stuck in 4WD

[danman89]

I need some suggestions, but read entirely first.
My '99 explorer XLT will not dis-engage from 4-high, it will go in ant out of 4-lo.
I have replaced the transfer case motor, the swith on the dash, the relay under the hood, and when the motor is removed i can manually switch it to 2WD.
When the motor is hanging loose and i switch it into 4-lo the motor works but when i turn to 2WD the motor does nto work.
So i have eliminated the switch, the motor and the relay and it definatly has power to to the motor and the gears in the transfer case are good.

Please give me any ideas or thoughts.
Dan

 

[corkey]

check the wires that run to the shift motor, and see if it is sending the power to make the motor turn the other way,,
i don't know what colors it uses for that , but somebody should, maybe they will post soon,

 

[uoiasdas]

i don't know what colors it uses for that , but somebody should, maybe they will post soon,

 

[Sams01XplrSprt]

welcome dan

 

[hworksinc]

and when the motor is removed i can manually switch it to 2WD.
When the motor is hanging loose and i switch it into 4-lo the motor works but when i turn to 2WD the motor does nto work.

The motor has nothing to do with engaging 4WD high. These transfer cases have a magnetic clutch that engage 4WD, joining the front and rear output shafts. The shift motor is only to switch between 4-Low and 4-High.

Check to see if the coil is energized (it's a lone wire that goes into the transfer case itself) - if it is constantly energized, the problem lies in the Auto-4WD system (controlled by the GEM via input from the ABS wheel speed sensors).

If the coil wire is not energized when 4WD should be inactive, then the problem is within the transfer case.

 

[gijoecam]

The motor has nothing to do with engaging 4WD high. These transfer cases have a magnetic clutch that engage 4WD, joining the front and rear output shafts. The shift motor is only to switch between 4-Low and 4-High.

Check to see if the coil is energized (it's a lone wire that goes into the transfer case itself) - if it is constantly energized, the problem lies in the Auto-4WD system (controlled by the GEM via input from the ABS wheel speed sensors).

If the coil wire is not energized when 4WD should be inactive, then the problem is within the transfer case.

Correct. The first thing we need to know is what it's doing to make you think it's 'stuck'? That'll give us a better idea of where to go with the troubleshooting.

 

[puzzell]

try disconecing the battire and reseting the computer

 

[danman89]

I have tried disconnecting the batery cables to reset the PCM.

I will try to diconnect the coil wire and see if it is energized, so if it is energized and i disconnect it it from the harness it should take the transfer case out of 4WD-correct?
If it is energized then would it be the sensor not working porperly?

As for going in and out of 4WD, when i remove the motor i can manually place it in the nuetral position and it is then in 2WD??

 

[gijoecam]

I have tried disconnecting the batery cables to reset the PCM.

I will try to diconnect the coil wire and see if it is energized, so if it is energized and i disconnect it it from the harness it should take the transfer case out of 4WD-correct?

Correct. Simply unplug the harness from the motor (it's a 16-pin connector) The lights will flash but it's no big deal. if the problem goes away, we know it's electrical. If the problem persists, we know it's mechanical.

If it is energized then would it be the sensor not working porperly?

Not necessarily... Could be a variety of possible things.

As for going in and out of 4WD, when i remove the motor i can manually place it in the nuetral position and it is then in 2WD??

No. The motor does not move to engage or disengage 4wd. The motor is responsible for range selection and nothing else. Shifting the case into neutral simply puts the case in neutral. Nothing else. There is no '4high' position, just high range and low range with neutral never-never land in between.

 

[danman89]

Ok, i disconnected the wire harness and checked the coil wire that works the clutch magnet, it only has 1.6V going through it when the ****ch is in 4WD high and 4WD low and no current when in 2WD. However, the vehicle still remains in 4WD high.
The next question i have is; does the coil need a signal to tell it to engage and disengage as well???
Could the GEM sending the wrong signal?

 

[gijoecam]

You do not have 2 wheel drive, plain and simple.

With the case plugged in, verify that it's doing it. Unplug the connector and see if the problem persists. The troubleshooting really is that simple. The voltages you are seeing are perfectly normal when stopped.

 

[danman89]

The problem persists with the connecter hooked up or not. I have removed the front drive shaft so i cna drive the vehicle and not have the tension and torch on the front differential/axle.
It appears the magnet is holding the clutch in 4high and not disengaging into 2high, but i can not be sure.

 

[IZwack]

Since the problem persists with the connector disconnected, the 4wd clutch system is probably wrecked - there's a good chance this guy is fractured:

Your options are to either get the transfer case worked on, or replace it. Cheapest and quickest solution is often to just replace it.

 

[gijoecam]

Ditto. Since the problem persists with the electronic controls isolated, we can safely say that it's likely a mechanical issue with the transfer case. I'm assuming that the binding remained gone with the front shaft removed and the electronics reconnected, correct?

 

[danman89]

Correct, the binding is no longer present, so i guess my next move is to remove the t-case and decide on aa replacement or reapirs.
thanks for the input.

 

[mlrosier]

I have kind of the same problem going on here. Except something gave in mine, it's still stuck in 4wd, and some fluid or something is leaking from somewhere, as when the "give" happened, I could instantly smell something burning. I don't think it is the transmission, as I was able to shift fine, and drive home. I don't know what to do, other than drive my truck into a lake because it's nickel and diming me to death.

 

[danman89]

Where is the gem and what does it look like?

 

[mlrosier]

Forgot to mention, I have a 99 Ford Ranger XLT SuperCab V6 3.0L 4x4. I just posted to this thread, because it's Ford, and it's a similar problem. Also, how hard is it to remove the front drive shaft?

 

[gijoecam]

I have kind of the same problem going on here. Except something gave in mine, it's still stuck in 4wd, and some fluid or something is leaking from somewhere, as when the "give" happened, I could instantly smell something burning. I don't think it is the transmission, as I was able to shift fine, and drive home. I don't know what to do, other than drive my truck into a lake because it's nickel and diming me to death.

Forgot to mention, I have a 99 Ford Ranger XLT SuperCab V6 3.0L 4x4. I just posted to this thread, because it's Ford, and it's a similar problem. Also, how hard is it to remove the front drive shaft?

No, it's not at all the same problem. Not even remotely close to the same vehicle or possible causes. Please start a new thread for your problem so we can stay focused on the original poster's problem. Thanks!

-Joe

 

[hworksinc]

Where is the gem and what does it look like?

It's located behind the radio, just to the left. It's a black box with (I think) 4 large-ish wire harnesses.