How to: The Comprehensive Brown Wire Mod Thread

[IZwack]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Continuity_test

With a continuity test, you can find out if a wire at point-A is indeed the same wire at point-B by supplying current at point-A. If the current shows up at point-B, then there is 'continuity' in the circuit.

 

[iBangKaty]

and all i really have to do is snip this wire and cap it off and i wont ever have to deal with 4wd again rite?

if i want i can put a switch but my 4wd is wrecking my truck anyway... that's why i dont want it on

 

[iBangKaty]

the brown wire im about to cut is a thick guage but i noticed that it has a blue stripe on it.... is this the one?

 

[iBangKaty]

anybody out there???

im pretty sure i found the corect wire and i installed a switch.... but i cant try it out yet my vaccum hose is not connected to the intake..... i also wanted to know what a TOD relay is and what a TCS relay is...

 

[IZwack]

TOD = torque on demand
no idea what a TCS is.

Just cut the wire -- if its the wrong wire, you can always put it back to how it used to be with a soldering gun and heat shrink tubing (or electrical tape).

 

[slickemhoundd]

an someone pm me on what exactly to do. Ive tried to comprihend it but my dumb a** cant. Ive got a 2000 xlt 4.0 sohc 4wd. I would place the switch under my seat. Im assuming id take the brown wire and clip it than hook it to the switch? I just wanna get rid of auto. still want hi/lo. Id appriciate it. I cant stand decifering threads id rather dig in and do it!! Still good thread tho.

 

[gijoecam]

Sorry for the delay in responding... I was on vacation last week and have been trying to get caught up at work.

im not quite sure which brown wire to cut (theres 2 brown wires one a bigger guage)... i dont wanna cut the wrong one.... can anybody help me with this? should i take a pic?

what's a continuity test!? and i found the wire underneath the flap behind the back seats when they are folded down... on the driver's side

the brown wire im about to cut is a thick guage but i noticed that it has a blue stripe on it.... is this the one?

If it's not a brown wire it's not the right wire. If it's in the rear of the vehicle, it's nowhere near the right wire. The correct wire runs from a splice inside the dash as pictured at the beginning of this thread, across the IP, down to the floor, along the door sill, through a grommet, and to the t-case. That's it. No other brown wire on the vehicle with or without a stripe is the correct one.

an someone pm me on what exactly to do. Ive tried to comprihend it but my dumb a** cant. Ive got a 2000 xlt 4.0 sohc 4wd. I would place the switch under my seat. Im assuming id take the brown wire and clip it than hook it to the switch? I just wanna get rid of auto. still want hi/lo. Id appriciate it. I cant stand decifering threads id rather dig in and do it!! Still good thread tho.

I described the process with pretty clear pictures at the beginning of this thread. If you read through the background information, it'll help you better understand exactly what you're doing to the truck and why it needs to be done. The pictures are a step-by-step how-to that, in my (somewhat-biased) opinion are pretty simple, clear, and easy to understand. I'd do it for you, but that's tough to do via the 'net.

 

[SAY789]

Welp Im Happy Just Did This Mod To My 01 X 4.0 Xlt In Less Than 1/2 Hour And It Worked Out Great!!

 

[97sprt4x4]

If You were to grab the wire under the seat do you still have to pull the Stero out? or is it just one or the other?

 

[gijoecam]

If You were to grab the wire under the seat do you still have to pull the Stero out? or is it just one or the other?

Shouldn't be any need to pull the stereo out... I personally found it easier to work there than pulling the trim apart along the door, but whatever works for you works for me.

 

[97sprt4x4]

Brown Wire mod Sucessful??

Well i did the wire mod by directions to a T. and i think it works. how ever i think i may have broken something in the tests... I can do donuts with it. but if i hold the break and put the gas peddle down the engine revs, and the body torques and the tires will not spin. The lighted switch get's brighter.. wha happened...? I checked the diff's and the TC, nothing's leaking. help...?

 

[BigBlackMerk]

a friend of mine has a 97 x and all he did to make it 2wd was pull out the fuse for the 4wd. at lease thats what he told me. is that posible? and so what fuse # is it

 

[blue88b2]

Well i did the wire mod by directions to a T. and i think it works. how ever i think i may have broken something in the tests... I can do donuts with it. but if i hold the break and put the gas peddle down the engine revs, and the body torques and the tires will not spin. The lighted switch get's brighter.. wha happened...? I checked the diff's and the TC, nothing's leaking. help...?

if it's lighted, doesn't that mean you are at stock settings since you bridged the gap in the brown wire. If you turn the switch off, then you've disconected it. hence 2wd

 

[4x4firefighter]

so wait....can i access the one under the seat and not take apart the dash at all or i have to access the dash either way?

 

[IZwack]

You can intercept the brown wire anywhere between the controller and the transfer case. So yes under the seat will work.

 

[Donner]

Tcs

im pretty sure i found the corect wire and i installed a switch.... but i cant try it out yet my vaccum hose is not connected to the intake..... i also wanted to know what a TOD relay is and what a TCS relay is...

TOD = torque on demand
no idea what a TCS is.

Just cut the wire -- if its the wrong wire, you can always put it back to how it used to be with a soldering gun and heat shrink tubing (or electrical tape).

Transmission Controlled Spark relay, no? :

 

[4x4firefighter]

transmition controll spark spounds good to me.......but if its wrong it was the other guys fault.....

 

[JCUZ]

Transmission Controlled Spark relay, no? :

Probably just Transmission Control System

 

[gijoecam]

Transfer Case Shift relay... there are two of them.

 

[kyleyz762]

i did this mod to my 97xlt it takes about 20min. i didnt need to take my seat out. i just lifted my plastic pieces up and got under the carpet and theres 2 bundles of wires youll see. if you dig into the one on the left and find the brown wire, you can just get enough room to cut it and add some wires and pop a switch on em.(run them under everything and up to wherever you want your switch) its alot easier than ripping your dash or seat out