96 explorer transfer case problem..

[MTFB]

I'm trying to fix my friends 96 explorer that won't go into 4wd...He is 67 y/o and can't make it up his drive way without it and has been parking at the bottom and walking up the 110 or so yards to the top. Here's what I've done so far, I've put the front end in the air on jack stands and had him engage 4 low. The CAD pulled the slip collar and connected the rt. axle, I confirmed this by turning the wheel and it spun the opposite wheel the opposite direction. While the front end was in the air I also turned the driveshaft which spun both wheels(the rear was still on the ground and it was still in 4 low and the engine was idling). I took the shift motor off and looked back in the hole exposed and the chain is tight and still intact. What now? I've been scratching my head over this thing for weeks. Would the BWM fix this? Is the transfer case shot? what do I tell him we need to do?

 

[MTFB]

:roll:Come on guys, nobody has an idea what goin on with this thing???:roll:

 

[my pos mounty]

You say you went under it and spun the front driveshaft, while the truck was running, with the only the front on jackstands, in 4LO?

When you took the shiftmotor off, was the selector that it turns moved to a 4WD position? It could be a bum shiftmotor. Somewhere on here theres a "how to" rebuild a shiftmotor. This might fix it.

The BWM would interrupt the signal to the shift motor, so that would not fix this issue.

 

[MTFB]

The transfercase does shift into 4low as in gear reduction, you can hear it shift, and drive it in 2 low. Just no power to the front wheels.

 

[gijoecam]

I would next de-pin the brown wire from the transfer case side of the connector at the shift motor and apply 12V to it, and see if it locks to the rear shaft like it should.

But before we go there, are the lights coming on as they should? If so, try what I suggested above and report back. If the lights aren't coming on, we have an electrical gremlin to ferret-out...

 

[MTFB]

Yea the lights come on like there supposed to...I'll have to my buddy bring it by. So if I send 12v to the brown wire post on the x-case, that should lock up the transfer case? From my understanding theres an electromagnetic clutch in there in the newer versions correct? I've never worked on anything like this, everything I've owned has had the good 'ole direct-drive x-case like they all should lol....

 

[gijoecam]

Yes, for all intents and purposes, its function is similar to that of an electro-magnetic clutch on, for example, the AC compressor. (It's really much more complicated both from a mechanical standpoint and from a control standpoint). But for the purposes of troubleshooting it, yes, apply power to the brown wire (i.e. transfer case clutch coil) and see if she locks. If it doesn't, we have a mechanical issue with the case. If it does, we have an electrical issue (i.e. the system not telling the t-case to lock).

Make sense?

 

[MTFB]

gotcha..Thanks alot bud, now I just gotta get my buddy to bring it by so I can wire it up and see whats goin on.