4x4 does not work | Page 11 | Ford Explorer Forums - Serious Explorations

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4x4 does not work

Well here goes ,had our first significant snow dec 17. switched on the 4x4 with no result.Started surfing trying to find out where to start diagnosing. there were no real definant starting points . found these post and went strait for the transfercase shift motor ,bought a rebuild at advance auto($88.00) ,traded mine for core refund. put this rebuilt job on .no 4x4.Talked to ford certified mech said to try another motor preferably from napa or carquest.pulled this motor ,took back to advance auto ,they could not get another.ask for a refund and finaly did get my money back +$25.00 for my core after telling them i could get a new one for $90.00 at napa.Put this new one on ,flipped the switch and no 4x4. Got back on this site read from start to finish and decided that the 4x4 control module needed to be replaced .So I ordered one from fordpartsguys( Ford Dealership in NV) on ebay ($135.00)inc ship-ping. swapped this part out and still no 4x4.Back tothe ford mech to ask what to do next ??? well he said to swap the motor again .I"m becoming apro at swaping tx case motors. after this swap I was almost afraid to flip the switch. but when i did,it worked like new.Where was the problem? I may never know. But still came out cheaper than taking to the dealership(stealership).But I believe the problem was the 4x4 control module all the time because the 4x4 dash light did not light when the truck was started.I hope this post helps . so any one else dont have to go through the pain in the neck I"ve had for the past 2 months.total($225.00)
 



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I tried the pos terminal thing too, Im getting a vin specific mod from Ford that im gonna try...im drawing at straws but it sounds like we're in the same boat. My fuse only snapped with the module from a scrapyard in it.
 






I tried the pos terminal thing too, Im getting a vin specific mod from Ford that im gonna try...im drawing at straws but it sounds like we're in the same boat. My fuse only snapped with the module from a scrapyard in it.

Any update? I put my 4x4 issue on the back burner for now since nicer weather is here. I'm working on other things for now.
 






Yeah I put a VIN Specific module that I ordered at the local ford dealer in the truck and it was virtually a plug and play install...plugged it in and no more blown fuse and I now have 4x4.
 






I put in the VIN specific module too with no luck. Next I'm going to crawl under and check the wires and connection for the transfer case motor. If I can't find anything wrong there I guess I'll replace it.
 






Here's another P.O.'d 2002 Ford Explorer owner who has gone through the battery replacement/NO 4 wheel drive situation. I suppose I shouldn't complain about the original battery lasting 8 years, but I SURE will complain about when I went to replace the battery - it fried the 4x4 control module! What kind of STUPID design flaw is that?
But, I also am very glad for this forum and the people who helped supply the fix, rather than having to take it in to the stealership. I went through the "typical" scenario - battery was starting to get weak, knew I needed to replace it - disconnected old battery and removed it, installed and hooked up new battery - Viola - no 4 wheel drive, no 4x4 lights -nada. Called and verified which module I needed, ordered it (almost $200), installed it - now everything works. I agree with some of the early posts - this SHOULD have been a recall and fixed by FORD !!!
 






Here's another P.O.'d 2002 Ford Explorer owner who has gone through the battery replacement/NO 4 wheel drive situation. I suppose I shouldn't complain about the original battery lasting 8 years, but I SURE will complain about when I went to replace the battery - it fried the 4x4 control module! What kind of STUPID design flaw is that?
But, I also am very glad for this forum and the people who helped supply the fix, rather than having to take it in to the stealership. I went through the "typical" scenario - battery was starting to get weak, knew I needed to replace it - disconnected old battery and removed it, installed and hooked up new battery - Viola - no 4 wheel drive, no 4x4 lights -nada. Called and verified which module I needed, ordered it (almost $200), installed it - now everything works. I agree with some of the early posts - this SHOULD have been a recall and fixed by FORD !!!

tv4fish, I replaced the module and still have no 4x4. I'm still searching for the fix! Glad you got your's fixed!
 






I hope that this fixes my issue! I just ordered mine today. 179 is what it cost me; my local dealer tried to get 385.99!!!! That's insane! Thank goodness for this dealer!
 






I hope that this fixes my issue! I just ordered mine today. 179 is what it cost me; my local dealer tried to get 385.99!!!! That's insane! Thank goodness for this dealer!

I hope it works for you! :salute:
 






It worked! Beautiful!!!! Took me 7 minutes to take out the old one, take off and replace the little bracket, install and test! Thanks everyone!
 






OK - What happened here ????????? Everybody's talking about pizza ??? Mods - What's up with that ?
 






It worked! Beautiful!!!! Took me 7 minutes to take out the old one, take off and replace the little bracket, install and test! Thanks everyone!

Glad it worked out for you man!:thumbsup: I am still chasing the solution. :salute:
 






So once the part is replaced.. Does the newer one fail each time you unhook battery for extended period of time?
 






I did not use the vehicle for approx. 6 months last winter and when i returned home the battery was dead but when i charged the battery everything was working fine. I do not know how long the battery was dead for but it is the original battery so it is old; therefore i assume that it was probably dead for about several months at the very minimum.
 






I hope that this fixes my issue! I just ordered mine today. 179 is what it cost me; my local dealer tried to get 385.99!!!! That's insane! Thank goodness for this dealer!

Where did you find it for 179?
thanks in advance:thumbsup:
 












So once the part is replaced.. Does the newer one fail each time you unhook battery for extended period of time?

From what I have read, it was only the 2002 modules that were faulty, and you can safely change the battery if you have the new module.

I encountered the same problem when I bought my 02 and figured it must be the shift motor, but after trolling through the Forums I took took a chance on it being the module. Got it from silverstatefordparts for $179 +$40 postage to Australia. Ford Dealers here want $800 for the module (*******s)
 






Sure glad I found this post. I have a blinking 4x4 low light when I push the button but that's all it does. Shouldn't it stay on after the 4x4 low is engaged?

I need to read all the posts here before I order. I just wanted to be sure I subscribed to this thread before it drops off. Great info here!
 






Just to clarify, I start the truck, put the trans in neutral, step on the brake and push the 4x4LO button. It blinks a few times then goes off and stays off.

When I push the 4x4 HI button, I get an indicator on the dash light up, telling me I'm now in 4x4 HI. It then goes off when I push the 4x4 HI button again. Also goes off when I pushe the 4x4 AUTO button.

So when the vehicle senses slippage, it automatically should shift to 4x4 HI, correct? Is there any indicator light that comes on when that happens, telling you it's automatically shifted into 4x4 HI?

I'm really new to this 4x4 apparatus. Read over the owners manual but I didn't see the answer. Wife's Expedition is a little different since it's newer. Trying to establish that the 4x4 is working BEFORE the snow hits.
 



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Sure glad I found this post. I have a blinking 4x4 low light when I push the button but that's all it does. Shouldn't it stay on after the 4x4 low is engaged?

I need to read all the posts here before I order. I just wanted to be sure I subscribed to this thread before it drops off. Great info here!

The reason the 4X4 low is flashing after you select it is because it is waiting for some further input from the vehicle. By this I mean you need to move the vehicle slightly and then low range will engage. If the vehicle doesn't move, then the shift motor cannot succesfully engage low range so the control module then times out and shifts back to auto mode.

In a nut shell, it is blinking until it can engage 4WD, and because it needs a small amount of movement to be able to engage 4WD, it is programmed to automatically return to Auto mode if it doesn't engage when selected.
 






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