4x4 box unplugged, now no power at all

[dmaster79]

Okay here's the deal, I recently bought a 4x4 explorer and the 4wd of course doesn't work. After reading a bit on these forums to see how it works, I discovered the box in the back of the truck had 2 plugs that were not plugged in. So I figured maybe someone unplugged them by accident and forgot to plug them in. How stupid was this, as soon as I go to start it up, I hear a click from the front of the truck, and immediately I have no power. Apparently the box was unplugged for a reason, but my main concern is I don't have power at all. Nothing, no lights, horn, nothing, like a fuse is blown. I checked all the fuses, under the dash, under the hood, they are all good. What do I do, its dead in the water now, is there anther main fuse somewhere I can check. I need help bad on this one. Thanks guys....

 

[Opera House]

Check the fuses again and look with a voltmeter on both sides of the fuses. Most fuses have holes in the top you can stick a pin down and make contact with each side. Think you will find a problem with one of the 30A or 40A fuses. You will at least know if voltage is getting there. You may have a problem wit the wire from the distribution box under the hood to the fender solenoid distribution point.

 

[dmaster79]

Already pulled every fuse out and looked at each one visably. No blown fuses that I can see, I'm thinking its like a fuseable link. Does anyone know if these trucks have them, and if so where might I look? Thanks

 

[Opera House]

There are no fuseable links for this circuit, though a weak connection may have fused. You obviously are not looking with a voltmeter. There is a foot of wire max between the solenoid and the distribution box. While you can learn a lot from a visual inspection, you will need a meter or a test light to see where the voltage stops.

You also might want to try running a wire from the engine block to the vehicle body. The engine is basically electrically isolated and relies on ground straps to complete the path to the body. This usually only causes reduced voltage.