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

[Nate1]

Originally posted by JoshC
Yes you can shift the new switch from ON to OFF when ever, just so long as you are spinning wheels freely, like stuck in a mud hole with the petal to the floor.

Josh meant to say 'arent' trust me. If you are spinning your wheels and go from off to on.... you will put so much torque into your front that you will break somthing.

 

[JoshC]

WHOOPS, thanks for catching my slip!!

 

[Billy177]

i just unplugged the t-case to see how it would be in 2wd i definatly want to put the swutch on cause i can just sit there and smoke the tires all day

 

[joe_dejesus]

Guys I had been thinking about this but havent had time to work on it...

Instead of installing a switch to work relay/brown wire mod, How about installing another relay thats normally open or normally closed and tapping the AWD switch position...

By tapping in I mean NOT cutting wire from the AWD switch, just connecting a wire to it to power the second relay...

This way when in AWD mode you disable automatically the front with the brown wire mod... And then you switch to 4x4 hi or low that second relay toggles and engages the brown wire relay...


I just wanted to share this... I will eventually play with it but again I have no free time at do it at the moment...

 

[Rx4phun]

I did this mod a month or so ago and one of the reasonI did it was for better gas mileage and I have to say it has actually gone down. I think it is directly due to the fact that when you do this mod your foot somehow gains an amzing amount of weight. hmm well whatever, I just look stupid spinning only 1 tire. I think i need a locker.
Gary

 

[X~FACTOR]

With this mod has anyone thought of changing their rear (open) differentials to having Limited Slip? Its true its kinda silly spinning just one tire.

 

[dogfriend]

Originally posted by joe_dejesus
Guys I had been thinking about this but havent had time to work on it...

Instead of installing a switch to work relay/brown wire mod, How about installing another relay thats normally open or normally closed and tapping the AWD switch position...

By tapping in I mean NOT cutting wire from the AWD switch, just connecting a wire to it to power the second relay...

This way when in AWD mode you disable automatically the front with the brown wire mod... And then you switch to 4x4 hi or low that second relay toggles and engages the brown wire relay...


I just wanted to share this... I will eventually play with it but again I have no free time at do it at the moment...

This was discussed earlier -- the problem is that the 4wd switch (aka the mode switch) is not an on/off switch -- it is a set of 3 resistors -- one resistor value tells the GEM that you selected 4wd Auto, another value is for 4wd High, the 3rd value is for 4wd Low. It would be difficult to operate a relay with this 'switch' and if you change the resistance value that the GEM is expecting to see, you may set a DTC in the GEM.

 

[joe_dejesus]

I searched and did not find any detailed info on this... Maybe there is no detail info, Like what are the resistor values for each mode.... and what is the wire from the switch providing the info.... I found Pre-95 info but not for 97 resistance.

It would be interesting to build a circuit to detect these values to trigger that relay, the same way the stock compiter does it....

 

[dogfriend]

If you check my photo gallery, I posted the schematics for the 97 Control Trac. The values of the resistors in the switch are in the schematic above.

 

[joe_dejesus]

great thanks! does that book show more detail, like what resistance is the AWD selection from those 3 values...

By the way what book did these come from? It would be nice to have..

 

[dogfriend]

Originally posted by joe_dejesus


By the way what book did these come from? It would be nice to have..

Dead Link Removed

 

[joe_dejesus]

WOW THANKS! I just ordered one for my 97... Thanks!

By the way, I checked that wire and I might be able to get away with some sort of voltage switch...

On AWD I got 3.99-4.05 volts. 4x4-HI I got 2.XX volts
and on 4x4-LO I got 1.XX volts...

 

[NHTSHDE]

Completely off topic

This has got too be one of the longest threads(time) on here, or all the forums that I frequent.

This thread started in Jan of 02.

sorry about the off topic but hey I just thought that needed some recognition.

 

[William Schumacher]

I was hoping someone could put up a

F.A.Q. list somehow !!

I'm planning on doing this to my '99 sport soon,just received the switch {40 amp Longacre ignition switch with flip up cover !},
and will install a Powertrax "No-Slip" up front.

the questions and concerns I have are....
This is my daily driver,the Winters can be severe.
#1) will I be losing 4 auto.....will I need it ?
#2) in what position will the switch be in during normal dry street driving,and other driving scenarios.

just a bit concerned about how to actually use the switches in different driving conditions ?

thanks,

 

[JoshC]

1-Since you will have a no slip up front, you won't want to use auto very much. But if you have a lot of snow cover on the roads and ice, then just turn the switch off or on (depending on how you wire it) and you will be back to "normal."

2-Normal driving with a locker---99.9% of the time you will have it in NON auto. Before i put a manual transfer case in i never put it back in auto cause i had a locker in the rear. Just depends on your driving terrain.

 

[matt97]

I've been wanting to do this brown wire mod , but have a few questions.......I see 2 bundles of wire running under the plastic trim piece beside the driver seat one contains a brown wire slightly larger than the others,will it be ok to cut the wire here or do i have to remove the seat and access it elsewhere? Will a 10amp heavy duty metal toggle switch be sufficient to cut it on and off? thanks for any info or pics.

 

[tenikiwon]

I didn't take the seat out, but did loosen the 4-main bolts and lift it up slightly. I then used 16 (I think) gauge wire and just bought a simple toggle from radio shack.

haven't had any problems with it.

 

[matt97]

I hate to ask a stupid question but i've never wired up any switches on my X , so if I want to put in a lighted toggle switch for my brown wire mod then how would I wire it to light up when in the on position? I see there are 3 connections on the bottom of the switch...is one of them a ground and the other 2 for the brown wire?If someone could post a diagram or explain to me how to wire it up I would appreciate it , Thanks

 

[anthonyfgranda]

4WD switch wiring diagram

I'd much appreciated if someone e-mail to me the wiring diagram of the 4X4 switch because my Explorer was broken into and the many wire cut(includen the 4X4 switch's)so to install the new switch I need to know the correct wire colors.Thank you.Anthony.

 

[dogfriend]

Re: 4WD switch wiring diagram

Originally posted by anthonyfgranda
I'd much appreciated if someone e-mail to me the wiring diagram of the 4X4 switch because my Explorer was broken into and the many wire cut(includen the 4X4 switch's)so to install the new switch I need to know the correct wire colors.Thank you.Anthony.

I can't send attachments unless you post your e-mail address (can't do it using the web form).

Anyway, I can only partially answer your question, because my Ford Service Manual doesn't have the connector pinout for the switch, but I was able to figure out two of the four connections:

Pin 2 Should be GY/R (grey w red stripe)

Pin 3 Should be W/LB (white w light blue stripe)

I couldn't find Pins 1 & 4, but they are for the light so theoretically it doesn't matter if you reverse them anyway. The color codes are R/BK (red w black stripe) which is hot, BK (black) which is ground. Good luck.