'98 Explorer Transfer Case Problem

[will7559]

This is my first post - yep, I got myself in trouble and need some advice. First, I must say that I have gotten a lot of great advice from this site and it's saved me some $ and I've had fun working on this vehicle.

Anyway, the 4WD 'locked up', dash lights (4H and 4L) blink sometimes. I suspected the shift motor. Tapped it to see if it was maybe stuck. Removed it and saw that it did not move at all when changing the dash dial to different positions. So, it seems that maybe it is the shift motor...

So, here's where I got myself into trouble - I tried to manually (with vise grips) move the high-low collar rod on the transfer case manually from H to N to see if I could disengage the 4WD. I think the rod is now disengaged from whatever it is that it engages inside since I can now turn it freely by hand.

Pretty bad move, huh? Now, I'm considering just removing the front drive shaft and licking my wounds for awhile. Any suggestions??

Thanks!

 

[Four0Sport]

althought not cheap, removing and replacing a transfer case in our vehicle is not extremely difficult. you might want to look through the 'transmission, differential' section of the site and see if you can find some further help.

 

[Sams01XplrSprt]

welcome will

 

[will7559]

Well, luckily, this may have been somewhat of a false alarm. I removed the shift motor again and checked the rod on the transfer case to see if it was still real loose. It wasn't - it felt engaged. So, I went ahead and got a new shift motor. Before adding all the sensor wires to the connector, I plugged it in to see if it would rotate when the dash 4WD dial was moved through its range. The motor moved, so I completed the install.

At this point, I was able to shift to 4L <---> 4H, but when I drove it, it was still stuck in 4H (groaning during slow turns...lurching). I drove it a few miles on the highway, shifting between Auto and 4H occasionally. I pulled over and did a slow turn in a lot - still grabbing..then a POP, and all is well!!!

What was the POP and do you think the thing is OK now??

Thanks!

 

[Four0Sport]

driveline bind? is it necessary on the 2nd gens with live hubs to back up ~10 feet? thought that was mainly for a vehicle with lockable hubs.

 

[will7559]

Some sort of bind... No, I don't think it's necessary to back-up to disengage. I'm beginning to think that I had 2 problems - the shift motor was bad, preventing shifting between Auto/4H and 4L. The new shift motor fixed that, but it was still in a bind. So, the 2nd problem is sticky automatic hubs. If the auto hubs are sticking, what's the fix for that?

Any insight would be much appreciated!

 

[Four0Sport]

a 98 doesnt have hubs per say.. it is a live axle. the front differential is always turning, so arent the axles, engaging the t-case is what puts power to the front.

 

[kert0307]

I would change the transfer case fluid it takes ATF. See if there are any shavings in the old fluid.

 

[KPT]

I think the rod is now disengaged from whatever it is that it engages inside since I can now turn it freely by hand.

Pretty bad move, huh? Now, I'm considering just removing the front drive shaft and licking my wounds for awhile. Any suggestions??

I know its not having this problem anymore but you couldn't just remove the front driveshaft if it was. The shift rod moves the shift fork which moves the hi/low collar. All engine power into the t-case goes through the high/low collar.

 

[gijoecam]

I know its not having this problem anymore but you couldn't just remove the front driveshaft if it was. The shift rod moves the shift fork which moves the hi/low collar. All engine power into the t-case goes through the high/low collar.

But the shift rod does not move on a second gen when shifting from 4auto to 4high (or on a 95-96, 2high to 4auto). The motor plays no part in thransfer case lockup on a second gen. If it's locking the case and shouldn't be, or if it's not locking the case and it should be, there's absolutely no reason to touch the shift motor in any way, shape, or form.

The shift motor should not move when shifting from 4auto to 4high. ONLY when moving in and out of low range.

Shift motor failures on a second gen are notoriously rare IMHO. There are plenty of other issues that can cause the system to lock when it shouldn't. It's a sensor-fed system, and if one of the signals is out of range, but still sending a signal, there's the problem.

The fact that the OP's Ex has been blinking the lights on occasion tells me that it's detecting an intermittent fault. My money would be the rear axle speed sensor, or its wiring as that's the most exposed component of the system. (And replacing the $15 part solves similar issues about 3/4 of the time).... But without knowing the specific code it's storing, it's a guessing game at best.

 

[nathanbrochill19]

I know this is off the subject but is there a way to stop the front axle from engaging in the AUTO postion. You all know how satisfying it is to whip your ass around in the mud but when the front axle locks up and you don't want it to that kinda cripples your fun. I don't think it's a good idea for the axle to lock up when the real wheels are spinning anyway, they have that momentum going and it slams that front diff in can't be good. Thanks, Nathan

 

[gijoecam]

I know this is off the subject but is there a way to stop the front axle from engaging in the AUTO postion. You all know how satisfying it is to whip your ass around in the mud but when the front axle locks up and you don't want it to that kinda cripples your fun. I don't think it's a good idea for the axle to lock up when the real wheels are spinning anyway, they have that momentum going and it slams that front diff in can't be good. Thanks, Nathan

First, welcome to the site!

Second, Please don't hijack someone else's thread... Search first, then start a new one if necessary.

Third, spinning the rear wheels is a bad idea for a number of reasons, most important, it's bad for the transfer case.

Fourth, there should be very little lag before the front axle engages. I've hung my head out the window and brake-torqued the rear end in a gravel parking lot. The tire only went about 1/4 rotation before locking. If yours spins excessively before locking, there's another issue. If it locks repeatedly and often, you should have been in 4high to start with.

Fifth, use your newly acquired search powers to search for 'Comprehensive Brown Wire Mod Thread'. All your answers will be found.

 

[KPT]

But the shift rod does not move on a second gen when shifting from 4auto to 4high (or on a 95-96, 2high to 4auto).

I am well aware of this. I have rebuilt my 4405.....

I was referring to him saying the shift rod moved freely. That would mean the rod is broken or the shift fork is out of the cam somehow. I doubt the shift collar would stay in low or high and you would get no power to the rear axle....

 

[will7559]

The reason I replaced the shift motor is that I saw that it was not actuating when going from H to L. I plugged in the new motor and it did move. So that apparently was one problem solved. That also got rid of the dash lights blinking (H and L at the same time) and enabled the correct dash lights to illuminate at the appropriate time.

BUT, what is confusing to me is that the front wheels were still engaged until a fairly loud POP happened when turning slowly. I'm curious about what that might have been.

Anyway, I now understand much better how the 4WD system works on this thing, thanks to all of you.

By the way, I don't want to touch the 4WD dial until I know what caused the binding....or is that sometimes normal for 4WD vehicles? I will change the oil in the TC soon.

 

[Skibzm]

Hi,
You seem to know quiet a bit about 98 explorer transfer cases and I have one that i cant seem to figure out. I tried a new motor in my older transfer then moved on to replace the transfer case with a used one. And both have identical symptoms. 4L grinds slightly when engaged, Auto and 4H no sounds. And in all instances no power is transferred to the front drive shaft. Indicator lights are on, no blinking, and no codes are shown. I hate to jump into a thread but I am desperate. Any ideas?