'93 Sport - Won't Shift in 4-wheel. Lots of Snow!

[shamal]

Thanks for joining !

Feonix: It's a great site, and you will find lots of great people like DeRocha who put tons of time into helping other people out! I joined because I had the same problem as you !
It all came back on the weekend as we were heading up to the ski hill for an AGM with the ski club, late at night and ran into 2 feet of snow, starting in slush halfway up!. Jumped out, turned the hubs , hit the switch, roared off up the next 6 miles, and my wife ( Fiona ) couldn't wipe the grin off her face ! There's nothing like having a well maintained 4x4 when you need one !!
Shamal

 

[Feonix1123]

Oh **** that must of been funnie as hell. **** i can't even get my wife in the truck when i even say im going 4 wheeling. LOL the last time she went with me we where in my little yard. I had to climb my lil hill with the other truck once and it was not as bad as some hills and it slanted to the right a little too much and she jumped right out of the truck LOL. I just wish i had some trails and wish i could find some other riders in my town to go with. I' Guess i'll be okay i hope i need to get some better grip on the truck first and a little lift to it before i go crazy. My goal is put a 3 1/2 inch body lift and a 6 1/2 lift to it and some tires to go off road but be okay to run on road as well. Also with all the sweet trucks i seen all ready makes me in heat. LOL but kida hard at the moment trying to change jobs to stay home and get out of trucking and be home with kids and momma. Trying to pay off her car why do ladys come 1st LOL. Oh well well you get the point . well anyhow its nice we have people out here to lend a helping hand. I would like to think you all for your hard work and just using the fingers its all that counts.

 

[apentico]

Hello thank you all for your information on the explorer 4x4 problems….but incase I missed it I have to run something by you to verify. I have the no lights no 4x4 problem as well.
I bought the explorer from a grandma that has never put it in 4wd. When I crawl under and had my smoken hot wife hit the switch I get a click at the shift motor nothing else, I can still hear a relay somewhere in the truck clicking over as well…not to mention there is a ton of oil, grease and road grime all over the motor and wiring harness
Based off what I have read this would be a problem with the motor, probably being stuck and either I need to give it the thump approach or rebuild/replace the motor correct, and clean it all up.

 

[Albino 94LTD]

A good thumping

That's definately a good place to start. 90% of the time a good thump will work AND it's FREE.

When you do get it working again, hit the 4x4 switch at least once per month (or everytime you're on a gravel road) to keep it working.

 

[Feonix1123]

yup i agree bud take that shift motor aprt and clean her up. Mine did not work and i fixed it by stealing a piece of rubber hose off my coolent box LOL. Its only a lil piece of plastic that sits on that little nobb and it kida aks as u press the button the shift motor Moves it but again if that piece is not there it will not engauge. Yes you will hear clicks and stuff in the back of ur ex but witll not engauge. Also you will most likey have to cut that one wire it connected to the trasfer case and its easy to cut and re wire back up LOL okay well good luck


Dennis

 

[fixxxer]

It's just as easy to remove the little plastic lock from the middle of the connector and pull the wire free so there is no wire cutting involved when you remove the 4x4 shift motor. Whacking the shift motor works sometimes, for some people, but it you whack it too hard, you have to go buy a new motor. It only takes maybe an hour total, to take off the electric shift motor, clean the contacts, replace that plastic stop bumper and put it all back together and back on the truck. It is advised by Ford to engage the 4x4 at least once a month to keep everything moving smoothly and working properly.

 

[finnfisher]

Due to the age of your rig, a rebuild as detailed in this thread is appropriate. It is pretty quick and easy. I am sure your bushing is in many bits and pieces in the gear housing.

 

[apentico]

thanx fellas ill give it a go. I will keep yall updated

 

[Feonix1123]

thanx fellas ill give it a go. I will keep yall updated

Good Luck like i said before FORD told me they could fix it for $800-1000 and i spent an hr and a piece of vac or coolent line. LOL


Good luck i kno u can do it.

 

[rmmiller2050]

DearDeRocha:
Assume Ihave the geared sensor dismantled from teh shift motor case. The elastomer "stop" bushing - theonenthat is alwasy getting bashed up- is replaced, new. I ma tryingto align teh geared selectero ,starting with the range shaft settled at 2-HI position. I have not witness-marked the original position of the geared selector cover vs motor gearbox body. The question is , given that the contact "bands" on the face of the gear selector are on for about 10 degrees of rotation from the point of "making " the desired connection to the harness and teh point that circuit is broken by further rotation. The connectivity table for the switch shows that at the extreme rotation "past" 2-HI ( coming from the 4 low position) there is a null zone that the computer picks-up either reading it as "gone too far" or maybe this is the signal that forces the fail -safe mode. I need to know at which end of the "2-HI made" band do I make the intial alignment of the selector gear. In other words that connection reads correct rhouhg a small arc of rotation of the switch but which end of that arc should I lock down the alignment? Also from what Iknow of the 4505 it is vital to teh life of the wear points on the shift fork to get the detent rotation exactly right else the fork rides teh shift collar into the gear and quickly wears away. I s this accurate?Thanks for any help.

 

[apentico]

i replaced the motor with one from the junk yard, and kept mi old one to peferbish and keep on hand... Works like a dream thanks again

 

[apentico]

Holly crap I can spell I promise, I meant my not mi and refurbish peferbish

I only paid $35 so I could not pass it up. Plus I will have mine on hand for any further problems. I love this site thanks to who ever created it.

 

[DeRocha]

...I have not witness-marked the original position of the geared selector cover vs motor gearbox body. The question is , given that the contact "bands" on the face of the gear selector are on for about 10 degrees of rotation from the point of "making " the desired connection to the harness and teh point that circuit is broken by further rotation. The connectivity table for the switch shows that at the extreme rotation "past" 2-HI ( coming from the 4 low position) there is a null zone that the computer picks-up either reading it as "gone too far" or maybe this is the signal that forces the fail -safe mode. I need to know at which end of the "2-HI made" band do I make the intial alignment of the selector gear.

The following article details how to test for continuity within the shift motor electrical harness. You would dial in the cover to the point 2H continuity is obtained. Lightly mark the cover position and continue rotating the cover slowing to the point 2H continuity is lost. Mark the cover and move it to the middle of the the 2 marks.

Shift motor electrical reference

 

[finnfisher]

I left the transfer case in 2H, plugged in the shift motor while it hung under the ex unattached, and pressed the buttons to cycle it through 4L and 4H, back to 2H. Bolted it on and everything worked great.

DearDeRocha:
Assume Ihave the geared sensor dismantled from teh shift motor case. The elastomer "stop" bushing - theonenthat is alwasy getting bashed up- is replaced, new. I ma tryingto align teh geared selectero ,starting with the range shaft settled at 2-HI position. I have not witness-marked the original position of the geared selector cover vs motor gearbox body. The question is , given that the contact "bands" on the face of the gear selector are on for about 10 degrees of rotation from the point of "making " the desired connection to the harness and teh point that circuit is broken by further rotation. The connectivity table for the switch shows that at the extreme rotation "past" 2-HI ( coming from the 4 low position) there is a null zone that the computer picks-up either reading it as "gone too far" or maybe this is the signal that forces the fail -safe mode. I need to know at which end of the "2-HI made" band do I make the intial alignment of the selector gear. In other words that connection reads correct rhouhg a small arc of rotation of the switch but which end of that arc should I lock down the alignment? Also from what Iknow of the 4505 it is vital to teh life of the wear points on the shift fork to get the detent rotation exactly right else the fork rides teh shift collar into the gear and quickly wears away. I s this accurate?Thanks for any help.

 

[DeRocha]

I left the transfer case in 2H, plugged in the shift motor while it hung under the ex unattached, and pressed the buttons to cycle it through 4L and 4H, back to 2H. Bolted it on and everything worked great.

The cover matched to the case will work as you have described (Provided the cover has been installed in the original position). Unfortunately if you didn't mark the cover the geared position selector shaft will not be in the correct positions for 2H, 4H, 4L.

 

[djjake]

DeRocha, need 4x4 help

You are the man to ask, so I thought I would give it a try-
I fixed my motor with the info from this thread. Everything worked great. Took her out a couple times, all good.
The other day I pressed the 4x4 button, light came on for sec and turned right off. Then I got nothing. On my way home, I was stuck in 4h. When I got home I crawled under, and noticed the brown wire from the tcase body had been caught up on the shaft and sspliced in half because I left to much play in it. I removed the motor and manually shifted to 2H. Also manually shifted the motor, placing it in the same marked position I had previously done, whenI originally fixed the stop bumper. I checked the 20A fuse, and it was blown. I also checked the 4x4 module, and it gave me a good signal. I replaced the fuse, rewired the brown wire and now I get nothing.
Is there another electrical switch that I may be overlooking, short of testing with a meter? I am not to electrical savy, nor do I have an ohm meter. Do you think that I may have shorted the motor or switch out? Is the brown wire replaceable, or testable. Any help or direction would be appreciated.

 

[DeRocha]

...
Is there another electrical switch that I may be overlooking, short of testing with a meter? I am not to electrical savy, nor do I have an ohm meter. Do you think that I may have shorted the motor or switch out? Is the brown wire replaceable, or testable. Any help or direction would be appreciated.

The brown wire going into the T-case controls the electro-magnetic clutch. Shorting it out is not a good thing and could have happened.. After replacing the fuse and trying the 4x4 buttons did you recheck the fuse to see if it blew again? When pressing 4x4 do the relays make any noise?

From the Singleton repair page

IT IS EXTREMELY IMPORTANT THAT YOU MAKE EXACTLY THE CORRECT CONNECTIONS WHEN YOU DO THIS. ACCIDENTALLY SHORTING THROUGH ONE OF THE SWITCH CONTACTS OR THE SPEED SENSOR WITH 12 VOLTS WILL DESTROY THEM.

 

[djjake]

DeRocha,
Thank you for your prompt reply.
I do not hear any clicks coming from the rear of the EX. And the 20A fuse is still in tact.
Without any knowledge I am thinking this could be a burnt switch? Is there a way to test this?

 

[joelandkathy]

I just want to say that my daughters 91 Ex had the 4 wheel drive buttons not respond like so many of yours who have posted here. Thanks for all your input for fixing this problem. Up in Anchorage, it's a real pain not having it work- of course I couldn't get up there to fix it during winter, but just today I thought I'd fly up here and do it. Wouldn't you know, all it took was a few raps with a hammer while my son (who also flew up for a visit) pushed the buttons. Sometimes it's that easy. Now all I have to do is turn the rotors and drums, change the brake pads, and throw on some new tires.
Why do kids have to move so far away??? UGH!
I've instructed Holly to engauge the 4 wheel every now and then to keep it loose. Maybe that's why problems like that happen- I hope.

 

[ThunderExplorerZ]

Hi Yal Im New And yal seem to know more than me,so help please

I recently rebuilt my 1991 4#4 motor after it had sat for 3and1/2 years,Finnaly got every thing back together,But the train is acting up when it is setting it will go in all gears just find it jumps a little but they all work,when I took it out for its road test it would not shift into low ,overdrive or drive neather one would work it would go in 1st and 2nd but not in overdrive or drive,I cant figure it out when its setting it goes in them fine and will drive down the driveway but wont shift,has anyone got any ideals,Ive done just about replaced every moving part on my favorite truck breaks all a round well cylinders bearnings on the frount,and alot more .Help please Bill