Help me ask about "auto" 4X4 problem

[Kevin Kelley]

Hi! I'm a new member- sort of and have a '98 Sport that has a dash switch for drive selection. It says- Auto- 4X4 hi- 4X4 low. I am not sure what "Auto" does or means except that if the front tires slip, the drive does not engage automatically as I'd assume "auto" to imply. One of the local Ford dealers said they all screw up that way and with the prices of the parts the dealers are throwing away I don't think I'll be asking them again. If the 4X4 works except in auto, what should I check and please include the parts' location. None of the books I have access to show anything about this system. TIA, KK

 

[Xpl0rer]

well if i fully understand what you are saying that 4 hi and low work correctly but the light will not light up when trying to put into auto... i would assume the switch itself has malfunctioned....the AUTO 4wd is when the rears tires lose grip and it AUTOmatically switches to 4wd....to be honest i hate auto 4wd with a passion, thats beside the point. If i were you id disconnect the switch in the dash and make sure no corrosion is taking place. since obviously you are getting power to the switch i would trace the wires back look for any cut or damaged wiring leading back to the transfer case, lastely id check the wiring connections into your transfer case.. hopefully this helps you out a bit
~TroY~

 

[Kevin Kelley]

Troy, I'll assume that you say that 4X4 light lights when the rear tires slip and engages the front? If so, that doesn't happen. The switch has only three positions Auto, 4hi and 4lo , so the switch is always in one position. So, you think a wire isn't connected for one reason or another? Is it possible to get a wiring diagram anywhere? KK

 

[mikeh44]

auto works when the back wheels slip i believe that your year has a vaccum operated disconnect on the passenger side on the front diff look for a vaccum motor on the front passenger side pumpkin

 

[Xpl0rer]

i think we may have the cart in front of the pony here....when you hit the "auto" button does the slector switch light up?

 

[Bent Bolt]

Here's a little crash course in auto 4wd.

auto 4x4 postion-- no lamps turn on. Rear wheel drive until 4x4 module see's the rear wheels slip in relation to the front wheels-- ie on ice and snow. Module engages front drive for additional traction untill slip condtion goes away. Can be somewhat harsh engagement/disengagement when operating. Front driveshaft is engaged with an electromagnetic clutch within the transfer case.

4-hi -- 4x4 module engages front drive with electromagnetic clutch and stays engaged untill you turn switch back to "auto". Like regular 4-hi. "4x4" lamp turns on.

4-low -- shift motor on transfer case turns and mechanicaly engages the reduction gearset . "4x4" and " 4low" lamps turn on.

 

[Xpl0rer]

hmm sorry i just assumed that push button 4wd have lamps next to them lol guess im wrong....so you just guess which position you are in? well any how what where the prices they were throwing at you and what was the part(s) they were trying to sell you? from what i've gathered you could have an issue with the abs speed sensor...thats how your system knows to go into auto when the rear tires are spinning faster than your front im pretty sure this has been established but just another thing to check...i believe in one of my mauals i have a wiring diagram...pm your email addy if you would like it..
~TroY~

 

[Kevin Kelley]

to Bent Bolt: If the system detects slip and engages automatically, wouldn't the light come on for the time the front axle is engaged?
To XplOrer: this system has a twist knob, not push buttons. The knob is usually in Auto unless I select 4X4 hi or lo which keeps the hi or lo range engaged until it's deselected back to Auto which is 2X4 until the dreaded rear wheel slip
And how do I PM? Remember, I'm new! KK

 

[Xpl0rer]

oh aight thats where i was mistaken i thought you had push button... and ill just try to upload the wiring diagram on here if i cant just click on my name and on the right side of the page it says send a personal message or you can just type the email here dun matter to me... ill also try to find a lil more info on the abs speed sensors for ya..
~TroY~

 

[Kevin Kelley]

XplOrer, send the diagram to kandskelley@fltg.net KK

 

[Bent Bolt]

to Bent Bolt: If the system detects slip and engages automatically, wouldn't the light come on for the time the front axle is engaged?

No. You get no feedback other than the clunk that you feel.

 

[sebas54]

Auto 4x4


I had the same problem and it drove me crazy. If your absolutely certain that the Auto 4x4 does not engage then it is probable your sensors. You have 2 sensors on you Transfer Case. There not that expensive, around $50.00 each. You'll have to get them from the dealer. When I changed mine it fixed the Auto 4x4 right away. When and if you install new ones be careful not to push the sensors to far in otherwise it will touch the gears in the T-Case and make a wine sound. Hope this helps. Keep me posted.:exp: :exp: :exp: :exp: :exp: :navajo: :navajo: :navajo: :navajo: :navajo: :navajo:

 

[Kevin Kelley]

Thanks guys! I'll check the sensors out when I can get under there again...lots of snow. I work at Advance Auto Parts and looked up what is available and we have a "speed sensor" for about $27. It doesn't say what it's for and all I can say about it is that it has a square shaft coming out of the "working"end and a sort of oval connector on the other KK

 

[kert0307]

oh aight thats where i was mistaken i thought you had push button... and ill just try to upload the wiring diagram on here if i cant just click on my name and on the right side of the page it says send a personal message or you can just type the email here dun matter to me... ill also try to find a lil more info on the abs speed sensors for ya..
~TroY~

hey, not to discourage you from helping someone out, but his 98 4x4 auto system is much different than your first generation explorer. The diagram won't help him.


Kevin, as stated when you are switched to 4x4 auto, when your back wheels slip it automatiaclly locks the front in, no lights come on to tell you, it just happends, then when you're not spinning anymore it goes back to 2wd. You might not even notice it doing this. About the only way to know if it's working is to find some loose gravel, or some snow and try to spin your back wheels only. Youre back tires only haev to spin something like a 6th of a turn before it engages. Keep in mind that your front axle has an open differential, so it's possible that only one of your front wheels will be spinning when you do this. Hope this helps.

 

[bp1506]

The 4x4 auto thing is a piece of junk, right now its icy on my street and if i try to take off without going to 4x4 hi the rear tires spin forever before finally getting traction.

It would have been better just to have a 2wd 4hi and 4lo in my sport.

 

[kert0307]

The 4x4 auto thing is a piece of junk, right now its icy on my street and if i try to take off without going to 4x4 hi the rear tires spin forever before finally getting traction.

It would have been better just to have a 2wd 4hi and 4lo in my sport.

you can get 2wd by splicing a relay into the brown wire that goes to the transfer case (located under the driver seat), giving you 2wd high and low, 4x4 high and low, and auto. Search for the "brown wire mod"

 

[bp1506]

But i read somewhere that if you are in 2wd mode, sometimes you have to restart your truck for it to go back to 4x4 mode for some reason. and then i still have to play with 2 switches instead of one.

Didn't the older explorers have a 2wd , 4hi, 4lo switch instead of the one with auto?

 

[chrisis]

96 and 97 explorers came with 2wd, 4wd auto, 4wd low

 

[kert0307]

But i read somewhere that if you are in 2wd mode, sometimes you have to restart your truck for it to go back to 4x4 mode for some reason. and then i still have to play with 2 switches instead of one.
auto?

You don't have to restart the truck if you do the brown wire mod under the seat because it is after the 4x4 computer, if you do the version of it where you splice into the wire in the dash, then you do have to restart to switch bacuse then it is before the computer.

I actually like the 4x4 auto for snow driving, it takes corners great under acceleration. I really only use the 2wd brown wire mod switch for messing around or if I'm in 4x4 low and want to turn a sharp corner because it takes all the stress off the front driveline. Is it really that much of a struggle to have 2 switches when you can have so much variey with it? How many other tranfer cases can you get 2wd low in? and you can flip the switch on the fly the only time you need to stop is for switching from high to low and back.

 

[gijoecam]

Ditto... sorry for getting in here so late... the 98 system is not like the 1st gens. Completely different setup and nothing about one system is interchangable with the other.

Now, with that in mind, Kevin, I'm not entirely clear as to what the problem is with your system. Auto mode is just that: It's automatic 4wheel drive. When the system detects that the rear wheels are slipping, it engages the 4wd momentarily until both axles are turning the same speed again, then it releases, then it checks again to see if the rear wheels are slipping again. There are no indicator lights for 4auto.

Please clarify your concern and we'll see what we can do. Please tell us exactly what the vehicle is or isn't doing, and under what conditions it does or doesn't happen.

We're happy to help!

-Joe