cant find it, please let me know.

[brew happy]

OK, here is a picture of that I am looking at. The 4WD light is on the right and is now staying on all the time. The indicator that I was talking about is on the left. Usually the dash indicator for 2WD/4WD is on at all times, but now it only comes up for a few seconds when the key is switched to the on position, then goes away.