95 explorer sport 4WD low and 4WD high lights flashing. 4WD stops working. | Ford Explorer Forums - Serious Explorations

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95 explorer sport 4WD low and 4WD high lights flashing. 4WD stops working.

--Alex--

Member
Joined
June 18, 2008
Messages
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City, State
colorado
Year, Model & Trim Level
95 explorer sport
lately i have been having a problem with my 4WD. i depend on my 4WD where i live, i cant leave home or get home without it in the winter. when i put it in 4 high, it will work perfectly for a few miles, and then both the 4 low and the 4 high lights on the dash start to blink, and then they stop. when they stop, both lights are off. when i switch it back into 2WD after the lights start blinking, they will continue blinking for the rest of the drive. also when the lights start to blink, the 4WD stops working immediately and im back in 2WD. i have done a little research and i think it might be the shift motor on the transfer case. i found this guide. http://www.explorerforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=123542 do you think this will fix my problem? any help is appreciated.
 



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I would start with the link you posted. It's not very hard to do. Just mark everything so that you can put it back together the way you took it apart. Blinking 4by lights from I've read usually lead to the shift motor. Where in Colorado are you?
 












I doubt it is the shift motor. It has absolutely nothing to do with engaging 4WD.

If you were having this problem while/after shifting into low then I'd look at the shift motor.
 






I doubt it is the shift motor. It has absolutely nothing to do with engaging 4WD.

If you were having this problem while/after shifting into low then I'd look at the shift motor.


How can you say that the shift motor has nothing to do with engaging 4x? It has nearly everything to do with it. There is really only 3-5 componets of the 4x4 system. 1. switch on the dash, 2. 4x4 Control module, 3. transfer case shift motor, 4. transfer case, 5. He has a 95 so it's possible that it has something to do with the different front axle configuration on 95's which I know nothing about.

Unlikely that it is the transfer case itself, These just do not have many problems. Unlikely that it is 4x4 control module, because it is going into 4x4 according to his post, Unlikely that it is the switch on the dash, because again in his post it says that it's engaging for a few miles. To take the shift motor off and rebuild according to the thread he posted is a great inexpensive way to take the shift motor out of the equation.
 






How can you say that the shift motor has nothing to do with engaging 4x? It has nearly everything to do with it. There is really only 3-5 componets of the 4x4 system. 1. switch on the dash, 2. 4x4 Control module, 3. transfer case shift motor, 4. transfer case, 5. He has a 95 so it's possible that it has something to do with the different front axle configuration on 95's which I know nothing about.

You forgot the transfer case clutch. Which is what engages 4WD. The shift motor has nothing to with 4WD. It only shifts between low and high.

The OP said the issue was when shifting into 4 High. I have a hard time believing the GEM detects the shift motor in the correct position and then not in the correct position when its not moving.
 






KPT, if you doubt it's the shift motor, do you have any advice for the poster at all? OR to just come here and argue that it's not the shift motor and the transfer case has a clutch? Alex, you can do what you want here. Dead shift motors, and shift motors that don't work all the time correctly are very common on these trucks from the 1st 1991 model year and till now and Shift motor rebuild shouldn't cost you very much to do. Make sure you read the thread you posted entirely so that you can get it out, rebuild it and then get it back in with no problems. The other thing you could do is make sure your Transfer Case has the proper fluid level and that it's not contaminated. Start with your simple, low money things first, Or If KPT has any advice other than "I doubt it is the shift motor" You can follow his route. This is a help forum after all. :) I'm not here to start arguments and I'll leave it at that. :)
 






How can you say that the shift motor has nothing to do with engaging 4x? It has nearly everything to do with it.

'Fraid not, sir. Not on a second-gen. You have a SportTrac. Completely different system in a completely different transfer case. Please do not jump to conclusions about all Explorers based on your limited knowledge of your system.

To take the shift motor off and rebuild according to the thread he posted is a great inexpensive way to take the shift motor out of the equation.
That would be an exercise in futility. It's not the problem. Shift motor failures on second gen Explorers are notoriously rare because they are only used to control range selection. Lockup is an independent system controlled by an entirely different process in a 44-05 than it is in a 13-54.

You forgot the transfer case clutch. Which is what engages 4WD. The shift motor has nothing to with 4WD. It only shifts between low and high.

The OP said the issue was when shifting into 4 High. I have a hard time believing the GEM detects the shift motor in the correct position and then not in the correct position when its not moving.

Agreed 110%.

The only way to really know what they system is seeing and know what's failing would be to have an NGS scanner connected to it to view the GEm PIDs (inputs and outputs). A knowledgable technician with the right tool could diagnose it accurately in about 15 minutes. The best we can do is make a couple of educated guesses.

I'm going to assume that the system kicks out after a matter of a couple of minutes or less. If it's longer, this guess isn't going to be correct. My best guess is that the lockup switch on the front axle that tells the GEM that the center axle disconnect is locked isn't being made. The GEM waits for the signal from that switch to tell it that the front end is locked. If it never receives the signal, it detects the problem, throws a code, blinks the lights, and disables the C-trac function until the next restart.

If it does it every single time, it shouldn't be hard for a tech to reproduce. As much as I hate to recommend it, if it was my vehicle, I'd take it to an independent mechanic with an NGS or equivalent scanner that can watch the GEM inputs and outputs for the proper signals. A Dealership can do it, but for the hour's worth of labor, I'd give a little guy my business first.

Good luck!!

-Joe
 






KPT, if you doubt it's the shift motor, do you have any advice for the poster at all? OR to just come here and argue that it's not the shift motor and the transfer case has a clutch? Alex, you can do what you want here. Dead shift motors, and shift motors that don't work all the time correctly are very common on these trucks from the 1st 1991 model year and till now and Shift motor rebuild shouldn't cost you very much to do. Make sure you read the thread you posted entirely so that you can get it out, rebuild it and then get it back in with no problems. The other thing you could do is make sure your Transfer Case has the proper fluid level and that it's not contaminated. Start with your simple, low money things first, Or If KPT has any advice other than "I doubt it is the shift motor" You can follow his route. This is a help forum after all. :) I'm not here to start arguments and I'll leave it at that. :)

As already mentioned in this thread, the shift motor is not his problem. It's not being used in any way, shape, or form to shift from 2wd to 4auto on his vehicle. It's time to eat a piece of humble pie and realize you're wrong.
 






If I'm wrong, then I'm wrong. I'll eat humble pie. I'm not here to be 100% correct everytime. And your right, I have a sport trac. Totally different animal. It just seemed like a logical solution to me that the 4x4 shift motor was bad, I had forgotten about the control trac. Aright, I'm out of this thread now. SO sorry if I offended anyone here. :thumbdwn: That's not good and that's not why I'm here. Good luck!
 






thanks for all of the help! when i leave the house, i put it in 4 high. it lasts me long enough to get on the regular roads and my 4 wheal works for about 10 miles (maybe) and then it stops working until the next restart. so from what i understand, it isn't the lockup switch. do you think i will damage anything if i keep using it the way it is? im 17, almost 18 and i cant afford a mechanic. next time it snows enough ill crawl off the property in 4 low to see what it does. ill also check the fluid level's and see where that is at. thanks again for all of the help. ill get back to you and tell you what i have found out about this problem. oh, i feel like i should also mention that the light start to blink in the EXACT place on the road every time i use it. there is a stretch of road about 100 feet long and it goes out right there every time.

thanks again,
-Alex
 






thanks for all of the help! when i leave the house, i put it in 4 high. it lasts me long enough to get on the regular roads and my 4 wheal works for about 10 miles (maybe) and then it stops working until the next restart. so from what i understand, it isn't the lockup switch. do you think i will damage anything if i keep using it the way it is? im 17, almost 18 and i cant afford a mechanic. next time it snows enough ill crawl off the property in 4 low to see what it does. ill also check the fluid level's and see where that is at. thanks again for all of the help. ill get back to you and tell you what i have found out about this problem. oh, i feel like i should also mention that the light start to blink in the EXACT place on the road every time i use it. there is a stretch of road about 100 feet long and it goes out right there every time.

thanks again,
-Alex

I agree... I don't think it's the switch either... It would time-out way before that (or I would think so anyways).

It would be helpful to know the code it's storing. Unfortunately, any cheap scanner you can get from AutoZone or the like won't be able to read the GEM DTC's. IMHO, it would be worth it to make some calls and see if you can find a shop willing to charge 1/2 hour for the diagnostic just to retreive the codes. Just make sure they can retreive them while it's doing it and make sure it's the GEM DTC's they can read, not just the engine DTC's.

Wish there was more I could do...

-Joe
 






hi, i told you guys that i would give you an update, so here i am. all i have done is change all of my fluids. i haven't gotten the chance to use my 4WD for good distance, the weather has been fairly nice. i have found that i have a big leak in my diff though. i think i need to replace a gasket. so that is where i am. if i manage to fix this problem. ill come back and tell you what i did. thanks for the help everyone. ill get this fixed slowly but surely.
 






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