Stock 99 explorer 4wd system setup? Doesnt seem right , help me out?

[john97mount]

First of all, this is my first post and i hope i dont seem rude by jumping right into a question but ive been lurking for years and have came across something interesting here.

I recently bought a 4.0 99 explorer xlt 4 door for 90 percent trail riding and 10 percent street (basically ill drive it to the trail and thats about it). Im not putting a lot into it YET because its just a beater trail rig ( lift,33s,winch,snorkel,LOCKED DIFFERENTIALS-which is basically what my question is about) Ive noticed that my selectable 4wd switch says "2wd,4wd high,4wd low" which , im thinking isnt the right setup for this year explorer from lurking here for so long using the search function and google , and im trying to first of all figure out if someone swapped the radio bezel out, or transplanted the entire 4wd system from an older explorer, or if most of what ive read about the 4wd systems in different years of explorers is just plain wrong. I mean , even if the radio bezel was swapped out, when "2wd" is selected (so if it was swapped this would be "auto") the front wheels dont do anything when the rear are slipping from what ive noticed.

Im going to weld the rear spider gears for sure, but im contemplating doing the front soon after because for this rig its just not feasible to spend the money on an air locker. Now the point of the question is, what the HELL kind of 4wd system is this? And depending on what type it is, how does it lock and unlock? How can i tell? (casting numbers, tags,etc.)

 

[albi1cnobi1]

It sounds as if someone swapped out the radio bezel. The switches work differently for both systems, so that could be a problem. If the whole 4wd system was swapped then the easy way to tell is to look at the front axle. Does it have the CAD(center axle disconnect)? And the correct t-case for your 99 should have a tag that says 4405 on it.

 

[john97mount]

where "should" this tag be located? If the switch works differently, or has a different wiring config, i havent noticed any problems. Thing wheels pretty good for completely stock minus i noticed someone turned the torsion bars up a little. (which is a problem because now i have to get it back to stock so i can start over not knowing where bottom out and max "safe" lift with the torsion bars really is.

 

[corkey]

if it really had locked differentials you are wasting time opening the diffs to weld the spider gears,
there won't be any if it has lockers,,

lockers replace the gears inside the diffs,,

 

[john97mount]

if it really had locked differentials you are wasting time opening the diffs to weld the spider gears,
there won't be any if it has lockers,,

lockers replace the gears inside the diffs,,

what are you talking about? i never said it had lockers. Im trying to find out what the hack that owned before i owned it did to it. I simply dont know a lot about the way the ford explorer 4wd works through various years and want to identify some parts. So far ive ruled out the CAD because there is no CAD to be found on the right.

Im starting to think someone just swapped bezels and the wiring is the same so even though it says 2wd its really 4 auto....but then im not noticing it engaging while the rear tires spin so ...lol...i dunno. I have however thoroughly tested out 4 high and 4 low and they work well.

Guess its possible someone did the brown wire mod, and hid the switch which is off , or they just left it dead all the time and replaced the bezel because now when it says 2wd it really means true 2wd. Its a 900 dollar pile ....im toying with it, not a big deal to me. curiousity is just peaked.

 

[john97mount]

update, apparently it does not make one bit of difference if you use a switch from an older or newer explorer because my bezel along with the switch was just swapped out for a 2wd/4auto/4low switch and after paying some serious attention while wheeling it....it works as it should. (in 2wd which is actually 4 auto, the front engages if the rear slips) Thanks!

 

[MtrJunkie]

I know the spider gear weld is the least expensive option, but I wouldnt do it. I've seen it break plenty of times on a trail. If you want it solid back there, I'd spend the $70-80 on a mini-spool before I bought anything else. Having said that, if you are driving it to the trail on the street, I wouldnt weld or MS it. I burned through 30-40% of expensive mud terrain tread last year with a minispool on mine, and we are on the road less than two miles. If you drive to the trails much, you'll make up the cost of a junk yard Limited Slip, or a Power-trax style auto locker in a short amount of time.

I wouldnt worry too much about the T-bars either, on a trail rig. Mine are all the way tight, and after 2 years of trail riding on the original CVs, I only just had one break. 187000 miles. Not too shabby. This is just my experience, and we are usually under 25mph. Others may disagree, and YMMV.