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4x4 Questions

Dr.Manhattan

Member
Joined
September 5, 2010
Messages
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City, State
New York
Year, Model & Trim Level
1994 XLT
I have a 94 Ex and a bunch of questions related to 4x4 so bare with me. My transmission is automatic, and my 4x4 is engaged through pushing buttons on the dash board.

I know that you're supposed to go in reverse after you hit the button. How long do you reverse for?

When engaging low range, are you supposed to hear a thud and feel the car slam?

When the car is turned off, does the 4x4 automatically disengage? When I turned the car on again the lights were still lit up, but I found myself getting stuck and the front wheels not turning.

Would locking hub issues, or no transfer case fluid cause my 4x4 to not engage?

Is it possible for the 4x4 to engage, but not completely?

I hope I can get some answers here, because today's snowstorm really kicked my ass and as much as I love my truck, I really had a stressful time.
 



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Questions...

Reverse for appx 5 feet id say.
Low range you need to be in Neutral and going less then 3MPH to engage. Should hear maybe some gears changing below you, but no thud.
4x4 on when the truck is shut off it will be on when you turn the x back on, maybe your auto hubs aren't working properly.. check this thread:
http://www.explorerforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=202166
Hub issues would be at the hub only, the rest of the system would be turning in 4x4, again the reason for the link above. Transfer case empty... I think it would still run. Not sure. I know my front transaxle still ran empty... ( Not Good!)
4x4 to not engage fully. If your 4x4 light is on then the transfer case is engaged, but most likely the problem is at the auto hubs. These truck are known to have lots of auto hub issues. Wiki Ford explorer and read about 1st gen explorers. It says right in there the auto hubs were not reliable.

Dont know how big of a trouble shooter you are, but the link above is a big help, also, for your hub diagnosing http://www.explorerforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=232754

One thing I know is interior linkage wears easily inside the auto hubs, also along with excessive grease doesn't allow the hubs to work right.

Good Luck.
 






I believe the owner's manual recommends that you back up 10 feet to disengage the hubs. Is it possible that one of your front wheels was spinning? You probably have an open differential in the front so if one tire lost traction then that wheel would spin and you would not get any power to the other front wheel. When engaging 4low I can always feel it engage. I don't know that I would describe it as a slam or a thud but I can definitely feel and hear it engage.
 






I have a 94 Ex and a bunch of questions related to 4x4 so bare with me. My transmission is automatic, and my 4x4 is engaged through pushing buttons on the dash board.

I know that you're supposed to go in reverse after you hit the button. How long do you reverse for?

When engaging low range, are you supposed to hear a thud and feel the car slam?

When the car is turned off, does the 4x4 automatically disengage? When I turned the car on again the lights were still lit up, but I found myself getting stuck and the front wheels not turning.

Would locking hub issues, or no transfer case fluid cause my 4x4 to not engage?

Is it possible for the 4x4 to engage, but not completely?

I hope I can get some answers here, because today's snowstorm really kicked my ass and as much as I love my truck, I really had a stressful time.

-10 feet in reverse should work but i always listened for them to unlock before i switched to manuals

-low range you should be in neutral and not moving. my low range will not engage even if in neutral with clutch in and rolling forward at all

-transfer case should stay in whatever gear you left it in when you turned the vehicle off.

-locking hub issues will have no affect whether or not transfer case engages, just whether or not the wheels turn. transfer case fluid not sure but i know if it doesn't have enough it'll get hot from no lubrication and possibly damage it.

-4x4 is either in or out. i know somehow my transfer case didnt go all way into 4x4 but wasnt in 2wd either so it was essiantly in neutral. rolled truck forward as its a 5 speed and not in gear and it picked one and than shifted fine. only happend once in 3 years and fluids fine so i guess it was a fluke.:scratch:
 






Is that excessive grease in the hubs itself? I actually just redid my wheel bearings. Finally got a bearing packer and grease gun. Big nasty mess. Got all over the spindle as I was putting them in.

As for the manual hubs. Do they make those for 1st gen ex? I don't need to worry about a transfer case when I use those right?

And how exactly would I put oil in my transfer case anyway?
 






To change the transfer case fluid you need to remove the large round damper weight attached to the back of the transfer case. Once that has been removed you will see the drain and fill plugs for the transfer case. Make sure you can get the fill plug out before removing the drain plug.
 






Yes, you can get manual hubs for your first Gen. There much more reliable. The only thing you change out is the wheel bearing locks, as in the link I gave to you above, you will be able to see the diagram for this.
 






the transfer case is still used even when you switch to manual hubs. i dont know of a 4 wheel drive that doesn't use a transfer case.
 






I have a 94 Ex and a bunch of questions related to 4x4 so bare with me. My transmission is automatic, and my 4x4 is engaged through pushing buttons on the dash board.

I know that you're supposed to go in reverse after you hit the button. How long do you reverse for? Its actually reversing direction (not going into reverse). With 4x4 OFF Reversing direction for about 10 feet will cause the front hubs to Unlock. You never Need to do this, but obviously doing so will save a little gas (~1mpg) and wear & tear on the front drivel line.

When engaging low range, are you supposed to hear a thud and feel the car slam? You will definitely hear a thud, but it shouldn't slam

When the car is turned off, does the 4x4 automatically disengage? When I turned the car on again the lights were still lit up, but I found myself getting stuck and the front wheels not turning. Turning the ignition off will not affect 4x4, The T-case will remain in the position it was in when you turned it off.

Would locking hub issues, or no transfer case fluid cause my 4x4 to not engage? The T-Case is always rotating (both in 2x4 and 4x4) so if it had no fluid it would overheat and cause issues in both 2H & 4H driving. HUB issues (especially auto hubs) are the #2 cause of 4x4 failure (#1 = shift motor failure). With an open front differential if one HUB is blown then 100% of the front power will free spin in the blown hub (ie the T-case is sending power to the front but because a hub is bad none of the power will reach the good hub since power is sent to the wheel/axle with the least traction (a function of how an open differential works) .

Is it possible for the 4x4 to engage, but not completely? Yes. if the 1st step is to Push the dash button and confirm both the button and dash 4x4 lights come on. If they do the next step would be for the HUB to lock..

For less than $100 you can have brand new reliable manual hubs..

Brand new MileMarker Hubs on Ebay $80 (buy it now)
 






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