BWM Brown Wire Mod 3rd Gen

[JCUZ]

a friend of mine has a 97 x and all he did to make it 2wd was pull out the fuse for the 4wd. at lease thats what he told me. is that posible?

If there is a fuse, yes, that would be possible - but a switch is still more convenient than having to stop and put a fuse back in when you want 4WD.

But what happens in a 97 ex doesn't much relate to a 2002-2005 ex, which is what this thread relates to.

 

[Blazepet7]

willl this work on a 99 xlt

 

[IZwack]

You 2nd gen ownerrzzz (2001 and older), please stop crowding around the 3rd gen watering hole and go to this thread ::
http://www.explorerforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=149388

 

[JCUZ]

You 2nd gen ownerrzzz (2001 and older), please stop crowding around the 3rd gen watering hole and go to this thread ::
http://www.explorerforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=149388

Nice one!

 

[nozzleman0358]

I have a 2006 v6 with auto 4x4. I also have the same 3 switches as you just in a different place. Do you know if this mod will work on my X ??

 

[ktford]

I think you'd need to suck it n see dude, good luck
Scotty

 

[n2epv]

BWM on 2004 XLT 4.6, 53,000 MI

I just finished the BWM on my 2004 X and it works great! Connected the LED to the xfer case side of the brown wire, so I can see what's going on.

I had experienced the 'running over a garden hose' effect since I bought my X a few weeks ago. This happens when going down a relatively steep hill with my foot completely off the gas (45 to 60 MPH in 'D') so that there is engine breaking. I could reproduce the effect by selecting '3' or '2' on the shift, accelerating to 3000 RPM on the tach, then taking foot off gas - again causing engine breaking. You feel this 'bump effect' every 2 seconds as long as there is engine breaking. There is also a noise (too quiet for the ABS, but similar-sounding).

Now with the BWM and LED on the dash, I can see the TOD pulsing on and off during engine breaking on dry pavement. This would end up wearing out something eventually(probably the TOD clutch).

What would be causing this? I assume that TOD activation on dry pavement is not normal (unless I stomp on the gas with the 4.6). All tire pressures are within 2 Psi and the seller put on 4 new pretty aggressive-tread tires just before I bought it.

In the mean time, I will just leave the BWM switch in the off position on clear roads.

thanks,
Dave

 

[BigPemby]

will BWM damage TCase??

here in snowy Michigan winter-time doughnuts and nice fish tail drifts are just part of the action.......i read a warning in the 95-01 page about excessive wheel spin destroying the TCase clutch.........

what chance does my 03 TCase have if it has large speed differences (20mph) between the front and rear axles?? i'm not interested in doing burnouts but it would be great to allow the rears to just do their thing in sloppy weather. i just don't want to fry the clutch system in the snow

any knowledge on this??

thanks

Mike

 

[n2epv]

Bwm

That's a good question about spinning the rear wheels damaging something. I live in Massachusetts, so doing doughnuts in the snow is definitely part of the winter-time fun! Of course, the Explorer Auto 4X4 system was not designed to let you do this.

I installed the BWM to stop the auto clutch from kicking in and out on dry pavement, and was not thinking about snow. It's really annoying when it goes into 4X4 on an exit ramp from the highway! I've read others on Explorer forums with the same problem. I'm guessing it was caused on my truck when the previous owner installed 4 new aggressive tread tires just before I bought it. Or maybe it's a bad speed sensor...

Anyway, I know a few really honest mechanics and will check with them next week about the spinning the rear tires question.

 

[Thelt]

What is the benefit of doing this mod? Does it increase mpg or performance? If it is just so you can do burnouts it seems like it would not be worth losing the benefits of all wheel drive in bad weather or even just wet roads.

 

[n2epv]

Why BWM

I personally did the BWM to chase down a problem I have with the Auto 4X4 engaging when it should not (like when I turn into off the highway into an exit ramp and try to go around the bend in the road as the X decelerates). I don't believe that you would get any MPG or performance improvment since all the front axle parts continue turning. The BWM just gives you an additional 2-wheel-drive selection like the GM auto 4X4 systems. You go back to auto 4X4 by flipping the switch that you add.

The 'deluxe' version of the BWM mod adds an indicator so that you can see when the Auto 4X4 kicks in. We had a heavy rain the other day, and I was surprised how often it turns on.

I still haven't found an answer as to potential x-fer case damage from spinning the rear wheels. The driveshaft and rear diff should not be bothered as they sell non-4X4 versions of the explorer, and I'm sure those trucks get the rear tires spun.

 

[ktford]

The biggest use I have for my BWM is reversing up steep driveways with my 4000lb trailer, the reduced gearing allows for minimal throttle usage and less stress on gearbox
Scotty

 

[JCUZ]

The biggest use I have for my BWM is reversing up steep driveways with my 4000lb trailer, the reduced gearing allows for minimal throttle usage and less stress on gearbox
Scotty

Scotty - I reckon you need to do my throttle pedal mod. Coming from a falcon with a flexible pedal to the explorer with a fixed pedal, i think you'll know what I mean. We have found that you don't require as much pressure and finesse to get small throttle movements now -the lag in the throttle is virtually gone, and it's just an "easier" truck to drive. Here's s link to that thread:
http://www.explorerforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=203293&highlight=throttle

 

[JCUZ]

I personally did the BWM to chase down a problem I have with the Auto 4X4 engaging when it should not (like when I turn into off the highway into an exit ramp and try to go around the bend in the road as the X decelerates). I don't believe that you would get any MPG or performance improvment since all the front axle parts continue turning. The BWM just gives you an additional 2-wheel-drive selection like the GM auto 4X4 systems. You go back to auto 4X4 by flipping the switch that you add.

The 'deluxe' version of the BWM mod adds an indicator so that you can see when the Auto 4X4 kicks in. We had a heavy rain the other day, and I was surprised how often it turns on.

I still haven't found an answer as to potential x-fer case damage from spinning the rear wheels. The driveshaft and rear diff should not be bothered as they sell non-4X4 versions of the explorer, and I'm sure those trucks get the rear tires spun.

Wow, I invented a "deluxe" something! LOL.

I pretty much installed mine for the same issues. Most of the time we leave ours in 4x4, with auto selected, but I have used 2wd a few times in good weather, because it gets annoying at slow speeds when the 4wd kicks in on dry roads, when entering our driveway, or pulling into a carpark. With the light, we can now easily see when the 4WD is kicking in so that when it makes a clunky noise, we know it's the 4WD activating and nothing more sinister.

 

[wet_willy]

did this last week, just wired a switch and mounted in the front of the center console on the edge by my knee. looks great and works just fine. found another thing this is usefl for as well. when you blow a tire you can turn the switch off and the larger or smaller tire wont mess with the auto 4X4

 

[IZwack]

when you blow a tire you can turn the switch off and the larger or smaller tire wont mess with the auto 4X4

That might be fine for short distances but for long distance, that's probably the same thing as doing a burnout with the BWM -- which means potential excessive wear on the transfer case's clutch pack.

If all you have is a small spare tire, then I'd say the best thing to do is move that smaller spare tire to the front (if the blowout is in the back that is) and then remove the front driveshaft.

 

[Frozen1]

I did the mod yesterday, used the brown wire on the top connector on the left side of the engine bay, works great, however I have a small concern.

When it's OFF, if I'm going down a straight street, and rev the rears in the snow, sometimes (not all time, but most of the time) the front starts shaking really bad, as if the fronts WANT to go but something is preventing it to go smoothly, like gears are clanking against each other or something (who knows). It's yet to do it when doing a burnout or anything like that, but say I'm doing 25kph down a road and I rev it, the front shakes bad, kinda scary. Any ideas?

edit: there isn't really a noise associated with this, besides rattling plastic inside the cabin.

 

[JCUZ]

I did the mod yesterday, used the brown wire on the top connector on the left side of the engine bay, works great, however I have a small concern.

When it's OFF, if I'm going down a straight street, and rev the rears in the snow, sometimes (not all time, but most of the time) the front starts shaking really bad, as if the fronts WANT to go but something is preventing it to go smoothly, like gears are clanking against each other or something (who knows). It's yet to do it when doing a burnout or anything like that, but say I'm doing 25kph down a road and I rev it, the front shakes bad, kinda scary. Any ideas?

edit: there isn't really a noise associated with this, besides rattling plastic inside the cabin.

Are you 100% sure you got the right wire?

 

[Frozen1]

Pretty sure. Theres only one solid brown wire in that bundle. It disables 4x4, and the lighted switch shows that same hi/low brightness exhibited by others in this thread as 4x4 kicks in and out. And most of the time it works great, I can lose complete control anytime i want, it's only when breaking the ass end loose on a straightaway that this problem occurs, and not all the time.

If I did the same thing WITH the auto 4x4 engaged, everything is smooth, no shaking or anything. My first thought was my switch was in the wrong position. Then I thought I may have a defective switch, or the wire was shorting out intermittently allowing the current to flow, however it's not. I'm an Electrical Technologist so I do know to check stuff like that... Not really sure. I'll test it some more to see if I can narrow down the conditions it happens under.

 

[wet_willy]

no, i think the slightly larger tire goes in the back. the reason i say that is there are 3 speed sensors, 2 front and 1 back. if the front two tires are different sizes it would be worse than the back two. i also have not had any problems, with or without auto 4X4 engaged. then again i am not running completly different sizes. my spare was just less worn than the others. then again i have been wrong about things before.