If your 4WD switch looks like this AUTO, 4HI, 4LO then...

[tenikiwon]

With this done can you run a Auto-Locker up front?

 

[Premier]

Yes.

 

[ccmbonn]

ccmbonn

On my 2000 Sport, I just interrupted the transfer case clutch brown wire and it works perfectly. No flashing lights, no abs light, no need to shut the engine off to engage etc. I have run it on a rear wheel dyno several times like this so I know that no power if getting sent to the front tires. By doing this you eliminate that transfer case banging and jerky feeling when you get slip on the rear tires. To get 4 hi or low I have to flip the interrupter switch, then the clutch is locked up solid. I measured the current on the brown wire and in 4wd low it was .6 amps.

Okay, so are you saying that all I have to do is simply cut the brown wire? Or do I have to put the relay your talking about inline somehow, if the later, Please explain in detail how this is done. Were does the voltage come from to energize the relay? That diagram on an earlier thread who not open for me to look at. I have a '97 XLT control trac 4wd explorer and that banging noise and the jerking sound's as if something's about to break. That's driving me crazy! My switch read's Auto; 4x4 hi; 4x4 lo. And it sounds as if this will give me an off switch from all the time 4x4. Also do you mean that the clutch is fully engaged in 4x4hi or 4x4lo when you turn your interrupter switch? I take it, your using a three position switch? If I sound totally confused it's because I am!!!!!!!!! Please help!!!! If you would, you can also send a response to my email, ccmbonn@netzero.net so that I can print out whatever diagram or drawing you can send me on the relay installation. Thanks Again

 

[dogfriend]

Okay, so are you saying that all I have to do is simply cut the brown wire? Or do I have to put the relay your talking about inline somehow, if the later, Please explain in detail how this is done. Were does the voltage come from to energize the relay? That diagram on an earlier thread who not open for me to look at. I have a '97 XLT control trac 4wd explorer and that banging noise and the jerking sound's as if something's about to break. That's driving me crazy! My switch read's Auto; 4x4 hi; 4x4 lo. And it sounds as if this will give me an off switch from all the time 4x4. Also do you mean that the clutch is fully engaged in 4x4hi or 4x4lo when you turn your interrupter switch? I take it, your using a three position switch? If I sound totally confused it's because I am!!!!!!!!! Please help!!!! If you would, you can also send a response to my email, ccmbonn@netzero.net so that I can print out whatever diagram or drawing you can send me on the relay installation. Thanks Again

This mod works by cutting the power to the electromagnetic clutch in the transfer case. The power to operate the clutch comes from a solid state relay (aka TOD relay) that is located in the dash near the radio. The GEM signals the TOD relay to send power in pulses (PWM) to the Transfer Case Clutch. There is a brown wire that goes from the TOD relay to the Transfer Case clutch, hense the "Brown Wire Mod".

The people who have performed this mod cut the brown wire and insert a switch or a relay inline with the brown wire. The reason that some people use a relay is to make sure that the relay can handle the current sent down the wire and to avoid running a lot of extra wire to place the switch in a convienent location. Most agree that a relay is probably not necessary if you are using a good quality switch and you are not adding a lot of extra wire to the circuit. If you use a relay, you will need to find a 12v source for power to close the relay.

If you perform the mod, when you interrupt the power to the Transfer case clutch, you will prevent torque from being transmitted to the front driveshaft and therefore will have 2wd only. This will be true whether the mode switch is in 4wd Auto, 4wd High or 4wd Low. Originally, the reason that some people performed the mod was so they could use 2wd Low offroad instead of 4wd Low. If you flip the switch so that the brown wire is connected, then the transfer case clutch is active and pulses on and off at a rate determined by the GEM based on the mode switch position and the input from the driveshaft sensors in the transfer case.

 

[Premier]

I have the diagram, I will send it to you.

Dogfriend- The brown wire is under the seat The yellow wire is in the dash.

 

[dogfriend]

I have the diagram, I will send it to you.

Dogfriend- The brown wire is under the seat The yellow wire is in the dash.

The brown wire is behind the dash, in the LH kickpanel, under the drivers seat and under the transfer case. It starts at the TOD relay next to the radio and ends inside the transfer case where it connects to the clutch coil.

BTW, the yellow wire goes from the GEM to the TOD relay.

 

[Lee S.]

I have the diagram, I will send it to you.

Dogfriend- The brown wire is under the seat The yellow wire is in the dash.

That is incorrect. Both wires (Brown and Yellow) connect to the TAD relay in the dash to the right of the radio. Actually the easiest way to access the brown wire is in the dash. This way you can hook up a switch in line and mount it under the dash. I did not use a relay and really see no reason to if you access it in the dash.

BTW there is another much shorter thread on the install that condenses this entire thread to a couple of pages. It has pictures and a write up of the install showing the brown wire in the dash.

If I can find it I will post a link.

Lee

 

[Premier]

Ok, so both are in the dash... However when I tore mine apart, it was a ***** to find, so I located it under the driver seat... along with the wiring harness.

 

[Lee S.]

Okay, here's the other thread with write-up and pics that condenses this thread into a couple of pages. Jared's write-up and pics are on page 2.

http://www.explorerforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=106593

Lee

 

[montanaexplorer]

wow

i ask questions then read more and more and more and it seems that for whatever reasons there are other people who think more or less along some of the same lines i do [and they are talented enough to figure out how to do what i am thinking of and kind enough to post the way to do it]

thank you all again for awsome information

.

 

[hitman17mk]

ya know if u want 2 wheel low (me havin a 94 limited) i have manual hubs so i just put it in 4lo and unless i get out and lock the hubs i got 2lo :-D

 

[JoshC]

That's right, but for those of us with 2nd Generation Explorers we don't have that luxury.

 

[playa17]

Chip?

Is there a chip/programmer that will do this? I was looking for one anyway and figured it would be easier.

 

[JoshC]

Hey, welcome to the site, hope we can help you with what you need.

To answer your question, no there is not a chip or programmer. As of now, this is the only way to do it. It's really not that hard, just a few minutes with some basic hand tools and you're set.

This thread has all the info you need for the job.

 

[Buckshot]

Maybe my 4Auto was messed up and engaging way more than it should, but I've picked up almost 5mpg from this mod since last weekend! I run a few more tanks and get some averages since this is only off 2 tanks, but I'm impressed.

Or maybe I should be depressed since it likely means my 4Auto is overengaging. (Could explain my random tire scrubbing too....damn.)

 

[Nate1]

Maybe my 4Auto was messed up and engaging way more than it should, but I've picked up almost 5mpg from this mod since last weekend! I run a few more tanks and get some averages since this is only off 2 tanks, but I'm impressed.

Or maybe I should be depressed since it likely means my 4Auto is overengaging. (Could explain my random tire scrubbing too....damn.)

If your 4x4 auto is engaging alot, I believe it is because of VSS mismatches... afaik they are part of the ABS system... may want to have a look at them...

 

[dogfriend]

If your 4x4 auto is engaging alot, I believe it is because of VSS mismatches... afaik they are part of the ABS system... may want to have a look at them...

Not part of the ABS system on a 97. There are two driveshaft speed sensors; both are mounted on the rear side of the transfer case. The GEM uses the signal from the two driveshaft speed sensors to decide when to engage the front driveshaft in 4 Auto.

 

[Nate1]

I stand corrected on the ABS point

 

[Buckshot]

Thanks for the heads up. Like I said - temporarily fixed by the brown wire mod, but I will need to look into the speed sensors.

 

[r37ribution]

Not part of the ABS system on a 97. There are two driveshaft speed sensors; both are mounted on the rear side of the transfer case. The GEM uses the signal from the two driveshaft speed sensors to decide when to engage the front driveshaft in 4 Auto.

I don't know if this is the case on a '97 but there are actually THREE speed sensors on my 1996. Two in the transfer case and one inside the trans or thats what Aamco told me when they rebuilt my t-case.

I was getting the 4WD (Auto) and 4WD LOW lights flashing exactly 6 times and in 4WD (Auto) the truck would feel like it was in 4WD LOW all the time. I actually started a thread about this. I had the t-case rebuilt and the tranny rebuilt both by Aamco. Then after I got it back I experienced the exact same simptoms. I took it back to them and called them the next day. They told me they replaced the two speed sensors in the t-case but the problem was still occuring.

They then looked into it some more the next morning and when I came to pick it up they said there was actually a 3rd speed sensor inside the tranny that was bad and causing all my problems. So now according to Aamco I have a rebuilt tranny and t-case with 3 new speed sensors...