4 Wheel won't turn on...

[jakehannan]

Hey,
I'm new to the forum and from what I've read, it looks like quite the informative resource. I bought this pretty low mileage '92 XLT last year cheap, so as you can guess, it had a bunch of issues to go along with it - most of which were easy fixes, but a couple of which I was hoping for advice on, so as to not throw away money or time needlessly...

Issue #1: 4X4 won't turn on. No lights at the 4X4 switch inside the vehicle. My guess is the switch is junk, but every pulling yard I go to, the 4X4 switch is pulled from every Explorer. Any input? My major questions are: does this sound like a reasonable place to start? Is there any easy fix on the switch itself? If not, then is there a good resource for finding these switches used, or is there a website that I can order from?

Issue #2: The car came with a horrible vibration. The most obvious causes were that the wheels were visibly out of round, it had 4 different tires with 4 different amounts of wear on them, the front two shocks were leaking, and the springs were saggy. With each repair, the vibration lessened, but at this point, I've checked the related bushings, serviced the hubs, replaced the warped rotors, and I still have a bit of a vibration, but only at higher freeway speeds (I'm talking about 70 - 75 miles/hour.) Anything else I should look at? It's not a horrible problem, just kind of annoying.

Thanks for any input!

 

[LXNavajo_94]

well the 4x4 problem is probably the shift motor and not the switches. Its a pretty easy fix and there is a complete write up on here with pics use the search feature and you will find it.
Alot of the firts generation X's have what we like to call the death wobble around that speed its one of those things you get used to after time.

 

[jakehannan]

I found the shift motor thread, and it looks pretty self explanatory, so I'll give that a go. As far as the death wobble, if it's normal that's fine, I just was hoping I wasn't overlooking anything.
Thanks for getting back!

 

[LXNavajo_94]

your very welcome there might be something I'm missing on the vibration but I know mine does it and so did my brothers at the same speeds

 

[axiom]

Mine gets that vibration as well when you get up to 70 mph and above, so I'd say it's pretty normal.

 

[dbchamp]

I have the same problem you said it was the shift motor where can i find one of those and will that also make the lights come on in the vehicle.

 

[Positive Vibes]

One real easy fix that worked for me and a few other is to just disconnect the electrical connections for the Xfer case, clean and reconnect. Worked for me.

The vibration could be from bad ball joints also. You have gotten the allignment done and the tires balanced??

 

[jakehannan]

Yep, it's aligned and balanced. I'll look at the balljoints.
Thanks.