97 sport track pops in 4x4 at will...on a paved road!

[sheepman]

My 97 sport track pops in 4x4 at will...... this is a great running 1997 Sport track I put a transfer case in two years back and the worst habbit it has is it's ability to pop in 4x4 like going down the freeway or a paved back road. going in 4x4 is not bad it is the effect it has on the front end on pavement and the tires that bugs me. I had a guy at one of the shops teach me that if you turn the switch just past "on" almost to start it will reset the GEM and pop it back out of 4x4 but that gets old too every time I do that the bell sensor in the cab goes off and I get to explain to any new riders what the noise is.
Could this be a sensor gone bad or a problem that I will have to just live with???

 

[Lacky01]

isn't it bad to run 4x4 on pavement?!? or am I just looney?

 

[sheepman]

Yes it is, maybe your missing the point! I DON"T want it to do that and am trying to figure out why it does.

We run 17 4x4s here at the ranch and this one gives me the most headache.

 

[inh]

Does your switch say auto, 4wd hi, 4wd lo? if so then do the brown wire mod, i have a feeling that will fix the issue by disabling 4wd auto.

 

[kert0307]

How do you know it's coming on going straight down the road? Or do you only notice when cornering?

Maybe your 4x4 light is just flashing, which may indicate a different problem?

 

[sheepman]

I only notice mostly when cornering but I drive enough 4x4s that you can tell by feel when it goes in and out. No the light does not flash on and off it just goes in.

INH
you interest me what is the brown wire mod? would that disable the 4x4 auto if so that sounds like what I want. I don't want it doing the auto stuff anymore anyway

 

[inh]

http://www.explorerforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=149388

Basically adding a switch to enable 4wd auto or keep it 2wd. Pretty much a must. I'm to lazy to go mucking about with a wire and a switch, i just swap in 1354's =p

 

[sheepman]

Yeah just what I was thinking but where would you add the switch? underneath by the transfercase or to the powerwire that runs the auto?

 

[sheepman]

you have to explain, remember I am a farmer, you know sorta thick.

 

[joshwho44]

You'll want to add the switch somewhere in the cab. The switch doesn't just disable auto 4wd, it disables 4wd high and low as well. When the brown wire switch is engaged you can select 4wd auto, high, and low as usual. When it is disabled, however, 4wd auto and 4wd high will both function as 2wd and 4wd low will function as 2wd low. If you put the switch within arms reach you can easily select and gear range you want.

 

[sheepman]

I just read the link and printed it off that INH gave me looks exactly like what I am looking for!!!!!! If I understand it correctly I plan to remove the seat sever the brown wire under the seat and run two wires to a lighted switch on the consol. when on it runs as usual and when off I finally get the 2wd I have always wanted!!!!! this is the way this truck should of been designed!!!!


Thanks guys!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[joshwho44]

Sounds good man. Just remember that the brown wire mod shouldn't be used for doing burnouts and the like. This can damage the transfer case clutch, which the brown wire mod disables. I think its mentioned in the thread, however.

 

[Lacky01]

sorry man, misread the original post.

i AM a looney....

 

[pdmustgt]

I wouldn't assume it's going into "4X4". I would also check the front diff never know the spiders/side gear could have a issue.

 

[joshwho44]

If you do the brown wire mod with a lighted switch you will know if and when it is going into 4wd.

 

[sheepman]

Josh thanks for the info on the lighted switch that is my plan to use a lighted one, and this is not exactly the burnout rig more of the family car so the brown wire mod ought to be just fine!!!!

No worries about being sure it is the 4x4 it is, not the spider gears but I appreciate your post alerting me to the possibility!
mike

 

[gijoecam]

First of all, you do not have a Sport Trac. You have a 2-door Sport model. Sport Trac didn't come out until '01.

Second, the brown wire mod will not fix the underlying problem. It's a band-aid for your problem, and may not work at all. It's quite possible that there is something mechanically wrong with the transfer case causing it to get locked into 4wd.

The first step would be to simply unplug the transfer case and see if the problem goes away. If it does, then we know it's an electrical gremlin. If the problem persists, we can be confident it's a mechanical issue with the case.

Either way, the BWM isn't really a fix for anything... In this case, you have a problem that needs to be addressed.

 

[sheepman]

You are correct it is a 97 control trac not sport trac sorry for that. The transfer case is fine checked out on the diagnostic while up on the rack this AM. Did the "un plug" test test today problem did go away it is electrical everything seems to point to the age old problem of computer thinking it is spinning when it is not. I have a buddy at FORD corporate that worked on the design of these and his claim is that they were flawed from the factory with this issue. The many sensors that feed info into the computer sometimes even read a speed "impulse" as a spin and engage the auto 4x4. Either way I don't mind screwing around with this we insure 7 personal vehicles here at the ranch and this one is my personal back up so it is kind of relaxing to wrench a bit on it.

 

[gijoecam]

If you (or your buddy at Ford) can connect an NGS scanner to it, you can monitor the inputs from the front and rear shaft speed sensors on the transfer case. I would suspect one of the sensors is incorrectly dropping out, making the system *think* it's slipping.

IMHO, there is nothing wrong or flawed with the system. The control is just a dumb little box responding as it's been programmed to. As with any computer controlled anything, Garbage in = Garbage out. 10 minutes with a sharp tech and a quality scanner can pin down the troubled part(s) in no-time.

-Joe

 

[sheepman]

Thanks joe actually have been on the phone with john over in Detroit, He agrees ---crap in crap out ----but I guess the point was this particular problem at least according to him is rampant with this model.
Plan to get her plugged in this week and see just waz up! Thanks for the info!!!!