How to enable all-wheel drive on Niva

Content

How to turn on all-wheel drive on the Niva
How to use all-wheel drive and razdatka on the Niva
- Does Niva have one or two transfer levers and how to control them?
How to disable all-wheel drive on the "Niva"

The answer to this question would be incorrect, because drive on the "Niva" permanent full. Many people confuse the function of the transfer lever, believing that it turns on / off the front axle, while its function is to lock / unlock the center differential.

Therefore, it is possible to implement the function of turning on / off all-wheel drive on the Niva only by interfering with the design of the car. More details about this in the article.

The Niva driver does not have the ability to turn off the drive to the front or rear wheels, as is done in modern all-wheel drive vehicles of other brands, but he must know how to use the transfer case.

How to turn on all-wheel drive on the Niva

The "Niva" has permanent four-wheel drive. What does this mean? That the Niva all-wheel drive scheme implies that it always works - all four wheels constantly receive rotational energy from the internal combustion engine through cardans and differentials.

The information that on the Chevrolet Niva and Niva 4x4 you can turn off and turn on the four-wheel drive with a lever is very common myth. This version is sometimes voiced even by managers of Lada dealers - supposedly the transfer case lever connects the front axle, connecting all-wheel drive. In fact, the Niva has a permanent four-wheel drive, not a plug-in one!

The most common argument in favor of the incorrect theory is why, with the razdatka turned off, if you hang one wheel on the Niva, then the car will not budge? For example, in this video they talk about the “floating” and non-permanent four-wheel drive of the Niva.

How to enable all-wheel drive on the Niva

Permanent or non-permanent four-wheel drive for Niva (look from the timestamp 2.40)

The answer is simple - because on this car, in both generations, free, non-locking differentials are used. How it works - read the relevant material. Therefore, when the wheel is suspended, all the power of the internal combustion engine goes into its rotation, and the remaining three wheels practically do not spin.

Why, then, does turning on the handout lever help off-road? Is it because it "turns on" the operation of the all-wheel drive "Niva"? No, this lever locks the center differential. As a result, the power of the internal combustion engine is not sent to the wheel that spins the easiest (in accordance with the principles of the differential), but is distributed equally between the axles. And one of the axles is able to pull the machine.

By the way, if the “Niva” has a wheel hung / skidded on each axle, the car will not be able to get out of this situation. In this case, only locking each of the wheel differentials would help, but this car does not have it. Although such a device can be installed additionally.

Therefore, the question “how to turn on all-wheel drive on a Chevrolet Niva”, Niva 2121 or 4x4 does not need to be asked, because it is already on. But it is necessary to use the possibilities of locking the center differential. How - let's look further.

How to use all-wheel drive and razdatka on the Niva

Since we have already found out that when they ask the question “how to turn on 4WD on a Niva”, in fact, it means how to turn on the center differential lock, then we will consider the instructions for using the handout.

For off-road conditions, the Niv transfer boxes have two options and two mechanisms. The first is a differential lock. The second is a step-down / step-up gear shaft.

On normal asphalt roads, the overdrive shaft is always used and the differential lock is disengaged. This is the “normal” mode of operation of the car, when it should drive like any city car. How to set the levers correctly - read below in the section on the control of different Niva models.

Off-road use the following modes. Downshift without differential lock, needed when the car needs more traction - in the sand, in the mud, when driving downhill, starting with a heavy trailer.

Switching to a lower gear range can only be done when the car is stationary before the start of movement along a difficult section or when driving at speeds up to 5 km / h, because the Niva gearbox does not have synchronizers! But you can also shift to a higher gear while the car is in motion, with the clutch disengaged.

Locking is used in the following cases - if the area becomes especially difficult to pass and when the wheel slips / hangs out on one of the axles. You can block the differential while the car is moving, but before hitting a difficult section of the road. Most often, this feature is used in conjunction with a downshift. With overdrive, the locked differential can be used when driving on relatively flat road sections without asphalt.

Many sources write that you need to turn on the differential lock when driving on slippery snow and ice. But there are no such recommendations in the user manual - they suggest using this function, if necessary, only if you cannot start on such a surface. And the journalists of “Behind the Wheel” during the tests of the Chevrolet Niva determined that on a slippery surface, the lock helps only when driving downhill. During acceleration, this mode increases the risk of slipping, and in corners it worsens handling!

It is not recommended to make any shifts precisely at the moment of wheel slip. Also, you can not drive with a locked differential at speeds above 40 km/h. Including because such driving impairs the controllability of the carincreases fuel consumption and tire wear. And constant movement in this mode will generally lead to breakdown of mechanisms and transmission parts. Therefore, in all Niva cars and on the Chevrolet Niva, the all-wheel drive icon on the instrument panel is on when the differential is locked. Even if you forgot to unlock it, the signal light will prompt you to correct the situation.

In practice, it can be very difficult to turn on the differential lock. This is because the teeth of the clutch of the nodes rested against the teeth of the gear. Applying force in such a situation is not worth it - you can just break the lever or mechanism! Such a “jamming” is not a sign of a breakdown, but the normal operation of the transfer case. This is a purely mechanical unit that works like this.

According to instructions, engagement of differential lock "Niva" is needed when driving in a straight line at speeds up to 5 km/hwhile depressing/depressing the clutch twice. But the practice of car owners shows that it will be more efficient to do this not in a straight line, but by making a non-sharp turn. With the wheels turned, the lock lever engages easily. A similar problem can be with turning off the lock. The method is the same, but it will be more efficient to move backward with a slight turn of the steering wheel.

How to control the levers of the Niva transfer case in all modes (detailed video)

Niva differential lock control (short video)

Does Niva have one or two transfer levers and how to control them?

For different models of "Niv" the mechanism for controlling the functions of the transfer case is implemented differently.

The models VAZ-2121, VAZ-2131 and LADA 4 × 4 (three- and five-door) use two levers. Front - differential lock. In the “pressed forward” position, the differential is unlocked. In the “pressed back” position, the differential is locked. The rear lever is an up/down range of gears. Position back - increased range of gears. The middle position is “neutral” (in this position, the car will not move, even with the gears engaged). Forward position - downshift.

The LADA Niva, VAZ-2123 and Chevrolet Niva models use one lever. In the standard position, the differential is unlocked and the neutral and up/down positions are the same as described above. The differential is locked by pushing the handle towards the driver, and this can be done in low/high gear or in neutral.

Control scheme with two transfer levers

Control scheme of a dispenser with one lever

How to disable all-wheel drive on the "Niva"

This cannot be done without intervening in the design of the car, so we will consider two options for how to turn off all-wheel drive on the Niva in the easiest way and what consequences can await.

The easiest method is to remove one of the cardan shafts. This is allowed to be done when the mechanism needs repair, and you need to continue moving and operating the machine. Having removed any of the cardan shafts, you get an ordinary XNUMX-wheel drive car, and without installing the part back, it will not be possible to produce it with an all-wheel drive.

The mechanism for disabling the front axle on the Niva, Niva-parts NP-00206

The second option - put a special device, a mechanism for disabling the front axle for the Niva. It is mounted on the transfer case clutch, and the lever is brought into the passenger compartment instead of the standard one. The differential lock lever has a third position - “front axle disengagement”.

Among the advantages of this device, which its developers declare, there is one main one - a possible reduction in fuel consumption by 2,5 liters. Judging by the reviews on the forums, in practice, no one can confirm this figure. also, some sellers promise improved acceleration dynamics and reduced vibration and noise. But then again, in words.

But there are plenty of downsides to this solution. The device costs from 7000 rubles. also, its use will probably lead to faster wear of the rear axle gearbox, because it starts to work more. Although many car owners dispute this, confirming their words with a long drive with the front or rear cardan removed. handling is also reduced, because it is more difficult to steer in a rear-wheel drive car than in a four-wheel drive. Well, those who held such a mechanism in their hands talk about the low quality of its performance.

Therefore, such a decision is very controversial, also not cheap, and few people recommend it among “nivovods”.

repair manual Chevrolet Niva I