Thread: 1997 R50 Series II Nissan Terrano Auto - 4WD Operation

Hi all,

As a complete beginner, I'm trying to learn how to work the 4WD on the above vehicle. Owner's manual is in Japanese and Google Translate is somewhat useful, but still confusing.
The most common situation I'll need 4WD is when taking the vehicle on the beach through different sand conditions.
My vehicle has a selector that says 2WD, Auto and Lock. I know what each of these does. For 4WD, I select Lock. But from that point I get lost.

My 4WD lever looks like this


I tried playing around with it and ended up making all kinds of grinding noises.

If I'm at the end of the gravel road with thick sand in front of me, what steps should I take to get me onto the sand? And if I need to shift to a different 4WD gear (e.g. 4H to 4Lo or vice versa) while in the sand or back into 2WD after I get off the sand, what should I do?

Slightly embarrassing to admit such utter noobism, but I would appreciate any guidance.
Cheers, have a good one!