In a forum where somebody mentions a .2MPG difference, you'd think that using the correct term means something but I guess not!

 

But shouldn't we at least agree that the FEH has FULL TIME not PART TIME 4wd or awd?

 

It is not full time. Subaru has full time - power is always sent to all four wheels. Posts on a different topic have verified that at highway speeds, for example, the rear wheels do not turn under normal conditions.

It is true that under most (probably all) acceleration circumstances the FE / FEH will send power to the rear wheels, but it also cuts off that power - something a full time system cannot do.

 

Steve, I totally agree with you as to how the FEH drivetrain works.

But I thought the terminology of FT vs PT refers to whether or not the 4wd/awd system can be left engaged full time or not. My Chevy Blazer has part time 4wd since it is under the driver's control (lever) and should not be left engaged while driving on dry pavement. I think of the FEH and Subaru as full time 4wd/awd because the system is always engaged and can be run full time under all conditions. I was not trying to say that power transfer to the wheels is full time or part time, just the usage of the system.

 

I suppose by that definition it is full time. I'm learning here that people have a lot of definitions!

BTW I think your blazer has a "true" 4WD system, unlike the FEH. You can lock your hubs.

 

Agreed on the definitions. I think that full time vs part time are legacy definitions that predate awd. Confusing I agree when we carry them forward to more modern vehicles.

My Blazer doesn't have manually locking hubs, but it does have a transfer case that fixes the power distribution between front and rear axles to 50/50 (I think). That transfer case is what prevents it from being run full time on dry pavement without damage.

 

I had a '73 Blazer 4x4, it was Full time system and had a differential between the back and front, so it could be driven on dry pavement. It had low and high lock positions for bad conditions.

My '86 and '97 Ranger with 4x4 high/low with shift on the fly auto locking hubs. In mid-'99 they went to constant engagement hubs like the F-150's have. Auto locking hubs were a problem and I installed Warn manual hubs on my '97. In '98 they changed the spline count on the stub shafts and the Warn's wouldn't work. It was rumored that a company in Brazil was going build a manual locking hub for the different spline but it never happened!

Parts to repair auto lockers was $300 each and Warns were about $100 a pair.