Control Trac? Thumb up or down?

[yob_yeknom]

Originally posted by JasonF
I am still confused about the "clunking" you get when you flip into low

It's the transfer case shifting into low range.

 

[IAmTodd]

The clunk is just the shift motor shifting from "high" gear to "low" gear. Our Z71 grinds sometimes, so feel lucky it only clunks

 

[dcd]

I am pretty impressed with the Control-trac so far. The other day I was pulling out quickly into traffic with the rear wheels on loose gravel. I gunned it and the vehicle just went, with hardly a sign of wheel-spin.

 

[rokke17]

Control Trac sucks.


I would take my 95 with 2wd, 4x4 and 4x4 Low any day of the week and twice on Sunday

Chris

 

[Vozar]

Ok I have a problem, I went wheeling about a few weeks ago. I put it into 4 wheel high and used it a bit and finially got done after about 30 minutes,but thats not the problem. The problem is that for the last couple of weeks it feels like it has been kind of slipping on regular road.For example when I make slow turns or just turn the stering wheel just on regular turns it kind of vibrates a little. I drove it like this for 3 weeks or more. After a few weeks it finially got in my head that somehow maybe the 4 wheel drive wasnt diengaged all the way. SO what I did was just stoped in the road by my house and put it in park, engaged 4 wheel high on the road, drove 20 feet and then disengaged it back into auto.When I did this it made a clunk(wasnt that loud) and disengaged. After this I believe the slipping pretty much went away. I have a few questions though,Is this clunk normal since i engaged and disengaged it on pavement? Is it possible during this few weeks when I was driving it I could have damaged anything because the 4wd might of been partially engaged? And has anyone had this problem before?Ohh,and how come you cant drive the explorer in 4wd on the pavement(I don't) i mean because my friends with trucks and stuff can? Is the explorers 4wd designed differenty? I need responses,appreciate it,Matt

 

[JasonF]

rokke17, If it's a 95 then it has the control trac you love so much

 

[Vozar]

by the way I have a 98 explorer with control trac 4wd

 

[TPLYNCH]

No 4x4 hi or lo on pavement because the front and rear drivelines are locked at the transfer case and spin at the same speed, which means the tires try and spin the same speed. But when you turn, physics are the outside/front wheels needs to spin faster that the inside/rear wheels, but since the driveshafts are spinning the same speed, they can't, so need slippery surface for the faster wheel to "slip" , or else all the wound up energy will transfer to your hubs/cv's/differential/driveshaft and cause stress that could break something you don't want to break.

 

[IAmTodd]

I've had our 02 on dry ground w/high engaged and it let it slip, that is another reason why i don't like control trac! its not fully locked!

 

[PghBill]

Control Trac

I got my '97 with Control Trac in May, '02. Finally got a chance to use it in the recent snows in western Pennsylvania.

Definitely

Great for standing starts on snow covered roads! The ABS worked great on stopping as well.

Don't know how I survived all the years without it!

Even used it to pull a Mercedes 300 out of a ditch and up a snow/ice covered road (although I was in 4x4 low at the time - no tire spinning).

:smoke:

 

[yob_yeknom]

Originally posted by IAmTodd
I've had our 02 on dry ground w/high engaged and it let it slip, that is another reason why i don't like control trac! its not fully locked!

Let what slip? A tire? When you turn, one wheel must slip, either front or rear, or something will break. And yes, the transfer is fully locked in 4wd high.

 

[rokke17]

Originally posted by JasonF
rokke17, If it's a 95 then it has the control trac you love so much

Negative brotha.
My 95 did NOT have control trac.
It was straight 2wd, 4x4 and 4x4 low.

Chris

 

[Jason_25]

Originally posted by rokke17
Negative brotha.
My 95 did NOT have control trac.
It was straight 2wd, 4x4 and 4x4 low.

Chris

Wow, can you tell us more? What transfer case did it have then?

 

[rokke17]

Originally posted by Jason_25
Wow, can you tell us more? What transfer case did it have then?

I dont know what transfer case it had.
The knob on the radio bezel had 2wd, 4x4 and 4x4 low
not AUTO, 4x4 and 4x4 low like my 99 has.
Let me clarify.
I liked that on my 95 it was in 2wd until I put it in 4x4, and then it was in 4x4 and not switching around. And if I needed to crawl I could use 4x4 Low.

I feel 2wd and good Ole 4x4 are the ticket, I dont care for the car sending power to the front wheels when it feels it should.

Wow, I hope that clarified somewhat

Chris

 

[Jason_25]

ok but the middle position was 4x4 auto right?

 

[rokke17]

Originally posted by Jason_25
ok but the middle position was 4x4 auto right?

I dont remember. Thats beside the point.
My response to the thread was basically to say that I would prefer 2wd, 4x4, 4x4 low switch over the AUTO, 4x4 and 4x4 Low switch.

Once its in the 4x4 it works just fine. Kinda noisy but it works.
The only thing I was saying was that I dont care for the AUTO in my 99, and I wish it was like my 95 and had 2wd.

Chris

 

[Robert]

Originally posted by rokke17
I dont remember. Thats beside the point.
My response to the thread was basically to say that I would prefer 2wd, 4x4, 4x4 low switch over the AUTO, 4x4 and 4x4 Low switch.

Once its in the 4x4 it works just fine. Kinda noisy but it works.
The only thing I was saying was that I dont care for the AUTO in my 99, and I wish it was like my 95 and had 2wd.

Chris

What Jason was getting to was that the 4x4 mode in your '95 works exactly the same way your Auto mode works in your '99 (only the software in your '99 is a bit more refined to make the transition smoother). The biggest difference between your '95 and '99 is that your '95 had 2WD instead of a true locking 4x4 high mode. Both had 4x4 Auto and 4x4 Low. I would take a true locking 4x4 High mode any day, even if it meant giving up the 2WD mode.

 

[JasonF]

Thanks for backing us up Robert. Rokke, I think you are still missing the point we are trying to make. I'll give it one last shot.

You said "I feel 2wd and good Ole 4x4 are the ticket, I dont care for the car sending power to the front wheels when it feels it should."

What you keep calling "good ole 4x4" (the middle position on your 95) IS control trac auto sensing 4x4. that is why the switch is labeled 4x4 AUTO. Take a look at the explorer logo on your tailgate. It says Control Trac right on it.

Jason

 

[rokke17]

Originally posted by JasonF
Thanks for backing us up Robert. Rokke, I think you are still missing the point we are trying to make. I'll give it one last shot.

You said "I feel 2wd and good Ole 4x4 are the ticket, I dont care for the car sending power to the front wheels when it feels it should."

What you keep calling "good ole 4x4" (the middle position on your 95) IS control trac auto sensing 4x4. that is why the switch is labeled 4x4 AUTO. Take a look at the explorer logo on your tailgate. It says Control Trac right on it.

Jason

I totally understand the point you guys are trying to make.
I am just saying that the ability to select it and not have it be the only option (as in my 99) is the thing I dont like.
I think that you were misunderstanding what I was saying, and Probably only because I was unable to put my thoughts into words that you could easily understand.

Thanks guys
Chris

A side note. The 4x4 (auto?) middle selector in my 95 worked a hell of a lot better than the AUTO in my 99.
I dont feel that Ford made improvements here, I feel they went backwards. But that is just me and the 2 Ex's I have had. You are entitled to your own opinion and I will have mine.

End of debate as far as I am concerned.

Thanks for sharing your knowledge though, I do appreciate it.

 

[Nate1]

Ever heard of the brown and/or yellow wire tricks? They can pretty much turn auto into 4x2... mabey since it bothers you alot a little toggle switch might make all the difference in the world.