noise - transfer case???

[kens24]

same problem here

'97 SOHC XLT

A year or so ago, a loud noise would come from underneath whenever my foot was off the gas pedal and the vehicle was coasting down a hill. The noise sounded something like an air wrench working against no load and would increase in pitch until it reached a speed proportional to what the vehicle was doing. Pressing slightly on the gas pedal made it go away.....the mode switch on dash wouldn't do anything, either.

Made the mistake of taking it to the local Ford dealer for repairs. They rebuilt the case several times.....after one such "repair" we were told the internals were "tight" and needed time to loosen up.....actually, we could not drive it in reverse because the axles were locked in 4x4 Low. 5 visits later, and $2000 worth of rental car fees and new parts (sun gears, shafts, switches, etc.) the problem was gone.....but only temporarily.

The noise is back but at present is not as frequent as it was before.....if history is repeating itself it's only a matter of time.

The only thing we know for sure is Ford's "service" department (I use the term loosely) is a total waste of time and money and we will never take it back there again. As for now we are tempted to just keep driving the thing until it fails completely and then junk it, but want to give one more attempt at finding the problem. Service at the dealer here is out of the question.....it's obvious they don't know what they're doing.

Hard question to answer without seeing it but has anyone ever heard of this happening? Is there a simple check I can do to figure out if it's the transfer case or the transmission?

Also, I have all the documentation from the times it was in their garage for repairs.....should I send a formal complaint to Ford (not that they'll do anything or even care but they ought to at least know they've lost one Ford customer for life? This is no way to do business.

i have the same problem here with my 97 sohc xlt. took it to garage and was advised that the transfercase was bad. picked up and took to amoco and found that all was good but had a electrical problem. possible sensors as mine is the control trac and the whining noise tou here is possibly coming from the transfer case motor which on mine the control trac model has sensors to tell the computer that i might be driving on ice and the back wheels are spinning and to auto engage the 4x4. and that might be the electrical problem but they say take it to ford. Im hoping to get the reference materials i need to resolve this myself. will keep you posted.

 

[gijoecam]

i have the same problem here with my 97 sohc xlt. took it to garage and was advised that the transfercase was bad. picked up and took to amoco and found that all was good but had a electrical problem. possible sensors as mine is the control trac and the whining noise tou here is possibly coming from the transfer case motor which on mine the control trac model has sensors to tell the computer that i might be driving on ice and the back wheels are spinning and to auto engage the 4x4. and that might be the electrical problem but they say take it to ford. Im hoping to get the reference materials i need to resolve this myself. will keep you posted.

I assume you mean Aamco, not amoco, but at any rate, they're wrong.

The whining noise is NOT coming from the transfer case motor. The shift motor on a 95-02 has absolutely nothing to do with the transfer case lockup or the control trac engagement. Lockup is handled by the transfer case clutch coil which locks up the ball-ramp clutch assembly in the t-case, and is controlled by the GEM and TOD relays depending on the mode. The Transfer Case Shift Motor on the transfer case is ONLY involved in shifting from high range to low range and back. It does not lock the case.

The whining noise is the oh-so-common problem mentioned earlier in this thread. You'll want to address it soon and not let it continue. It can and does result in catastrophic failure of the transfer case internals. You'll want a rebuilt case with a guarantee, or if you rebuild it yourself, get the replacement case halves from Omega Machine.

Good Luck!

 

[fraxinusalba]

I realize this is a somewhat old thread but thought I would post anyway for future browsers.

My 97 had same problem. Turned out that one of the plastic/nylon pieces on the shifting fork broke. This allowed the shift gear (can't remember if that's what it's actually called but it'll work for here) to move enough to rub against another gear. Eventually, teeth on gear got burred enough it would no longer engage in 4WD and sometimes not engage in reverse.

One mechanic tried to fix it but failed (he guaranteed his work so wound up getting refund). Tried several other mechanics but they would not attempt repair. One said some of the tolerances were too close unless you had the right equipment and said I would be better off buying a rebuilt one or getting used one. I opted for low mileage used one at $300 vs rebuilt for $1400. Put it in myself and saved some labor bucks - not too difficult a job. 30K miles and still going.

motil73 - hope you got your problem resolved. Your experience is why I don't go to dealer for work unless its warranty and I'm not paying for it. Way most dealers are, think you would be better off paying a 4 year old to go beat on it with a hammer. Just as good a result and lot cheaper.

 

[mijube]

I assume you mean Aamco, not amoco, but at any rate, they're wrong.

The whining noise is NOT coming from the transfer case motor. The shift motor on a 95-02 has absolutely nothing to do with the transfer case lockup or the control trac engagement. Lockup is handled by the transfer case clutch coil which locks up the ball-ramp clutch assembly in the t-case, and is controlled by the GEM and TOD relays depending on the mode. The Transfer Case Shift Motor on the transfer case is ONLY involved in shifting from high range to low range and back. It does not lock the case.

The whining noise is the oh-so-common problem mentioned earlier in this thread. You'll want to address it soon and not let it continue. It can and does result in catastrophic failure of the transfer case internals. You'll want a rebuilt case with a guarantee, or if you rebuild it yourself, get the replacement case halves from Omega Machine.

Good Luck!

Hi,
does that mean, that the Motor is never going to N?



I recognized that the Motor in my 1995 is only mowing between Hi and Low, and I thought it is broken.
So I put my TC nanualy into N, and now I have a not so loud humming,
like something is never used before.

Regards
Michael


P.S.
If someone likes to read German:

http://explorer4x4.de/viewtopic.php?t=6483

 

[kdbstl]

Did any of these noises sound like a gearing up and down with speed. I have that sound and a whine. I replaced rear axle bearings to no avail. I was hoping that gearing sound is from the transfer and not rear end gears.