[ella138]

Please excuse my ignorance (afterall I am blonde) but what is the point of having a lock switch that only works up to 6mph which is what Nissan has changed the new 2005 Muranos to. Why bother with a lock button at all? When would you use this? 6mph is so slow I dont think I've ever gone that slow. Not even in a winter storm and I'm in Canada!!!

 

[Stoker]

Good question, most North American cars lock the doors at 20 Kph. As to the reason on having the lock switch, I would still like to have the option in opening my doors at my command.

When is your Mo scheduled to arrrive?

 

[10413]

Good question, most North American cars lock the doors at 20 Kph. As to the reason on having the lock switch, I would still like to have the option in opening my doors at my command.

When is your Mo scheduled to arrrive?

I believe ella138 was referring to the AWD lock, not door locks.

I would actually prefer that the MOs doors autolocked like just about every other vehicle out there these days. Even if the doors are locked, simply pulling on the "open" lever unlocks and opens the door in one action...

 

[ella138]

I didn't mean the door locks. I was actually referring to the AWD where the lock switch locks all 4 tires so there is 50% power to the front and 50% power to the back wheels.

 

[10413]

Oh, and to answer your question ella138, the most commonly-given reason is because the MO's AWD system is a little weak. Driving in lock mode can damage the transfer case and I believe cause other problems like leaks and such. On the 03 and 04 models there was a toggle switch for ON/OFF, and if locked, would disengage at 19mph. On the 05s, the switch has been changed to an electronic switch that resets to OFF every time to turn the vehicle off, and the lock disengages at 6mph.

Hopefully for 06 Nissan will fix up the AWD system to be a little beefier and less delicate.

 

[dmako]

Should be more than 6 MPH, but if you reach even 1 MPH your not stuck, right?

 

[mgthe3]

...that's what I was thinking dmako.....at 6mph I think ur goin enough for the front wheels to do their job, unless you stand on it.

If you hang with some hard core 4 wheelers, you'll notice that they creep through things, not blast through them. If ya want to blast through stuff you need something like a 74 bronco with twin 9" locked diffs and a 351C, they are unbreakable....but UUuuuugly!
hehe

 

[big_daddy_mpd]

In the US its 18mph, which is plenty to get yourself out of a "slippery situation".

Regards,

Big

 

[10413]

In the US its 18mph, which is plenty to get yourself out of a "slippery situation".

Regards,

Big

You sure? You're the first 05 owner (I think) who has said that... everyone else seems to be in agreement that the 05s were changed to 6mph (due to a new controller and switch package that is different from the 03/04 system).

 

[hfelknor]

I didn't mean the door locks. I was actually referring to the AWD where the lock switch locks all 4 tires so there is 50% power to the front and 50% power to the back wheels.

Never happens.

The Murano is never in 4 Wheel drive.


Under normal conditions it is a One Wheel Drive car.

With AWD locked,and below a certain speed (Thatseems to be a variable?) , then the Murano has two wheel drive.
One in front, and one in back.

That's as good as it gets.

Bottom line?
Look at how pretty it is.
Feel how smooth it is.
Enjoy how powerful it is.

But don't fool around with people who have REAL AWD, and never try to keep up in the boonies with people who have 4WD.

Homer

 

[Trev]

From my 2005 service manual:

LOCK Mode

*Lock mode will change to AUTO mode automatically when the vehicle speed exceeds approx. 10 km/h (6 MPH)

*Vehicle will switch automatically to Auto mode if vehicle speed increases. If vehicle speed decreases, the vehicle automatically returns to direct 4-wheel driving conditions.


From the owners manual

* If any malfunction occurs in the AWD system the driving mode may change to 2 wheel driving condition (FWD).

 

[SiriusDriver]

We are talking about the AWD Lock feature that sends 50% of the torque to the front and 50% to the rear right? That must be an 05 issue. As far as I know, mine comes out of lock mode at 19 MPH or 30 KPH. Otherwise, with the AWD Lock feature off, I should have anywhere from 50-100% of the torque to the front wheels with 50-0% or the torque or the difference to the rear at any speed. It's still an AWD vehicle, it's just that the computer decides, instead of you. I wouldn't say it's a bad thing, just that the lock feature seems less neccessary on the 05.... maybe... :2:

 

[big_daddy_mpd]

I'm sorry, I'm wrong...it is 6mph, the point here is that AWD is MUCH smarter than we are about when the wheels need power. "Lock" mode is when you are really "stuck", and need to get out of a fix. You typically don't get out of those kinds of 4WD fixes going much over 6mph, and if you are going over 6mph, AWD should be enough. I live just south of Cleveland, and believe me, wouldn't have a MO if it didn't perform up here.

It does.

Regards,

Big

 

[SiriusDriver]

I agree. As long as you are moving slightly, you can get out of pretty much any sticky situation. Rocking your vehicle back and forth when you are stuck, I can't see anyone moving more than 6 mph without doing possible damage to there vehicle.

 

[dejongj]

If you think 6mph is too slow for AWD lock, then you are going to fast where you should be going much slower to play it safe and keep vehicle control...

If you are in a situation where you can go faster than 6mph, why would you need AWD? You wouldn't get any of the benefits anymore...

 

[zebelkhan]

My 2001 Toyota 4x4's 4WD system could do up to 65 mph when engaged. With transfer case locked (even power front to back and side to side) could do up to 20 mph. I always wondered why I would need to go that fast in 4x4 mode...

 

[HuskyFan]

The 2005 AWD lock mode disengages above 6mph but that doesn't mean it won't be in AWD mode above 6 mph since it automatically goes into AWD mode when needed based on wheel slippage at any speed. Going up a snowy hill for example you probably will find the front wheels slipping and that will engage the AWD. The AWD lock button enables one to lock in the AWD under 6 mph when you are stuck and need help to get moving. The reason the AWD lock button disengages at 6 mph is because if one were to engage the lock button on dry pavement serious damage could occur to the drivetrain especially when turning since the rear wheels are fighting the front wheels and can bind up the drivetrain. If there was a center differential between the front and rear then that would probably solve the problem. The older Subarus didn't have a center differential and so you selected 4 wheel drive when on ice or snow only. The new Subarus AWD have the center differential so they don't have the problem.

 

[zebelkhan]

It makes sense...

 

[ella138]

As you can see from my signature I have not gotten my Mo yet however, I am now driving a Toyota Rav 4 which is power to all wheels all the time regardless of weather and/or road conditions. I never had any problem on any kind of road. I'm still not sure why this feature even exists? If you need help from the rear tires, my understanding is that they will kick in on their own....so why the lock switch if they kick in anyway? Is it just a toy for those that like switches? or does it really function as a feature that is practical and can and should be used in certain situations?

 

[ZBoy]

My 2001 Toyota 4x4's 4WD system could do up to 65 mph when engaged. With transfer case locked (even power front to back and side to side) could do up to 20 mph. I always wondered why I would need to go that fast in 4x4 mode...

Ahh yes, but if you had the TRD Limited Slip Differential, you would have found that it limited you to 15 mph.

The reason is this (from an avid offroader):

Locking your AWD or, if you have a 4wd with LSD, will cause drivetrain binding. In other words, if you go on dry pavement, lock the AWD/LSD, and then turn sharply, the outer wheels spin faster than the inner wheels. When the wheels are locked together, this causes binding. This can eventually cause the drivetrain to break. Very $$$.

Also, locking your AWD or LSD really only needs to be done when you are stuck, or at a high risk of being stuck. In mud, snow, sand, etc, gassing it as hard as you can only spins the tires and digs you deeper (I learned that the hard way). You have to slowly finesse your way out. For this reason, there is no need to have the AWD/LSD lock at high speeds, since if you need to use it, you should be going very slowly anyhow.

Also, if you are stuck, lower your air pressure to 20 or so PSI. Back on my Tacoma, I used to drop it doen to 10PSI, I had BFG Mud Terrains which worked great at low pressure.