04 Stuck in 4wd

[Fighting5thSVT]

I have a stock 04 XLT V6 that is stuck in 4WD High. I put the truck up in the air and all 4 wheels would spin in drive, WITHOUT the dashlight on. I press the 4x4 high button--dash light comes on and drives exactly the same. Engaged 4x4 Low and I can here it clunk and engage. After I put it back into 4x4 auto--dash light goes off, yet the front wheels still spin.

I have done a search here already and have found nothing to help--all of the posts are for pre-2001 era trucks.

Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks

 

[Ronin8002]

I have a stock 04 XLT V6 that is stuck in 4WD High. I put the truck up in the air and all 4 wheels would spin in drive, WITHOUT the dashlight on. I press the 4x4 high button--dash light comes on and drives exactly the same. Engaged 4x4 Low and I can here it clunk and engage. After I put it back into 4x4 auto--dash light goes off, yet the front wheels still spin.

I have done a search here already and have found nothing to help--all of the posts are for pre-2001 era trucks.

Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks

The front wheels are always going to spin on a 4x4 2002-2010 explorer, even when in "auto" 4wd. This is because the transfer case gives the front wheels 5% power at all times in auto mode, and steps it up in increments depending on how much wheel slippage there is between the the front and rear wheels. 4 hi will have 50/50 power always between front and rear, so does 4 lo but its a lower gear range

Sounds like its working fine to me, unless you are having driveline binding or clunking issues during normal driving.

 

[2Trux]

I don't want to start a new debate on if there is any power to the front wheels in A4WD during normal driving, but consider how you are testing it.
When you have it on stands and start the wheels turning the computer sees the back wheels moving and the front not moving. It assumes wheel slip and activates the clutch in the transfer case which starts the front drive shaft. The front wheels spin so it looks like it is in 4X4 mode (which it is).
Because of the design of the system it's hard to verify that it is running in "2H" mode during normal driving.
As stated above if you are not having binding problems it's probably working as designed.

 

[Ronin8002]

I don't want to start a new debate on if there is any power to the front wheels in A4WD during normal driving, but consider how you are testing it.
When you have it on stands and start the wheels turning the computer sees the back wheels moving and the front not moving. It assumes wheel slip and activates the clutch in the transfer case which starts the front drive shaft. The front wheels spin so it looks like it is in 4X4 mode (which it is).
Because of the design of the system it's hard to verify that it is running in "2H" mode during normal driving.
As stated above if you are not having binding problems it's probably working as designed.

Good point 2Trux

 

[Fighting5thSVT]

OK. thanks for that. Didnt know that is how it operated in 2wd.

Reason I put it up in the air to check was that I have a rotational "brrr brrr brrr" noise in the drive train that i cannot pinpoint. I can hear it when the radio is off and while inside the cab. It is most audible when slowing <10mph and is not noticble while driving. It does not sound like it could be anything with the brakes either. I cannot hear it at all when I am outside the truck. It sounds like it was coming from either the front transfer case or front dif. I dont believe that its the common rear end whine. I have had that whine for years--still can hear it, but this new noise sounds like it is coming from a different spot under the truck.

Any ideas, please feel free to throw them out there. Thanks to those that posted earlier