4406 TOD discussion

[thorney_5]

I have been researching the differences between explorer and expedition/f-150 four wheel drive systems in the hopes of discovering the key to unlocking the mechanically locked four wheel drive of the 4406 transfer case. In this research I have found that between the 3 position switch system of the explorer/*4405*, and the 4 position switch system of the expedition/4406 there is only a single wire difference. The additional wire exists on the shift control relays (L2H and H2L) of the expedition system, and is missing on the shift control module of the explorer. Looking at the wiring alone, this is a negligible difference.

The only other obvious difference in the 2 systems is within the switch. An additional position, and therefore resistor lies within it. My big question is how does the exact same system, save one wire, control both the TOD/control-trac and still enable a mechanically locked 4 wheel drive? Is the expedition GEM recognizing the difference in resistance from the 4wd switch and simply commanding the same system used in explorers differently? If yes, how feasible is a GEM swap- or grafting the 4WD part of the expedition GEM into the explorer GEM? Far-off, I know, but I think the reward is worth the effort.

My hope with this thread is to go deeper in to the electronics side of unlocking the 4406 TOD for those who are planning, have completed, or are just curious about the swap.

 

[99XLT-Explorer]

well first off you have your transfer cases mixed up a little a bw1354 is a fully mechanical transfer case no magnetic clutch or nothing it either has man. shift or electric shift. bw1354s came in 1st gen explorers and rangers. they will mate behind any explorer with a 4.0 and a automatic. This is the case the me and many others on the forum have swapped in.

The stock case in the 2nd gen exs is the 4405 that has the magnetic clutch the automatically locks when the rear wheels slip which in turn sends power to the front wheels. what the brown wire mod does in this case is cuts the power being sent to the "electromagnetic clutch" and allows the rear wheels to spin with out sending power to the front. this can cause harm to the case however because there is still friction bettween the clutch disc. Basically the 4405 case works as a limited slip. This is why the switch says 'Auto' '4wd' and '4low' all the transfer case shift motor does in the case of this case lol is that it shifts it from high range to low range it has nothing to do with making it 4wd.

The bw4406 is the case that came in f150s and some expeditions i believe. these are fully mechanical just like the bw1354 they are just beefier and hold up better. these are the cases the guys with 5.0s have to use to get rid of their full time awd transfer cases.

 

[thorney_5]

If the 4406 is only mechanical, does the expedition/f-150 control-trac system use mechanical engagement for A4WD? I doubt this is possible, so I assume at least some versions of the 4406 have an e-clutch. The reason I ask is because I want to do just that, a 5.0 swap. My fathers 97 expedition has the 4406e w/ 2H, A4WD, 4H, and 4L. This is what I'd eventually like to put in my ex.

 

[99XLT-Explorer]

i know that some expeditions had the automatic 4wd but heres the problem your going to run into with the automatic is the electronics i dont think you could swap the gem from a expedition to be able to control the transfer case IMO the manual shift is 1 easier to install 2 cheaper 3 alot more reliable.

 

[delexploder]

Bump

 

[delexploder]

Anyone get a 4406E working yet? I have one and wanna use it in the wife's mounty, I know about the tank and have a sport tank got the driveshafts and hybrid u joint. I gotta swap out the front diff soon and i plan on just swapping it all while its on the lift. I say forget the gem how can I hardwire it to a switch? Or cable control? Im open to ideas.

 

[snoranger]

Bump

What do you want to know? That there are 3 different versions of the 44-06:
E-shift (non-AWD)
TOD (Torque On Demand or AWD)
Manual shift

The TOD case, when shifted into AWD, is electrically actuated the same way as the Explorer 44-05 (magnetic clutch). When shifted into 4wd, a shift fork locks it in 4wd like the older 13-54.

The difference between the TOD and E-shift cases is the shaft speed sensors on the TOD case.

What else do you want to know?

 

[delexploder]

My case is from a 97 expedition 4.6 ,

 

[snoranger]

My case is from a 97 expedition 4.6 ,

I know I said it was available in 3 different versions, but technically it's six versions. The 3 I listed above were all available with a speedo hole (97-98) or without (99+). All were available in expeditions. Which do you have? And what do you want it to do? (AWD, 2wd, 4wd, neutral, 4low)

 

[delexploder]

Sorry snoranger I dont know how our posts got out of order

 

[delexploder]

Im not sure its at the shop, but I would like to set it up using a stock switch from a 6cyl explorer and if pos make a harness seperate from the trucks systems, its a 99 mounty so no wires on the current case makes the speed sensor part not a problem truck side. And if its not poss or just way to hard what about a cable control?

 

[delexploder]

Oh and I dont want the auto awd just 2wd 4hi/lo

 

[thorney_5]

Heres a great thread on making a control for the 4406E:

http://www.explorerforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=290109

I'd help more, but I'm still a 6 months to a year away from my 5.0 drivetrain swap. I'm more worried about finding a good 4406E than I am about wiring it up.

 

[delexploder]

Look down here, fitzgeralds salvage in Lincoln De. Has a few thanks for the link I'll try to add to this as i go

 

[snoranger]

Oh and I dont want the auto awd just 2wd 4hi/lo

That's easy... Just get the switch, controller, and wiring from a 1st gen Explorer and use that. You'll have to separate the needed wiring from the rest of the harness, but its not complicated.

 

[thorney_5]

Thanks for the info. I've mostly been looking here in jersey and it's nearly impossible to find one with low miles. I'll have to stop there if I'm nearby any time soon.

Good luck with your wiring!

 

[delexploder]

Yea any of you guys around Delaware like jersey, pa, ect if your looking for something like that and cant find it give me a shout, I know where to find alot of ford stuff. I have several friends with private yards and tons of hard parts and we keep a close eye on the local salvage yards (10 within a half hour ride from me).

 

[delexploder]

What about a cable setup? Has anyone made one? I wanna explore both options.

 

[snoranger]

What about a cable setup? Has anyone made one? I wanna explore both options.

I did. The problem is that its a 270 degree swing on the shaft. You need to build a gear reduction box to turn it into a shorter throw.

If I can find my sketches I'll post them, but that was a long time ago. I designed it to use parts all available from Grainger except the housing, that was made with some hole saws and a drill press.