need some info please--------  a friend has a 2004 suzuki xl 7 she put into 4 wheel drive by mistake and took her forever to get it out,,,can anyone tell her how to engage and disengage it,,no owners manual,,,thanks for the help

The best source of info on this one is a Suzuki dealer.

I can only guess as I have a '96 Tracker which is very different... 

Generally speaking from experiences with similar systems you have to place the transmission in neutral or park before engaging/disengaging 4wd.  Play with different transmission positions (or neutral if a manual transmission...) until it pops out of 4wd.

That's my guess. 

Anyone got a clue here?

First of all, impress upon her how important it is to remember that 4WD is *ONLY* for low-traction situations:  Snow, ice, gravel, dirt, grass..... The tires need to have an opportunity to slip, as the front and rear axles are completely locked together when that lever's thrown to 4WD (hi or low).  When she turns, the front wheels will travel different arcs than the back, which means they'll make a different number of rotations than the rear, as they'll be travelling a different distance.  If neither the front nor rear wheels can slip a little to compensate, the whole drivetrain will bind. 

A slight bind will make it difficult to disengage the 4WD.  A major bind might start snapping axles or ring gears or whatnot.

BAD GIRL!  BAD, BAD GIRL!

Jacking the truck up until 1 wheel is completely off the ground is the best solution I'm aware of for relieving the bind.  I've also seen someone dump sand in front of a tire and drive over it.  Short of that, she may get lucky by straightening the wheel and driving forward and backward several times.

Yeah, what beercheck sez, too!

the quickest way to screw up a part-time 4wd system (and MOST 4x4s HAVE part-time 4wd drivetrains) is to drive in 4wd on hard flat pavement!

I once owned a miitary truck with part-time 4wd.  When I sold it, I tried to impress on the new owner that he should NEVER engage 4wd on dry pavement!  Shortly after he got it home it ended up sitting behind his barn with a busted front differential for the better part of 2 years.  The truck, a Pinzgauer 710M, is hard to find parts for and was not a cheap purchase.

One time....I had an 88 Bronco II....doing a burnout on wet pavement, got traction, and snapped the u-joint.   I engaged the 4wd, and drove it with just the front wheels for 2 months.   


With auto hubs....I heard you have to flip your switch ...push the button or whatever to disengage 4wd...then drive backwards a few feet to unlock the hubs.    I wouldn't know though...because I don't have auto hubs.

One time....I had an 88 Bronco II....doing a burnout on wet pavement, got traction, and snapped the u-joint.   I engaged the 4wd, and drove it with just the front wheels for 2 months.   

I did that, too, after my drivetrain swap and before I had the custom rear driveshaf made.  Just had to block off the rear output.  "P"ark didn't work though, as motor off = no vacuum pump = no 4WD = front axle does whatever it's inclined to...

With auto hubs....I heard you have to flip your switch ...push the button or whatever to disengage 4wd...then drive backwards a few feet to unlock the hubs.    I wouldn't know though...because I don't have auto hubs.

She doesn't have auto hubs, either.  The hubs are permanently engaged; the "automatic" feature is in the front differential.