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Big White - Ford Racing Powerdyne Installation Thread

Gotta love Ford! Put the power to the ground!! 11 psi in a 347 = stuff many of us just dream about!

Dana 35 in the FRONT (dig at the v8 Jeep cherokee's had them in the Back!), the 31 spline 8.8 is as strong as a dana 60
Troll taught us years ago the AWD t case can handle some serious power!!!

However it also uses a clutch and wears out, the power that is lost through the "AWD" system creates alot of heat, so the fluid life is short lived.
Everyone here knows I hate the AWD t case, its 70/30 split and viscous clutch leaves alot to be desired....

For me, I drive either on road or off, and lots of winter driving in the snow and ice. I prefer the 50/50 split of a traditional t case under ALL CONDITIONS the AWD works good....but not great and it sucks MPG, chews up front end bits, all while costing you power to the wheels
What sort of maintenance does the AWD require and does it ever need to be rebuilt or replaced? Is there another swappable and more robust AWD available?

Haven’t seen a lot written about the AWD in the Explorers and I’m curious to learn more
 



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Troll taught us years ago the AWD t case can handle some serious power!!!

ah yes. troll and the troll trac. what most of us speed junkies inspire to be lol
 






What sort of maintenance does the AWD require and does it ever need to be rebuilt or replaced? Is there another swappable and more robust AWD available?

Haven’t seen a lot written about the AWD in the Explorers and I’m curious to learn more

not many guys rebuild them as far as i know because once they start having problems most either take the front drive shaft off (which causes the truck to roll while its in park) or swap it out for a 4406. to me that is a better way to go. you will get a little bit better mileage, and the steering wheel doesnt feel as heavy
 






not many guys rebuild them as far as i know because once they start having problems most either take the front drive shaft off (which causes the truck to roll while its in park) or swap it out for a 4406. to me that is a better way to go. you will get a little bit better mileage, and the steering wheel doesnt feel as heavy
Thanks for the info.

If mine started to go bad, I definately would want to stay with the AWD versus an manual shift 4x4. I feel it is more suitable for my driving style and vision for this truck. I would be glad to consider another AWD system that might be an improvement. So if and when mine goes bad, what could be the options? Any recommended maintenance on the AWD system or place I could read more about it?

Thanks in advance
 






Ford only made a couple of AWD TC's, that is Borg Warner made them for Ford. The BW 4403 and BW4404 are the same except for the rear speed sensor. the next one was the BW 4410 which was unique to bolt onto the 5R55W trans types. The viscous clutch inside might be the same for all of those, and the AWD of the Aerostar possibly.

The AWD's have two fluids in them. The viscous clutch is sealed with it's own fluid, and when/if that ever leaks, it turns the TC fluid black. Change the AWD TC fluid often, once a year would be a good minimum. There isn't much in the case, and it's just for the bearings, chain, and gears. It's not that expensive given there's less than two quarts in the TC.

The viscous clutch is not easy to come by, being kind of rare, and I didn't see an available BW unit, or a price. The aftermarket viscous clutch was about $275 when I got one, and it may have been the only unit made from any source. To just replace the serviceable parts in the AWD, looked to be about $450 back in 2018 when I collected the parts. So a rebuilt TC from a rebuilder may be a decent choice if it's under $800ish, what should the labor be? They used to cost that low $800 price, last I saw was closer to $1100.

I think everything past that BW 4410 is not an AWD, but simply the automatic 4WD like the BW 4405, with an electromagnetic clutch inside.
 






You can do a 4406 control trac t case, there is a way to make a stand alone control trac AWD controller this would give you 4auto, 4 hi and 4 low

As far as I know NOBODY has done this
I researched the crap out of this after:

1. Ranger I helped convert to 5.0 went ice racing/rally racing and was asking about control trac options
2. Customer who had me convert his ranger to 5.0 provided me with a 4406 control trac case instead of non control trac so I wanted to know if it could be done. That is when I found on this forum, years ago, several V6 dudes were creating a stand alone control trac controller by printing their own circuit boards........ so building a 5.0 RBV with a control trac 4406 is possible and I might just do it, since I already have the T case
 






You can do a 4406 control trac t case, there is a way to make a stand alone control trac AWD controller this would give you 4auto, 4 hi and 4 low

As far as I know NOBODY has done this
I researched the crap out of this after:

1. Ranger I helped convert to 5.0 went ice racing/rally racing and was asking about control trac options
2. Customer who had me convert his ranger to 5.0 provided me with a 4406 control trac case instead of non control trac so I wanted to know if it could be done. That is when I found on this forum, years ago, several V6 dudes were creating a stand alone control trac controller by printing their own circuit boards........ so building a 5.0 RBV with a control trac 4406 is possible and I might just do it, since I already have the T case
Opinions about why would I want to switch from the factory AWD to perhaps this solution suggested by 410Fortune? Since Big White is lowered 2 inches and is mainly driven on the street with little off-roading - what advantages would I have? I occasionally drive on the beach but that is about it. I like the fact that this truck came factory with AWD but I might not understand the limitations of this system and what benefits I would gain with the solution suggested above.

Thanks in advance for any insight.
 






Opinions about why would I want to switch from the factory AWD to perhaps this solution suggested by 410Fortune? Since Big White is lowered 2 inches and is mainly driven on the street with little off-roading - what advantages would I have? I occasionally drive on the beach but that is about it. I like the fact that this truck came factory with AWD but I might not understand the limitations of this system and what benefits I would gain with the solution suggested above.

Thanks in advance for any insight.
Short answer
You will gain reliability
 






I'm still on the fence about it, I would also be interested in the stronger TC for higher power.

Most people will tell you it makes the steering more free, saves some gas, and wear on front tires. I've had three AWD 302's, one the AWD was going out when I got it. I had driven that one as a 2WD for over a year full time, I didn't see a noticeable gain in anything really, the trans lost 3rd/4th gear so I stopped driving it.

You will need a better rear diff(or want one) soon. The LS is not good enough for any real power, the clutches wear out fast with any tire spin(months instead of years). The True Trac is $500 or so, and very strong for most uses. If you find traction issues with the AWD on the beach for example(not off roading with tire(s) in the air, then a better front differential is the best answer.

So I don't know which is better truly for street use, nobody has done actual useful testing to learn if the front tires wear out so much faster with the AWD, or gain fuel economy. I'm hard on the gas and the tires all the time, I can't say how things may be with a really light touch stopping, starting, and steering.
 






I'm still on the fence about it, I would also be interested in the stronger TC for higher power.

Most people will tell you it makes the steering more free, saves some gas, and wear on front tires. I've had three AWD 302's, one the AWD was going out when I got it. I had driven that one as a 2WD for over a year full time, I didn't see a noticeable gain in anything really, the trans lost 3rd/4th gear so I stopped driving it.

You will need a better rear diff(or want one) soon. The LS is not good enough for any real power, the clutches wear out fast with any tire spin(months instead of years). The True Trac is $500 or so, and very strong for most uses. If you find traction issues with the AWD on the beach for example(not off roading with tire(s) in the air, then a better front differential is the best answer.

So I don't know which is better truly for street use, nobody has done actual useful testing to learn if the front tires wear out so much faster with the AWD, or gain fuel economy. I'm hard on the gas and the tires all the time, I can't say how things may be with a really light touch stopping, starting, and steering.
I've had Big White for 7 years now and haven't had (that I know of) any reliability issues with the AWD. I've made multiple trips to the very Sandy Beaches (15 miles of driving in a variety of beach conditions) and have had no issues and the AWD has performed well. Actually I've was impressed that the truck handled so well in these conditions especially since it has been lowered. For me I really like the way (and difference) that this truck feels with the AWD (steering, etc) I've only changed the TC and DIFF fluids once since I've owned the truck.

I am curious why Ford during this error had a separate AWD system from the 4X4 system. I am sure there was a reasoning behind it. Anyone have any insight into this?

Now I've added quite a bit more horsepower, the reliability question I'm sure will be tested. Hard to find an good info on what the limitations are on the BW 4404 TC of the AWD system. I guess will have to see how all the parts hold up with the new power and additional power that I might have when adding a bit more boost and an intercooler.

The idea of swapping in different parts is interesting if they will give me some enhanced functionality and reliability as long as it doesn't seem hacked in and makes sense for the type of driving I do with the truck.

Thanks!!!
 






The AWD won't be limited for power until you make a lot more than you are now, I'd say at least the 450rwhp level, which hasn't been done yet with the AWD. I believe the critical limitation of the AWD is the tire diameter. If you keep the tires the same diameter, than only wheel spin should be a problem if it happens. The viscous clutch of the AWD is perfectly happy to transfer power evenly to equal sized front/rear tires, no extra heat is created then. I think that's how they manage to last 200-300k miles, equal tire sizes, fresh TC fluid, and no excess heat. Any wheel spin creates some extra heat, and mismatched tires constantly create extra heat.

Change your AWD TV fluid soon, try to do that yearly. I'm planning to do that today myself, using Valvoline TC fluid.

The BW4406 wasn't used behind the 302 that I know of, it came out in the 90's and fits behind any C6 or 4R70W trans types. That went behind the 4R in the 4.6 and 5.4 Expeditions and F150's in the late 90's. So it was very common and came in three versions I think, the manual, TOD, and the odd one I don't recall what was different.
 






That's good stuff about maintaining the T-case and same size tires etc. etc. to keep it alive.

I appreciate the input here and was limiting power in my build more than I needed to do! So yah, I put back the 3 3/8" pulley with cooler weather and am getting almost 8lbs again at 5,400'!!!!!! We'll see if I can live with the mileage it gets.

I am not going to a larger tire and likely will go back to a 255/70-R16 from 265/75R16's. While I miss 4 low a couple times a year, I likely wont do any t-case swap unless this one goes bad. The trade-off for 4 wheel is that I also like the AWD cornering and the way it AWD handles in snow on the highway. That is why I swapped an AWD Aerostar T-case into my old blown 4.0 Ranger Edge............................Snow preference is 4wheel drive for the slower stuff and wheeling of which I do very little anymore..............
 






D87AA72D-64C5-4B3E-BC2B-A1541A22829B.jpeg

Photos from when Big White Ford Explorer - https://m.facebook.com/BigWhiteExplorer had a tuning session with @efi_bob at @stage_fp D486C2AF-1D34-4D5E-BD90-0A6644FC01D2.jpeg
 






Wow, After bringing the boost back-up on mine and reading your output, I realized I left out the headers and exhaust improvements in my engine output calculations. At 8lbs this thing should be around 367 horses and 450ftlbs.
 






those are some nice pie cut intake pipes :) oooooh la la!!

Where is the alternator? Im gonna go back in this thread and look see
 






those are some nice pie cut intake pipes :) oooooh la la!!

Where is the alternator? Im gonna go back in this thread and look see
Yeah they did an excellent job on the pipes. Really pleased with the way they turned out. The alternator is down below the supercharger
 






So was reading some about the AWD system used in the GMC Syclone - which apparently uses the same BW 4472 transfer case from the Safari Minivan. This unit appears to be the same “type” of TC (VC) as the AWD transfer case in the 5.0 Explorer.

My thought is if that BW AWD system was good enough for the Syclone (and it’s ~ 4.3 0-60 times) then the BW AWD TC in our Explorers might be sufficient enough for anything that reasonably might be thrown at it…..??????
 






The stock AWD case has been known to hold up to some serious power
Earlier I mentioned Troll's AWD explorer
from like 18+ years ago....... blown, intercooled 347 powered explorer with NITROUS and 2 15" subs in the back doing under 12 second 1/4 miles

11.8 at 117 mph no nitrous

This was before the intercooler I believe:


and


YEAH BUDDY!! AWD = TRACTION!!!!!!!!!!!
I still prefer a 50/50 split t case, but I am not drag racing
 






Quite amazing to read about his truck
The stock AWD case has been known to hold up to some serious power
Earlier I mentioned Troll's AWD explorer
from like 18+ years ago....... blown, intercooled 347 powered explorer with NITROUS and 2 15" subs in the back doing under 12 second 1/4 miles

11.8 at 117 mph no nitrous

This was before the intercooler I believe:


and


YEAH BUDDY!! AWD = TRACTION!!!!!!!!!!!
I still prefer a 50/50 split t case, but I am not drag racing
Quite amazing to read about his truck. Definitely something to aspire to

Anybody have any idea what happened with his truck since that post is from many years ago
 



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