Control apparatus for a vehicular 4-wheel drive system

A control apparatus for a vehicular 4-wheel drive system provided with:

• primary drive wheels to which a drive force is transmitted from a drive power source;
• auxiliary drive wheels to which the drive force is selectively transmitted;
• a first clutch configured to selectively place a first power transmitting path between the drive power source and the auxiliary drive wheels, in a power transmitting state and a power cutoff state;
• and a second clutch disposed in a second power transmitting path between the first clutch and the auxiliary drive wheels, to selectively place the second power transmitting path in a power transmitting state and a power cutoff state, the control apparatus being configured to place said first clutch and said second clutch in fully released states in a 2-wheel drive mode of the vehicular 4-wheel drive system in which the drive force is transmitted from the drive power source to the primary drive wheels, the control apparatus comprising:
• a first-clutch control portion configured to bring said first clutch into a partially engaged state when a predetermined condition in which the vehicular 4-wheel drive system generates or is considered to generate a noise is satisfied in the 2-wheel drive mode in which said first and second clutches are placed in the fully released states.