HELP! 4x4 Not working!

[Lucas.Salverson]

Hello, my name's Lucas i'm new here, I own a stock 1998 Ford Explorer XLT V6 SOHC With auto 4x4/4x4 high & 4x4 Low. The 4X4 has recently stopped working and I don't know why. I drove onto slick ice and spun the wheels in all settings (high and low and auto) and the front wheels never spun. When i shift into 4x4 high the light comes on, then i will go into neutral and shift into 4x4 Low and it will clunk into gear and the 4x4 Low light will come on. I can tell its in 4x4 Low because of the torque pushing me forward without pressing the gas. But it is only sending the torque to the rear wheels and fooling me because on ice the front wheels don't spin. Also lately I've noticed a clunk feeling from what seems like the front end when I first accelerate and slow down to a stop. What could this problem be? I'm lost, could it be the Auto hubs on the front not engaging? could it be the actuator? Please help, I'm lost! I raised it up and spun the front drive shaft by hand and the front wheels moved, while in neutral. I'm not sure what else to do, the 4x4 worked perfectly as far as i know up until i noticed it today but I don't know what happened.

 

[albi1cnobi1]

You don't have auto hubs on your truck. The front is a live axle. Meaning that the front drive line is always connected to the wheels. The front axle and drive shaft are always turning. There is an electric clutch in the transfer case that engages to send power to the front wheels. If you aren't getting torque to the front wheels and the shift motor is working(I think yours is because of the low gearing in 4lo that you mentioned) then the clutch in the t case is either bad or not getting power. I think thats where I would start looking.

 

[Lucas.Salverson]

I took it to my mechanic today and he lifted it and i shifted it into 4 high and the wheels in the front spun fine and it worked, then i put it in park and shifted out of 4x4 high and put it back on the ground and reversed out of the garage probably more than 15 feet which he said to do to disengage it after shifting out, and nothing happened im still getting the jerking and hopping when i turn and a clunk when i accelerate. I'll look at the electronic clutch though thanks.

 

[albi1cnobi1]

You don't need to reverse to disengage the 4wd on your truck. That is procedure for disengaging locking hubs, and your truck doesn't have them. When you switch out of 4hi the only thing that happens is the electric clutch releases. 4auto works like 4hi in a way. The difference is that the clutch isn't engaged full time, it gets input from the front speed sensor and if it senses a difference in speed from front to rear it engages the clutch until the speeds match. It sounds like you are having clutch issues.

 

[Lucas.Salverson]

Why would the 4x4 work on the lift but not on the ground though, I don't understand that. Also i'm still getting the jerking and binding when I turn sharply and a whine from the front end and the clunk when I accelerate/brake still even though the front wheels aren't engaged/engaging in 4WD, if the four wheel drive is not working why would i be getting the jerking and popping like it's in 4WD? Thanks a lot for all of your help

 

[albi1cnobi1]

It's a possibility that under load or pressure of being on the ground the clutch won't engage. It's also possible the clutch is partially engaged because you shouldn't be getting any of those other problems if the 4wd isn't engaged. One way you can determine if it is a transfer case issue or front axle problem is to remove the front drive shaft and see if the other problems go away.

 

[Lucas.Salverson]

If the clutch is partially engaged/hung up would that cause the clunking when I first accelerate? the clutch slipping?

 

[albi1cnobi1]

Yes, it's possible. I think to isolate the problem you might want to try the drive shaft removal.

 

[Lucas.Salverson]

Procedure

How would I go about doing that exactly, does it have to be on a lift? or do you mean to take out the front drive shaft and drive it, to see if its an axle or transfer case problem?

 

[albi1cnobi1]

or do you mean to take out the front drive shaft and drive it, to see if its an axle or transfer case problem?

Exactly. Remove the front shaft, drive it and see what shakes out. To remove the shaft there are 6 bolts on the transfer case end that need to be removed and 4 bolts on the front differential end as well. When you take the front end off be careful with the u-joint, there are small cups on the end that are full of tiny needle bearings. Use some duct tape and tape those caps on. It doesn't need to be on a lift, as long as you don't mind lying on your back to remove it.

 

[Lucas.Salverson]

Alright, great, thank's a lot, i'll certainly try that!

 

[albi1cnobi1]

Let me know what you find. Good luck.