4X4 dash lights are flashing.

[ADKessler]

My 4X4 lights on the dash are blinking, and the switch to put it into 4X4 is not operating. I have a 97 Ford Explorer, Eddie Bauer, and wold like to know what is causing the indicator lights to flash and stopping the 4X4 from operating.

 

[BrooklynBay]

Welcome to this forum! I've moved your thread to the transmission & transfer case section. It's possible that it's the control module.

 

[Joey P]

My 4X4 lights on the dash are blinking, and the switch to put it into 4X4 is not operating. I have a 97 Ford Explorer, Eddie Bauer, and wold like to know what is causing the indicator lights to flash and stopping the 4X4 from operating.

Do you get a click still in the passenger kick panel when you switch the switch? If you do, I will say that you either have a bad 4x4 shift motor or need to rebuild the 4x4 shift motor. Click here for motor rebuild. I think that it is for the 1st gen but yours should be similar. Something else you can do is lightly tap on the shift motor itself. It may have gotten stuck. If you don't hear the click or lightly tapping on the shift motor doesn't help, I'd say it might be the 4x4 CM also.

 

[kevinspann]

How long have you had it? Is the switch plugged in? Have you had to pull the bezel out around the radio? If the switch is unplugged, the 4wd lights on the dash will flash.

Are the interior lights coming on? I cant remember exactly which fuse it is (25?) but i had to pull it out once, to get the interior lights to stay off. It was also a fuse for some part of the 4wd system, so the lights flashed, since it was out.

 

[gijoecam]

The only way to retrieve the GEM DTC's is with a scanner capable of retrieving GEM DTC's. The ones they loan at AutoZone won't be able to do it. Any dealership (and many good independent shops) can... for a fee, of course. Without knowing exactly what code is stored, determining the cause of the failure is a guessing game at best. At any rate, it's not time for a shift motor rebuild.

Now, that being said, on your 99, the most common culprit is the speed sensor on the rear axle or its associated wiring. It's exposed to a lot of weather, and it's not uncommon for them to up and quit at random times. It's a $15 part, takes maybe 20 minutes to change, and fixes the problem about 3/4 of the time. If it doesn't fix it, you're only $15 lighter in the wallet and it only cost you 20 minutes off your life.

-Joe

 

[ADKessler]

4X4 dash lights

Thanks for all your input. I was thinking it was a fuse out since the switch does not do anything at all when I use it. The lighter (Just under the 4X4 switch) was out and I replaced that fuse. I was thinking they were together on the same fuse, but it didn't fix the problem. So I'm thinking it might be another fuse that the manual doesn't mention, and will just have to pull them out and check them all.