Problem with 4 wheel drive on '93 explorer, 5spd

[johnvosh]

So as the title says I am having a problem with the 4x4 on my explorer. It seems to be working not too bad. The hubs are engaging, works in 4hi and 4low. The problem is when I was coming off the highway today. The roads and off-ramps especially have patches of snow and ice on so I've been driving with the 4x4 on. This morning it didn't do this only when I came home. I was slowing down from around 95KM/H. I was in 5th gear and when I got to between 80-90KM/H the transmission or the transfer case (I am not sure) starting making a loud sound. The sound was kinda of like when you take and try to put it into gear with out the clutch. I don't know, it is kinda of hard to describe.

So I put it into 4th and it was fine, came to a stop sign. Started going again and was doing just around 85KM/H at the most and had to slow down a tiny bit and it did it again. Put it into 4th and back into 5th and it was fine.

Does anyone have any ideas as to what this could be. I just changed the transfer case and transmission fluid just before x-mas. Both fluids had good colour, no silver in them at all. I hope I am not losing 5th or that my transfer case is going because I can't afford to fix them right now.

 

[keithisg]

Well not sure about KM but if its anything around 55mph your 4 high isnt designed to go faster than that, and shouldnt really be driven anywhere near that from what I've read, and never ever drive it on pavement. If the wheels don;t have some kind of slippage it puts excessive strain on your transfer case and that may be your problem.

 

[huntman58]

If you’re on dry pavement that’s your problem as the front end needs a bit of slip to work right. Best thing is to not use 4x4 unless the whole road is covered in snow or ice. If it’s just a patch here and there your binding up the transfer case between front and back drives or the front end to the case. This happens because of the lose of deferation (is that a word) of the power of the front and rear as there is no slippage to even them out. this is why there is a deferential in the front and rear ends because with out them after a few corners you would be destroying your rear of front ends as one side turns faster and farther then the other side but between the front and rear in the transfer case there is not this deferential so that is why you have to have some slip and why driveling on dry pavement will destroy it.
Hope that helps you understands and that it’s not to late just only use it when the roads are covered as its 4x4 and not an all wheel drive which dose have a deferential between the front and rear axels

O ya in 4 hi the speed will not matter at all as it is geared the same as your normal 2 hi but 4 low that’s a whole nother story.

 

[johnvosh]

So coming home today, it was quite heavy start and stop traffic. 3 lanes to 1 during the start of rush hour. Anyways I had the 4x4 on in the city as the roads are just awful. Once I got out of the city on the highway I put in the clutch in and turned off the 4x4, then release the clutch. All was good until we started to slow down.

I had it in 5th gear and we were slowly slowing down from 100 KM/H. Once I got to around 80 KM/H it started making the sound again. Now the 4x4 wasn't on but the front hubs would of been locked. This is only the third time this has happened.

Does this mean that 5th gear is started to slip when I slow down or what? I have never had any problems with the tranny or transfer case before?

Thanks again for the help guys!