96 xlt steering binding up in 4wd

[dog37bs]

i have a 96 XLT with 2wd,4w auto and 4WL.
the steering feels like it's binding when i turn either way while i'm im 4w auto.steering doesn't bind in 2wd.
it started when i had problems with my transfer case motor. replaced the motor. new upper and lower ball joints on both sides,under 10k ago.replaced hub on pass side. i put the explorer on a hoist and checked the half shafts, they seemed not to bind, checked the drive shaft it's seems to be good.
any ideas what the problem might be?

 

[Jay Davis]

i have a 96 XLT with 2wd,4w auto and 4WL.
the steering feels like it's binding when i turn either way while i'm im 4w auto.steering doesn't bind in 2wd.
it started when i had problems with my transfer case motor. replaced the motor. new upper and lower ball joints on both sides,under 10k ago.replaced hub on pass side. i put the explorer on a hoist and checked the half shafts, they seemed not to bind, checked the drive shaft it's seems to be good.
any ideas what the problem might be?

Did you ever figure out what was causing this issue???

 

[J_C]

dog37bs was last seen on the forum in 2019.

Seems like the binding is just that it's engaged 4WD when it shouldn't. You could check for 12V on the brown wire to confirm it's engaging the 4WD clutch when it shouldn't be.

First guess is one of your speed sensors is faulty or reluctor ring for it contaminated, or tire size (or inflation) mismatched enough that it thinks it is slipping and so engaging 4WD. I suppose there might be some kind of wiring fault always causing power to go to the transfer case clutch.

I don't know which resistance values on the 2WD/auto-4WD/4WD selection switch causes full time 4WD but if a higher resistance causes full time 4WD, maybe the contacts in it are corroded or old hardened grease, causing higher resistance. Looking at the "transmissions-4WD-circuit" PDF in the 2nd gen wiring diagrams linked in my sig, it's listing 3.9K, 1.1K, and 360 ohms. I don't know if that applies to all model years since there were changes in that mode selection switch.... my '98 has no 2WD switch position, for example, just auto, 4WD high, or 4WD low.

Then again it just happened after the transfer case motor swap. I'd double check the wiring for frays/shorts, and are you sure it isn't in 4WD low like maybe if the transfer case motor coupling and TC shaft was in the wrong position when installed? Silly question but was it simply not shifting into (or out of) 4 low and this caused the motor swap? I might take the motor off, but still connected to wiring, to see if it's working when you pick a different 4WD mode.

Just throwing ideas out there but I may not be able to return to the topic for a while, lots of things on my plate right now.