1997 Nissan Kingcab 4x4

[red_dog007]

I might be buying my brothers 1997 Nissan Kingcab 4x4. Has 138,000 miles on it and has the manual transmission.

How can I find out if it has a locking differential in the rear?

Also, how do locking hubs work? I am a Jeep guy so unfamiliar with this. All I know is when you put it in 4x4, you have to also get out of the vehicle and manually lock each front tire. How exactly does that work when engaging/disengaging 4x4. Why is it not automatic?

[RYANBROWN]

Is is designed to keep the 4x4 component in the front end from wearing prematurely. Also they say that a unlocked hub helps to get the vehicle better gas mileage. I am also a Jeep man who went to a Nissan 4x4 truck. I didn't know at first that when using the 4WD you had to lock the hubs. Once you lock these suckers in 4x4 the truck works just as well as a Jeep. One of the things that I like about locking hubs in the ability to put the truck in 2 wheel low range without locking the front hubs.