BWM Brown Wire Mod 3rd Gen

[Limited02]

Removed because I don't know if the switches still work when you turn on (turn 4x4 off) the BWM. But when the BWM is off(4x4 is now working) the switches should work completely normal.

 

[Curtis]

ok im thinking about doing this but there are a lot of information scattered around about the buttons and what they will do...

so ther is

4x4 auto
4x4 high
4x4 low

now i know what these are but if you do the bwm mod what will they do when you turn on the switch and when you turn off the switch...

Think of the buttons doing exactly what you expect ... except the front wheels dont get engaged.
So 4x4 auto and 4x4 high will be very similar
But if you select 4x4 low, you will get the low gear, but rear wheels only.

All the brown wire does is provide the signal to engage the front wheels. take that away, and front wheels never engage.

 

[aceniceros]

Think of the buttons doing exactly what you expect ... except the front wheels dont get engaged.
So 4x4 auto and 4x4 high will be very similar
But if you select 4x4 low, you will get the low gear, but rear wheels only.

All the brown wire does is provide the signal to engage the front wheels. take that away, and front wheels never engage.

oh ok i get it and if you flip the switch on you will have 4x4 and if you press
4x4 low with the switch on youll have 4x4 low...correct.

 

[psi2rd]

I am new here but know my way around vehicles. I would like to do this and have found all the wires, 04 at the transfer case. My question is, as in post #102 there is a line voltage even when not in 4wd. If the transfer case didn't need this why have a voltage there? It is a lot easier for Ford to make a wire "dead" and "hot" then to have a lower and higher voltage go through the wire. It is even harder to make something work at 2.5v and not at 1-1.5v. I did not measure the voltage but I did test and there is low voltage always there.

 

[Kazer]

so i pulled the 17 and 18 fuses last night and drove around the block, im was very hesitant on the gas pedal becuase my x has 64k miles on it and idk how the TC is acting. i want to do the bwm becuase i drive agressively and the auto 4x4 kicks in wayyy to often. becuase of my driving habits, would you guys still reccommend me doing the bwm? i guess i just need reassurance lol

 

[Curtis]

so i pulled the 17 and 18 fuses last night and drove around the block, im was very hesitant on the gas pedal becuase my x has 64k miles on it and idk how the TC is acting. i want to do the bwm becuase i drive agressively and the auto 4x4 kicks in wayyy to often. becuase of my driving habits, would you guys still reccommend me doing the bwm? i guess i just need reassurance lol

If by "driving aggressively" you mean a 20 ft burn out at every stop light then Id say leave well enough alone.
But as long as there's no wheel spin (not too much anyway) I see no problem

 

[Kazer]

my aggressive is squealing the tires becuase i gas it around corners and i usually punch it at stoplights. im not one for burnouts because i cant quite afford new brakes and tires. the main reason i wanna do the bwm is becuase when i leave my schools driveway everyday i step on the throttle when turning and i can feel the truck always lag for a second after the initial lift off for the front wheels engage

 

[zerodevil]

Ive had my BWM done for about a year and a half now, my TC is still fine at 119K miles.

 

[Kazer]

so can i just pull fuse 17 and 18 and drive like that for about a week to decide if i really want to do the bwm before i start cuttin and splicin wires n stuff? my 4x4 low light is dimly lit and my door ajar light is also dimly lit, this shouldnt be a major problem right?

 

[zerodevil]

you can indeed, the lights are just letting you know your 4x4 system isnt working. I do a one up on my 4x4 in the summer and remove the front drive shaft and lock the T-case in 4x4.

 

[MOOVS]

will the brown wire mod work on my 07?

 

[zerodevil]

um, pull up the floor pannel and see if the wire is there.. as i said in the other thread though, your looking to roast your tires, an the BWM is almost gauranteed to ruin your transfer case with this. just temporarily remove the front drive shaft (Takes like 15 minutes) and roast em off.

 

[mike214125]

somewhere earlier in this thread I was reading that the bwm was a dealer fit option if that is the case then it can't be bad for the tc right? any info would be great , thanks

 

[IZwack]

It was mentioned around post #114 but it was never really confirmed whether or not its a dealer fit option.

 

[zerodevil]

i looked at at least 15 gen 3 explorers before settling on the one i bought, awd, 4x2, 4x4, v6, v8 from XLS to Limited... and i have NEVER seen a BWM Fitted untill i saw this thread. id say thats a darn myth. IF its dealer fitted, its just a service they performed and its one of those owner carries all risk dealios. The BWM will damage T-case if used for burn outs or other cases where front and rear wheels have drasticaly different speeds. Put your truck on stands, and run the tires up to 40 mph and watch how fast those front tires spin with the BWM on if you dont believe there is enough parasite drag to cause damage... ON a less worrysome note, i have done my crazy burn out with the BWM and my T-case is still good to go, and i have ran the BWM for two years... to be safe though i remove the front drive shaft when im feeling sporty with my ride and "Might" let those back tires go.

 

[absolutecountry]

Curtis...did it work on the '04?

 

[absolutecountry]

I'm trying to disengage the 4x4 on my '04 entirely, because it shifts into 4 wheel many times during every outing. I do not "burn tires" , ever. will the bwm destroy my TC?

 

[Curtis]

Curtis...did it work on the '04?

I've been holding off because I still have a warranty on the vehicle, about 10k miles to go but I'll do it then for sure. Either that or remove the front drive shaft.

I'm trying to disengage the 4x4 on my '04 entirely, because it shifts into 4 wheel many times during every outing. I do not "burn tires" , ever. will the bwm destroy my TC?

I dont think so. You'd only expect damage if/when the speed of the rear wheels differs greatly from the front for extended periods of times.

 

[absolutecountry]

Thank you. So, could I just cut and cap the brown wire?

 

[Curtis]

Thank you. So, could I just cut and cap the brown wire?

That would do the same thing as a switch in the off position so I cant see why not.

I would think while you're at it you might as well pick up a $3 switch and a bit of wire so in times of need you could easily turn it back on with little effort.