4WD Low staying locked in at all times...

[rditzler08]

I have only had my truck for a month, if that, and I have already had the 4wd switch replaced once, because it locks in 4wd low and doesn't want to come out, and now, once again, it has happened again. Is there anyway I can fix this problem my self? And if so, what should I do?

 

[merbs]

wish you luck

Ok,I`m not saying this is you,but alot of people new to 4wheeling make the same mistake,they put the vehicle in 4low while driving on a tar road and try taking it out of low and into auto mode while in gear,often while cornering.If you read the manual it says always use low on unpaved roads or in the snow,not on tar,and always put it in nuetral before engaging or disengaging low.When it is jammed in low you need to put the trans. in nuetral while running,then switch the differential control back in low,then put it in 4 high,then switch to automatic mode,often this works best when rolling slowly down a straight hill,preferrabley on a dirt road.Hope this helps.If you have`nt already read the manuals that come with the vehicle.If you do those moves with your head out the window you should be able to hear a clicking noise as
it clicks from low to high to auto.

 

[Sedition]

Common Problem

That happend to me when I first got my Explorer. It was a city car before I got it so the guy that had it before me never used the the 4x4 options and just left it in 4x4Auto all the time. After I used it may be 3 times the shift motor got stuck in low. I pulled off the shift motor, it's 3x10mm bolts, and the brushes were burred and dirty and sticking to the commutator ring. So after I gave it a good clean and put it back together again it was all good for about 20 shifts. Now sometimes when the transfer case is hot it won't shift out of 4x4Low until I disconect the battery for a minute then once I reconnect the battery and try again I can the hear the Relays click and the shift motor kicks back into high gear.

If you are stuck and can't get it to shift by disconecting the battery you can remove the shift motor and then use a 9mm wrench on the transfer case lever to throw it back into high gear, it's hard to turn but you can do it.

There is probably an after market shift motor avaliable out there somewhere if you wanted it to work perfectly every time without it ever letting you down.

 

[BastekFX]

If I may ask, what did you use to clean it?

 

[Sedition]

Carb cleaner is good because it evaporates. You don't want to use wd40 or something like that because it will leave residue in there. The brushes are made of solid copper so I just used my hands to make them smooth and bur free.