How to: The Comprehensive Brown Wire Mod Thread

[joekopo]

i did brown wire mod for my 96 explorer and i screw up something because my truck interiorlight in trucks roof lights all the time.
two nights they lights and then battery are dead.

i think its something about module ?gem?
i have to take fuse number 25 off at night.

does anyone have any solution for the problem??

 

[gijoecam]

i did brown wire mod for my 96 explorer and i screw up something because my truck interiorlight in trucks roof lights all the time.
two nights they lights and then battery are dead.

i think its something about module ?gem?
i have to take fuse number 25 off at night.

does anyone have any solution for the problem??

Either you did something completely wrong, or you have a second unrelated problem causing your lights to stay on.

 

[97sprt4x4]

are you sure you tapped the brown wire.. not a striped brown wire.. cus that shouldn't happen if you grab the correct wires....

 

[184baller]

hey ive got a 96 for this mod do i need to cut the brown wire or can i just conect power to the brown wire with a switch. cause for 97 and later the idea is to break the conection, and for my year the idea is to give it power to keep her locked frond and back. just wondering?

 

[joekopo]

yes its brown wire, i cut brown wire near the splice where two wires connected to three and put 12v to that brown wire which is going to left inside the dashboard...that is going to magnetic?? the other brown wires where they go?

 

[gijoecam]

hey ive got a 96 for this mod do i need to cut the brown wire or can i just conect power to the brown wire with a switch. cause for 97 and later the idea is to break the conection, and for my year the idea is to give it power to keep her locked frond and back. just wondering?

Cut it per the instructions in the first post.

'95-'96 to Engage the 4wd full-time

Access the brown wire and make the connections to the brown wire as described in the procedure for the '97-'01 Explorers. However, connecting to the switch will be a little different.

You will need to connect a splice to a power source in order to manually power the Transfer Case Clutch Coil. I used a Scotch-Lok to splice a wire onto the existing Cigarette Lighter circuit, but any power source will work, so long as it can support an additional 5A without blowing its fuse. Make sure to install a 10A fuse in-line as an additional safety. The transfer case clutch coil draws right around 5A on my truck, so a 10A fuse should be more than sufficient.

If you simply want to add 4high, use an SPDT On-On switch. If you want the ability to use 2 low as well, use an SPDT ON-off-ON switch.

Please note: If you want to use a lighted switch on a 95-96 and want to use 2low, you'll need a very specific type of switch (which I can recommend) or a DPDT switch and separate LED (which you can find at radio shack), and the wiring gets a little more complicated. It's not difficult, but it's a whole other discussion for another time. To keep the choices simple, I'll focus on the first two choices I mentioned here.

For the ON-ON switch to add 4 high:

Connect both wires from the splice to the center terminal on the switch. Then connect the wire from the auxiliary power source to the other terminal on the switch. This will allow the system to function normally as it did before, as well as allow you to send power to the TCCC manually when you turn the switch on.

Before putting the dash back together, connect the 4wd switch and take it out for a ride. With the OEM switch set to 4auto, you should feel the system cycle normally. Then, flip your BWM switch on and the system should be locked in 4wd high.

Please note: In order to use 4high, the OEM switch must be set to 4auto first to lock the CAD on the front axle.

yes its brown wire, i cut brown wire near the splice where two wires connected to three and put 12v to that brown wire which is going to left inside the dashboard...that is going to magnetic?? the other brown wires where they go?

Where are you drawing the power from to power the transfer case clutch coil? If you disconnect the switch, do the lights go out?

I strongly suspect you have a second completely unrelated problem causing the lights to come on. Unless you happened to ground the relay for the lights (doubtful) to provide power to the transfer case, there's no way the problems are related. Try disconnecting the switch for the brown wire mod and see if the lights turn off.

 

[184baller]

k well what i did was cut the brown wire from the gem and hooked a switch with power to the tcc and i am very happy now it works great . for those reading this i have the 95-96 transfer case.

 

[joekopo]

Try disconnecting the switch for the brown wire mod and see if the lights turn off.

yes i have done that but no effect.

when i take module off interior lights starts flashing like three or four times and some relay tapping, then go off. if i put module back, interior light start lights.

power to the coil i take at cigarette lighter with relay because i wannt to cut power off when ignition is off.

i use on-on switch without light. there is three pin of switch.

center pin i put tcc coil (brown)
left pin i put old wire (brown)
right pin i put 12v

i have measured switch and wires that they are correct.

 

[gijoecam]

yes i have done that but no effect.

when i take module off interior lights starts flashing like three or four times and some relay tapping, then go off. if i put module back, interior light start lights.

power to the coil i take at cigarette lighter with relay because i wannt to cut power off when ignition is off.

i use on-on switch without light. there is three pin of switch.

center pin i put tcc coil (brown)
left pin i put old wire (brown)
right pin i put 12v

i have measured switch and wires that they are correct.

And what are you using as a switched power source to trigger the relay?

 

[joekopo]

my sony stereo goes continuing 12v and other wire is 12v when acc/ignition is on.
that i´m using to relay trigger. i don´t remember the colour but stereos are working fine a long time.

sorry if i don´t understand something. i have to translate many words with dictionary

edit: i don´t understand how interior lights are connected with 4wd.
they are using same fuse that is only thing i noticed.

interior ligts are off when i take fuse number 25 or 27 off

 

[gijoecam]

my sony stereo goes continuing 12v and other wire is 12v when acc/ignition is on.
that i´m using to relay trigger. i don´t remember the colour but stereos are working fine a long time.

OK, that's what I needed to know.

I believe your problem with the interior lights is not at all related to the brown wire mod. I believe it's just coincidence or chance that the dome light problem is happening right after doing the brown wire mod. The two problems are, most likely, unrelated.

sorry if i don´t understand something. i have to translate many words with dictionary

I don't know what your native language is, but I'm quite sure your English is much better than my ability to write in your language.

edit: i don´t understand how interior lights are connected with 4wd.
they are using same fuse that is only thing i noticed.

interior ligts are off when i take fuse number 25 or 27 off

As I already mentioned, I don't think they are related. Can you use a test light or multimeter to measure for power at certain points? Here's how I would approach the problem.

First, I have to ask a dumb question: Is the dimmer adjustment knob turned all the way up past the 'click' to the 'ON' position? What happens if you turn the dimmer knob all the way up and down? With the parking lamps on, do the instrument panel lights dim properly?

Second, I need to know EXACTLY which lights are on. Please confirm this for me:
The rear dome lamp/cargo lamp
right hand front door courtesy lamp
left hand front door courtesy lamp
dome lamp

Are there any others?

There are three possible problems that come to mind: First, there could be a door latch that is telling the GEM that the door is open. This problem would also show the 'DOOR AJAR' warning on the instrument panel. If you're not getting the DOOR AJAR message, we know that can't be the problem.

The second could be a stuck relay. The relay that controls the dome lights when the GEM tells it to is in Auxiliary Relay Box #4, which is located on the driver's side rear quarter panel, just below the window. It may be possible to access the relays from the jack storage area, but it'll most likely require you to remove the trim panel to get to them. If you remove the relay and the lights go off, you know you have either a bad relay, or the GEM is calling for the lights. We can troubleshoot this further if that turns out to be the case.

The third possibility that comes to mind is a bad dimmer control module. When you turn the dimmer all the way up past the click, it closes a switch that activates the dome lights, bypassing the relay completely. Unfortunately this may mean tearing the dashboard apart to access the switch and replace it... not an easy job. It may be possible to access it by removing the three screws that hold the fuse panel in the dash, pushing it out of the way, and reaching up inside the dash, but you would be working blind, and that's never an easy thing to do. But, if you can just unplug the dimmer module and the lights go out, then you know that's the source of the problem.

Let me know if that makes sense, or if I can be any more help. Good luck!!

-Joe

 

[joekopo]

thank you very much gijoecam !!!

the problem was dimmer adjustment knob. its just broke at sametime as doing brown wire mod.

now everything works just fine!

 

[slickemhoundd]

i must say ive been itching to do the mod but now im lookin at a 98 mounty 5.0 AWD with 66 thou on it... would it be possible to perform on the mounty

 

[gijoecam]

i must say ive been itching to do the mod but now im lookin at a 98 mounty 5.0 AWD with 66 thou on it... would it be possible to perform on the mounty

I think I made it pretty clear in the first post:

Third, let me make this perfectly clear: If you have a second-generation V-8 with All Wheel Drive, this mod does not work for you.

Sorry...

 

[CRASHCOSBO]

"There were three slightly different systems included in the second-generation Explorers. The All Wheel Drive is a full-time system and cannot be modified to be full-time four-wheel drive or two-wheel drive. The second and third systems used in the '95-'96 and '97-'01 model years were both called 'Control Trac 4 Wheel Drive' Both systems used the (insert model here) transfer case."

I have a 98 Explorer Sport...call me stupid but how do I know what system I have?...my dash switch reads Auto, 4high, 4low...just wondering if this brown wire mod will work for me?

Thanks a bunch!!

 

[97sprt4x4]

"There were three slightly different systems included in the second-generation Explorers. The All Wheel Drive is a full-time system and cannot be modified to be full-time four-wheel drive or two-wheel drive. The second and third systems used in the '95-'96 and '97-'01 model years were both called 'Control Trac 4 Wheel Drive' Both systems used the (insert model here) transfer case."

I have a 98 Explorer Sport...call me stupid but how do I know what system I have?...my dash switch reads Auto, 4high, 4low...just wondering if this brown wire mod will work for me?

Thanks a bunch!!

Yes...

 

[CRASHCOSBO]

Thanks!!!...I''m gonna give it a try

 

[gijoecam]

"There were three slightly different systems included in the second-generation Explorers. The All Wheel Drive is a full-time system and cannot be modified to be full-time four-wheel drive or two-wheel drive. The second and third systems used in the '95-'96 and '97-'01 model years were both called 'Control Trac 4 Wheel Drive' Both systems used the (insert model here) transfer case."

I have a 98 Explorer Sport...call me stupid but how do I know what system I have?...my dash switch reads Auto, 4high, 4low...just wondering if this brown wire mod will work for me?

Thanks a bunch!!

Note I did the write-up... Note the icon below my screenname... Note the emblem on your tailgate... note the switch on your dashboard... All hints.

Valid question though... I may modify the original thread to reflect it. Nobody's ever asked.

 

[CRASHCOSBO]

That was the issue...my tailgate does not say "Control trac" and I was just sort of under the impression that it was a different sort of beast and was possibly just full time all wheel drive, but there is really no indication of that either.. I have only had the truck since April and the way it drives/feels it is almost as if the wheels are all driving. Was the AWD version available with the 4.o motor in Canada? or am I just seeing somthing that is not there?

Thanks

 

[gijoecam]

AWD was only available with the V-8. If you do not have a V8, you do not have all wheel drive. If you have a V6, you cannot have all wheel drive. If you have a switch on the dash for the 4wd, you do not have all wheel drive. If you have a 2-door, you do not have all wheel drive.