Strange vibration while in 4x4

[95EXP4.0]

I'm experiencing this strange vibration when I have my 95 xlt switched to 4x4 from 2wd. I won't really notice anything while I'm driving, but when I try and park it in the garage and I'm turning it side to side I feel the steering wheel shaking and the front end vibrating but I can't see what the problem is. It's fine when I'm in 2wd everything is smooth. What could it be?

 

[ExplorerEB96]

Well

Are you driving down a flat roadway in 4WD? If so....stop..... it is just not good for your 4WD to be engaged for normal driving. The system we have (mine is a 96) is not set up for AWD....

Also.... the shimmy or vibration you are experiecing may be an indication of a couple of things

check to see if you have thrown a weight somewhere down the lines....your tires may need balancing

check to see if you have fully disengaged the 4WD system....put it in nuetral ....put the 4WD on....put it in reverse.....back up about 5 -10 feet....then repeat that to place it back into 2WD to disengage...

check the sway bar end links to see if they are cracked...not only are these a recalled item....but mine cracked about 3 times...causing a strange vibration/noise because it was hanging....

lemme know how it goes

Karol

 

[yob_yeknom]

What you are experiencing is absolutely normal. When in auto 4x4 mode, the ControlTrac system basically 'pulses' power to the front wheels. The vibration you are feeling is the binding/letting go from turning the wheel in 4wd as the power is pulsed to the front wheels.

If you do a search on ControlTrac, you'll find a thread that explains in depth how the system works. Then you'll understand why you feel the vibration.

 

[95EXP4.0]

Yes actually I have tried it while driving down a flat roadway. I guess I am going to have to do it as a process of elimination. I did notice my 4x4 differential was leaking a little bit of fluid last week when I was under changing my oil. And if it were the tires wouldn't it vibrate also under those circumstances even if it was in 2wd? As for the endlinks they were actually replaced a few months ago at the dealer so I can definately cross that out. I will definately try and see if it will fully engage going from neutral to reverse. Would it be any different though from the way I am using it in forward?

 

[95EXP4.0]

Hmmm....that sounds very interesting, I will definately look into it! But I wish I could remember but I sware it didn't vibrate that much or at all before when I first purchased it about a year ago.

 

[95EXP4.0]

I looked into it more today and tried to engage it from nuetral to reverse then it locks in pretty smooth back and forth. But when I tried to pull in the garage and when I turn the wheels is where I see all the problems starting. It seems when I'm in 4x4 high I feel big time resistance when I try to accelerate and I'll hear the differential or the t/c make a loud "boom" and it will do it more than once if I keep accelerating, kinda' scary if you ask me. I tried the same thing with 4x4 low doesn't really seem to be doing it while turning like when I'm in "high" but I didn't really try it too much. When I finally disengage it from low I hear that nasty "boom" once again when I get it into neutral please don't tell me this is normal!?

 

[TPLYNCH]

If you are turning on pavement in 4x4 you are going to hear a lot of bad noises. The system is not meant to be run on non-slippery surfaces in 4x4 hi or lo.

 

[Kris Guilbeaux]

well it sound like you are turning and driving in on concrete surface and that boom you are hearing is the Transfer case jumping teeth on the Chain. Cause when you turn the front and rear wheels will turn at a different speed causing the resistance. You nee to take the Explorer to a Dirt road and test to see if it does the same thing. Cause if you keep trying it on Pavement you are just going to end up with a broken T-case. Oh yeah that boom might be normal since it builds up tention on the drivetrain parts.

 

[yob_yeknom]

With the ContolTrac system, there should be no 'boom' in 4wd auto. A vibration, yes. A 'boom' no.

Have you ever checked the oil level in the transfer case and/or front differential? Low oil in the differential may cause the vibration to become more of a 'boom' due to lack of lubrication. The same goes for the transfer case. Most likely it'd be the latter of the two.

Let us know what about the oil levels.

 

[ExplorerEB96]

John

You have 4WD Auto? I don't... and I have a 96.... I just have 2WD 4WDhi and 4WD low.... also....When engaging my 4WD system... I have always gotten a boom and a tug as I rolled back from neutral.... I was told by Ford and a 4WD shop that ..that was absolutely normal for this kind of T-case...it kinda lets you know you are totally engaged in 4WD or out of 4WD.....

Also......i wanted to ask 95EX.....are you taking it out of O/D when you do this? If not .... that's another thing you might try to get rid of the vibration.....

Karol

 

[95EXP4.0]

I'm sorry, now that I think about it I have 4wd high and low not auto. Actually I haven't tried taking OD off and repeating the same steps I tried earlier, I might do that later. And aobut fluid levels how can I check that on the front differential and the TC?

 

[yob_yeknom]

Karol, yes my 4 high is auto. You don't have auto? I was under the assumption that all '95 and '96 4wd models did not have the 4 high option, but the 2wd, 4wd auto, and 4wd low. This is new news to me. Your 4wd switch actually has 4 high wrote over top of it and not 4wd auto?

95EXP4.0, As I was asking Karol, you don't have auto, but 4 high instead? If your's is not auto, then that is why you experience the popping and thudding and all that. Regular 4wd IS NOT TO BE USED ON PAVEMENT. It is only for use off road and under severe weather conditions. (not including rain)

As for checking the fluid levels, there are fill holes near the top of both of them. Use a breaker bar to remove the plugs, then stick your finger in the hole to feel for oil. If you feel oil, it's full.

 

[ExplorerEB96]

John

I thought about it and wondered...... then I remembered that you said you had 3.73 gears with an open diff...... I have a the 4:11 gears and L/S diff from the factory.....Yep I checked again tonight and I have 2WD 4WD hi and 4WD low....that is why I am frustrated with my truck.....they gave me everything in it to be a pretty decent trail truck but one thing.....they made it virtually unliftable (other than the torsion lift which pretty much still counts for peanuts because our ford diffs hang so damn low in the first place.....or the more expensive option of SAS) My truck even came with oil and tranny coolers....

95EX....Do you have the factory L/S and 4:11 gearing also? There should be an axle code on the inside of your driver and /or passenger door..... that will tell you your gearing and if you have L/S or an open diff...

Karol

 

[95EXP4.0]

Hey Karol......

What do you mean by L/S and were you asking if the 4:11 gear is in the front axle or rear? If I'm not mistaken I think the rear gear is a 3.55 I know I can cruise at about 85@2800 RPM. What exactly am I looking for in the door does it say "axle" then a particular code, or would I be able to define it from my vin #'s because I am no where near my truck right now unfortunately?

 

[ExplorerEB96]

Well

L/S is Limited Slip differential.... as of this date we have nothing but Open diffentials for the 95-up explorer in the front... but Rick and all are looking into that...some explorers came with open differentials in the rear also....both front and rear gears are the same....4:10 (sometines called 4:11) you are looking at the little tag that is on the inside of your drivers (some have it on their passengers also) door (on the door itself) it'll give you an axle code (I believe it has something like .....axle code: D2 etc..)..... somewhere on the message board is a list of what that code means..... I looked mine up long ago and found that I have 4:10 gears...

Karol

 

[ExplorerEB96]

ok here it is

Here is the list of axle code ratios


Code Capacity Ratio

43 Open 3.08
41 Open 3.27
42 Open 4.10
46 Open 3.73
45 Open 3200 3.55
D4 Limited Slip 3200 3.73
D2 Limited Slip 4.10
L73 Limited Slip 3.73

Karol

 

[95EXP4.0]

Well it's 4 am and it seems I have nothing to do now but check the axle code on my door lol. I came up with "D4" on mine which is great that leaves me with a 3.73. But what does the 3200 part in the code stand for after limited slip?

 

[NedFlanders]

Sounds strange to me that the '95-'96 models have 4hi... I thought they all came with the 2wd-4auto-4low setup..!? The auto-mode is the same as the on the '97 and up models(wich have 4auto-4hi-4low), and can be used all the time.
I haven't seen any of the '95 and up models with 2wd-4hi-4low, but I think the rangers might have that..

Anyway. I think there is some TSB or something on the computer that transfers power to the front. I'll hopefully have mine in to have the same problem fixed next week.
As for my truck I have more or less the same symtoms as you. When I put it in 4auto it works fine for just driving, but it feels like it engages the front when I accellerate, and even wen I turn sharp(like in a parkinglt etc.). I can actually also feel it on snow and ice, not just on dry asphalt. I've heard that the reprogramming of the computer will fix this.

Do you have any problems in 4low? Mine feels like it's "slipping" somewhere in the drivetrain if I for exaple try to back up a slippy hill or something. The rearwheels start spinning(just a little) then the fronts start moving with a loud "clunk", and this repeats for as long as I go.. I notice it going forward to, but not so much.. Not just in auto, but also when I'm in low. Hopefully this will also be fixed in the same reprogramming.

I had the opportunity to try another explorer on exact same place as I get these symtoms on mine, and it didn't do it, so I think it souldn't be that way..

 

[Gan]

OK, I noticed the same shimmy and shake when hard turning my 93 Limited in 4WHI on the raod. It's nice to know it's normal and not hosed up. The one thing that got me was that when I engage 4WHI the steering became noticably tighter and more responsive. I had read previous posts about tightening a screw on the steering motor to make normal 2WD more responsive. If I did this would the 4WHI driving become so tight that it would be difficult to turn? Thanks.

Gan

 

[NedFlanders]

Originally posted by Gan
OK, I noticed the same shimmy and shake when hard turning my 93 Limited in 4WHI on the raod. It's nice to know it's normal and not hosed up.
Gan

eh.. I don't know much about the pre´95s, but does it fully connect the rear and front axle when in 4hi? In that case you shouldn't be driving it like that on the road, unless it's really slippery, like on snow or something.. Remember that when you turn, your frontwheels will be turning faster than you rears, so it would both be bad for your truck, and you would actually be more likely to loose control over it.. In the auto-mode on the post'95s you can do that, because it has this electromagnetic clutch connecting the front drivetrain only when it's needed..