REALLY stuck in Low

[TechGuy82]

I had a problem yesterday coming back from a camping trip.... driving down the highway in 2 wheel drive (mine is a 95' with manual transmission). I got to the bottom of this hill and noticed that when I press the gas pedal, the engine just revs. I was able to shift through all gears but no tires were being driven. I pulled over, tried turning the nob to 4 auto and nothing, no 4x4 lights or anything. tried the same with 4 low and nothing either. finally after messing with it for while it finally got into low. with switch set to 2wd, I gave it some gas on the shoulder of the road and found that only the back tires were spinning so I decided to drive it the rest of the way home (5 miles maybe) even though it was still in low. I almost made it all the way home when the t-case just switched in to neutral and I coasted the rest of the way home. Today, I started it up and now it is in low and it doesn't matter what the 4x4 switch is set to. So pulled the shift motor on the t-case and found the indicator on the t-case pointing in the High position. No matter where I set it manually on the t-case, the car is still in low range. when the motor is in, the lights indicating 4wd and 4low operate as they should and when it is set to 4 low, it is slightly harder to put into gear just as it always has. I think when I put it 4 low, it is engaging the front and rear wheels, but when it is in 2 wheel drive, the t-case is still in low, but the front tires are not engaged. Any suggestions? Thanks!!

 

[marragtop]

When it's in 2wd, only the back tires should be engaged. Not sure what your other problem is. I'm sure someone will jump in with some advice.

 

[ajr2000]

It sounds like your t-case is internally screwed up.

 

[IZwack]

Let me see if I understand you correctly ..

So basically you pulled the transfer case shift motor and it was pointing in the HI position. But when you put the vehicle in Drive, it still acts as if its in LO correct?

If this is the case, then there is something wrong with the shift fork. Either it is bent, or broken. I am leaning towards a bent fork right now though. Either way, the transfer case will probably need to be opened - not too hard if you have experience in drivetrain removal (transmissions, transfer cases).

BTW -- I'm moving this thread to the Transmissions and Transfer Cases section of the forum.

 

[KPT]

He doesn't have Drive, its a manual.

First post is powerfully confusing. Does sound like a shift fork though if it is indeed stuck in low.

Reason the front would have power in low and not in 2wd if the xfer case is indeed stuck in low is the electromagnetic clutch in the xfer case, techguy.

 

[IZwack]

He doesn't have Drive, its a manual.

Oh woops - i meant umm, dump the clutch...

 

[TechGuy82]

is it more cost effective to replace the t-case with one from the junkyard, or tear it apart and try to fix it myself? I am pretty confident I could do it, just wouldn't know where to get parts for that.

 

[410Fortune]

you are in Colorado man you can get a t case for $150-200 the yards are FULL OF THEM

Call up jeff at Colorado auto salcage ans see if he has one on the shelf, if yuo want to pay more call up larry at Denver ford parts, he charges more but he almost always has what you need on the shelf inventoried.

I also found this guy who pulls parts from his lot when you request them, great guy! I was really impressed. I stopped in and told him what I was looking for. It was a part from the TTB he had never sold before, so I walked back , we found an Explorer with the part, I pointed it out to him, told him how I would get it out the quick way (torch) and he said come back in 2 hours. He sold me the part i wanted plus all the 4x4 D35 TTB spindles I wanted for el cheapo....I cannot remember the name of the place but its on Santa Fe right near dave and busters, its the place on the corner of the alley that leads back to colorado, I want to say Stadium auto parts but I know thats not it...

If you need help let me know, I am in littleton too, we can swap t cases in about 1 hour.

 

[TechGuy82]

Sounds great, I'll check out what Colorado has. This isn't my daily driver, so it's not really a big deal to get it working right away. If I need more help I'll let you know. Thanks!

 

[TechGuy82]

Hey, what's the best way find out exactly which transfer case I have? I know it says that it is a borg warner near the shift motor, but aren't there 2 different types, like a 1354 and something else? Thanks.

 

[IZwack]

Hey, what's the best way find out exactly which transfer case I have? I know it says that it is a borg warner near the shift motor, but aren't there 2 different types, like a 1354 and something else? Thanks.

Look for a sticker like this:

The model is in the second line -- the one above is model "44-05" (aka "4405")

 

[TechGuy82]

Alright, I've got the t case out, but I've got a q about the front diff. If i turn the front drive shaft how come the front wheels don't spin? is there something that is supposed to be enabled up front at the diff? Thanks!

 

[gijoecam]

Alright, I've got the t case out, but I've got a q about the front diff. If i turn the front drive shaft how come the front wheels don't spin? is there something that is supposed to be enabled up front at the diff? Thanks!

Yup. yours (95 and 96) is equipped with a vacuum-actuated canter-axle disconnect. It breaks the passenger side axle shaft when in 2wd to (theoretically) allow the front driveshaft, ring, and pinion to stop turning. However, in reality, the front driveshaft tends to spin due to resistance in the transfer case, although no power is actually being applied to the front wheels in 2wd.

The CAD is on the passenger side of the diff pumpkin. It'll have two vacuum lines going to it.

-Joe

 

[TechGuy82]

Well, the transmission shop wants 1700 to fix it. Ouch!! but I found one for 300 elsewhere. I think I'll be purchasing the used one.

 

[TechGuy82]

Alright, I got the transmission shop to do it for 670, and now it's all back togoether. (shift fork was all messed up). tested the vehicle on jack stands and all worked fine. Took the vehicle to some dirt hill and throw in 4wd, all seems fine with the lights, but put it in low, and now it won't go. Now, it just clicks in the dash a few times, then flashes both low and 4wd 4 times and then shuts off the lights. What is the problem now?

 

[gijoecam]

Sounds like the shift motor isn't shifting it for some reason. Could be the motor is bad, could be the relay is bad, could be a wiring issue. No idea where to start though.... I'd probably start by taking it back to the shop that did the repair. Didn't they test it out before returning the vehicle to you??

-Joe

 

[TechGuy82]

No, I pulled the t-case myself, so they didn't have the vehicle. They didn't replace any of the sensors, so maybe that could be the problem?

 

[gijoecam]

Dumb question: Did you check the fuse for the TCS motor? Can't access the schematics at the moment, but I know there's a separate fuse for the motor itself. Maybe the motor is toast too?

 

[TechGuy82]

No, haven't checked any fuses yet.... I figured they are all good because it worked on the jack stands just fine. I will check all those. Any relays and Fuses you could suggest I check would be a great help! I will also test that motor and see if it even moves now. Starting to snow so I want to get this thing working tonight.