97 explorer 4wd light on but no 4wd

[garddog]

what should i check first? 4wd light comes on when switch is used and truck does go into low aswell but definitly not in 4wd even though the light says it is. when i put it into 4wd low it does go into low the light works but does not go into4wd. any help would be great?

 

[Burns]

do you have the stock or manual hubs?

 

[garddog]

everything is stock on this truck right now

 

[gijoecam]

do you have the stock or manual hubs?

Neither. It's a 97.

OK, let's troubleshoot:

Jack the front end up, idling in park, and see if you can turn the front driveshaft by hand. If you can't, then the problem is somewhere in the front axle. If you can turn it, we need to look at the transfer case and the 4wd lockup inside it.

Also, I don't have the 97 manuals in front of me, so I can't quote fuses offhand, but double-check the fuses... I suspect the one that feeds the transfer case clutch will be the culprit, but I just don't know which one it is offhand...

-Joe

 

[garddog]

thanks for the replies....the driveshaft does move so we no look at the transfer case or fuses will check soon....should i be able to hear the electric shift motor work?.can or or should i remove it and shift it manually to see if it locks up??

 

[gijoecam]

The front driveshaft will always turn whether the transfer case is locked or not. You have a live front axle. The transfer case shift motor plays no part in the transfer case lockup. Removing the motor and/or shifting it manually will not tell us anything. You need to do the check I mentioned above first to determine if it's a problem with the front axle or a problem with the transfer case.

 

[joe doe]

i had a 97 ex ....when my wheel drive lite came on while driving and stayed on the dealer said it did that because there was a problem in the 4 wheel drive somewhere and thats the warning light.

 

[gijoecam]

The light is supposed to come on when you flip the switch to 4high. If it doesn't, there's a problem. If it comes on when the switch is in auto, it'll generally flash to indicate a problem.

The lack of knowledge by the dealerships amazes me sometimes.... if I know more than my dealer about fixing my vehicle, there's a problem IMHO.

 

[garddog]

ok...i have jacked it up, i can move the drive shaft by hand and one wheel will turn, while jacked up i engaged the 4wd and nothing happened but the indicator light came on as normal....so i guess that tells me we are dealing with the transfer case?....by the way thanks.

 

[gijoecam]

Yuppers.... Use a test light with a shapr point on it, or a multimeter (even better) and check for power at the brown wire near where it enters the transfer case. I *believe* that splitting the connector will cause the system to not try to engage since it loses the signals from the speed sensors if you do that, so you'll need to check it with everything connected. Again, idling, in 4high, front wheels off the ground. If you're getting power to the transfer case clutch coil via the brown wire, but the front driveshaft fails to lock to the rear, that tells us that the transfer case clutch coil is failing to engage... IIRC, IZWack was one of the first to encounter that one. I'll defer to him for all matters of the 44-05 guts.

Let us know what you find!

 

[garddog]

thanks...will try that but the weather hasn't let me get back under the truck . will try when it gets a little warmer..then i will get back to ya...i don't have a garage so i do everything in the driveway right now...

 

[ellis11]

I had the same problem. The 4WD lights would light up when I turned the 4WD switch, but no 4WD. I replaced the transfer case motor ($109 at Autozone) and now I have 4WD.