Some questions (4x4,interior) | Ford Explorer Forums - Serious Explorations

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Some questions (4x4,interior)

Twenty

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July 3, 2017
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Location
Örtofta
City, State
Skåne - Sweden
Year, Model & Trim Level
Explorer v6 - 97
Morning everyone!

What kind of 4x4 is it on the 97s Ford Explorer? The 4x4auto, is it full time or part time AWD?
I have 2WD, 4x4 auto and 4x4 Low.

Inside the left trunk wall I have some strange contraption. It's a white (empty) container hooked up to some cables with a on/off button. (With a huge warning sticker telling you to read the manual first)
Anyone got a clue what it is?

Sadly. I got my car without a owners manual (Currently searching for a new one) so unable to look some stuff up.

Thanks!
Take care, Nick from Sweden
 



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Hi Nick, welcome.

What your truck has is an automatic 4WD transfer case. The switch lets you choose between the 2WD, or A4WD, or 4WD low. It isn't AWD at all, but make sure you keep tires on it which are exactly the same diameter. A slight difference will make the A4WD setting force the system to engage the front driveshaft. That will wear out the TC fast, which has a kind of electric clutch(kind of like the AC clutch) in it .

I don't know what you have in your left rear area, the white container doesn't sound familiar. If you can post a picture of it, we can figure it out.

For the manual eBay will likely have one if you keep an eye out for it. Regards,
 






Hey CDW, thanks.

Is the A4WD for driving on pavement, or best suited to be left alone for the forests. We get allot of snow here, it's it suited for that. Or will it wear down too fast .

Thanks, Nick
 






It's made for any conditions like AWD. As long as the tires are equal, you might never notice anything different from the 2WD to the A4WD. That's the intention, in very tight turns it's somewhat common to feel some binding. That's when inner tires turn less than outers, and the front will also turn faster than rears due to the path they travel.

Normally the transfer case might last as long as any other parts like the transmission. Off the road you could prefer the 4WD setting, to make it stay in 4WD for loose ground etc.
 






Thanks. Already have a spare transfer case in the garage sitting and waiting. Heard it's quite the common problem.

Have a picture of the white container, but it will have to wait until I get home.

Thanks again.
Nick
 






Glad to help. The best thing you can do for the transfer case is to keep good fluid in it, plus the tires being identical. For the ATF in that, use Mercon I(the original required fluid, called Dexron III/Mercon). You may know that the Mercon was discontinued(stopped the licensing to make it), but the Dexron III was made by brands to meet the Mercon standard also. Thus, the Dexron III you find there should be the right fluid.

The key is to not use the Mercon V, that came later and is slicker, made that way to reduce "shudder" in the later transmissions, which were made for that fluid. But it's not good for earlier models, it can create excess slippage that hastens wear.

Most ATF bottles here for Dexron III still list Mercon on the label, saying it's compatible(meets the standards). That's what we use and hopefully you can find it easily too. I'd change that if the fluid doesn't look new, or after 25k miles, or as much as once a year. You can't do that too much.
 












My personal opinion is that I'd leave the switch in 2WD in normal driving conditions. Just puts that much less wear on the transfer case. Of course, for winter driving and off-roading, I'd be using 4 Auto and 4 Lo (slower speeds only) respectively.
 






My personal opinion is that I'd leave the switch in 2WD in normal driving conditions. Just puts that much less wear on the transfer case. Of course, for winter driving and off-roading, I'd be using 4 Auto and 4 Lo (slower speeds only) respectively.

I wouldn't do that unless you are a rare person who actually rotates their tires very often. You have to keep the tire wear even for the transfer case, and rear tires often wear out faster than the fronts. Keeping it in 2WD will increase the wear of the rear tires. So you can do that, but don't ignore the tires for 10,000+ miles and wonder why the tires have differing wear.
 






It's been recommended to rotate your tires on a regular basis from the time autos hit the roads. I had always been very lazy about doing this...even with my '93 & '95 Explorers with 4WD. Kept both in 2WD virtually all the time; unless roads became slick/snow covered in the winters. And, those trucks saw their share of winter driving as they were my daily drivers while working in Outside Sales. But, I only used the 4Auto until the roads were cleared of snow/ice. Never had a problem with my transfer case on either...even though I put 200K + miles on each. Heck, I'd even buy two new tires at a time (front or back) as needed; just like I did on all my prior vehicles (in hindsight, I wouldn't recommend that on these Explorers).

My '98, however, came without the option of shifting into true 2WD. Truck came from Phoenix area with 106K miles on it. I put another 45K on it without ever touching the dash switch. Broke old habits and followed recommendations to rotate what were then fairly new tires regularly. Guess what...transfer case decides to lock up and required a rebuild. Fluid was fine...tires were all the same make/model and had even tread wear. Driving conditions were almost always ideal when I took it out on the road. Terrain around here is mostly flat and I consider myself a cautious driver. In other workds, the truck is babies. Go figure...

Judging by the number of posts regarding the infamous "brown wire conversion", there must be plenty of others on this site who feel the same way about the lack of true 2WD driving.
 
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Fine for you, as anything, do what you want. But please don't recommend things to others which may cause issues, such as the tires wearing unevenly and ruining the transfer case. You got lucky, fortunate, whatever. Don't assume what you were lucky doing will work for everyone else.

The best answer is to keep identical tires on all 4WD/AWD vehicles, and rotate the tires often. Suggesting something else or not mentioning these basic necessities, is not helpful.

I've got AWD in my work truck, and the front tires are wearing faster than the rears. But I wouldn't want it to be 2WD, even if I had that choice, for my work. I need the extra traction for all of the turns and hills I see, on roads and driveways. I prefer maximum traction, and I deal with rotating the tires as I need to.
 






pND4M

http://imgur.com/a/pND4M

What I have in my trunk

So, basically rotate tires often, and put the car in A4WD every now and then while I drive to work?
 
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That reservoir is for windshield washer fluid, for the back hatch wiper.

That switch is for the ARC suspension(air shocks), which maintains ride height with loads. The ARC system usually isn't working any more at this age, due to leaks in the air connections or the shocks.
 






That reservoir is for windshield washer fluid, for the back hatch wiper.

That switch is for the ARC suspension(air shocks), which maintains ride height with loads. The ARC system usually isn't working any more at this age, due to leaks in the air connections or the shocks.

Ah, thanks. Been wondering what it is for.
 






The fill hole for that WW reservoir is there at the left hatch jamb, just above the tail light. I fogot about that thing, my 93 had it and Ford changed it for 1998.

You'll have to do something with your shock absorbers most likely. If those you have are old, and the system still functions, you can buy new rear shocks with the air bladder. I have those in my 99, I installed the entire system from a 98 Limited. So I've spent some time with the many parts.
 






The fill hole for that WW reservoir is there at the left hatch jamb, just above the tail light. I fogot about that thing, my 93 had it and Ford changed it for 1998.

You'll have to do something with your shock absorbers most likely. If those you have are old, and the system still functions, you can buy new rear shocks with the air bladder. I have those in my 99, I installed the entire system from a 98 Limited. So I've spent some time with the many parts.

I will try it some day. It still hasn't gone past 7500 miles. Doubt it will ever have been used. Still, old parts....
 






How is it a truck with so little mileage? That is special, but yes the age of the parts is a major factor.
 






How is it a truck with so little mileage? That is special, but yes the age of the parts is a major factor.

Bought it of my friend, his dad just had the car sitting in his garage gathering dust. Paid approx 2000usd for it. (Cheap in Sweden) Now I'm just doing minor fixes on it to restore it to factory looks. My goal is to have it look like new.
 






Kilometers, that's special too. We haven't yet converted the world to miles yet, we're working on other things.

BTW, 100km/hr is 100/10, times six, and add two = 62mph.

70km/hr is 7x6+2= 42mph

Easy yes?

I lived in Germany from 72-75, and we had to learn the world picture signs for driving, plus speed conversions. My mother took three times to pass the driving test. The autobahn over there was no joke, special.
 



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Kilometers, that's special too. We haven't yet converted the world to miles yet, we're working on other things.

BTW, 100km/hr is 100/10, times six, and add two = 62mph.

70km/hr is 7x6+2= 42mph

Easy yes?

I lived in Germany from 72-75, and we had to learn the world picture signs for driving, plus speed conversions. My mother took three times to pass the driving test. The autobahn over there was no joke, special.

Easy way to count I'd give you that!
I've yet to visit Germany. But I've heard great things about the autobahn.
 






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