stuck in low range?

[ashleyroachclip]

I'm having the same problem with my second generation Ex. it shifts into 4 low on it's own ...I have flashing lights , can any one tell me what it means when it flashes 6 times and then the lights go off . rig still in 4 low , knob does nothing , and it intermittenly will dissengage , the right back ..

 

[IZwack]

what it means when it flashes 6 times and then the lights go off

i think the 6x flash means theres a malfunction in the shift motor, or a missing/disconnected shift motor.

it intermittenly will dissengage , the right back ..

im not familiar with the 1st generation's transfer case(s) but just out of curiousity, does the transfer case switch between LO and HI while the vehicle is moving? cauz ur use of "intermittenly" leads me to believe that it just pops out of LO and then back into LO randomly while ur driving.

 

[ashleyroachclip]

out of low , into 2 hi and back to 4 low , also goes into 4 hi at will , I've been under it and checked all connections , and everything is clean and tight .. this would be a second generation , not sure if I was clear on that the first time . can any one here , tell me where to go to get a run down on the codes ?
I have an OBD 1 code reader , won't do me any good for this .

 

[IZwack]

this would be a second generation

so its not the 1991 explorer in your profile? sorry i must have missed that '2ng generation' part in ur first post

does the transfer case switch between LO and HI while the vehicle is moving?

 

[410Fortune]

Nothe Gen I t case (both 1350 and 1354) WILL SHIFT FROM n TO 4HI WHILE TRAVELING UNDER 45 MPH. (ooops) This is the reason for auto hubs.

To engadge 4lo however you must be stopped

 

[IZwack]

To engadge 4lo however you must be stopped

yeah thats what i want to know from "ashleyroachclip" cauz if the case did go from LO to HI and back to LO while the vehicle is moving, then maybe we should just sit down, sip some lemonade and, u know, think about life in general... gossip about how it used to be back when we were little, when things didnt switch from LO to HI and back to LO on its own.

 

[410Fortune]

You ever put an auto trans in R while on the highway? I imagine it would be similar.

 

[IZwack]

ahah nope, havent done that (yet).

 

[ashleyroachclip]

noo , this is not the rig in my profile , I think I stated twice theis is a gen 2 97 explorer , and I can't drive the damn thing cause it shifts into 4 low before it gets up to speed .
briefely , I put truck into drive , and as soon as I get to maybe 3 miles an hour it will shift to 4 low , I have had enough 4x4's to know when I'm in low or high range ,
any way , as I try to drive it down the road , I can feel it shift back and forth in the transfer case , trans shifts fine and properly .
Can any one tell me where to find the codes for this mess , I get blinking hi,low, lamps when I turn the key on , flashes 6 times , then no more lights even while it is in 4x4 there is no lights , and the knob is useless....

 

[410Fortune]

Have you considered simply replacing the T case with a used unit? Of course only if you determine its not an electrical issue.

I know I can get them here in CO all day long for $200-300 or less.

 

[gijoecam]

As a short-term fix, get it into high range, crawl underneath, and unplug the transfer case shift motor. That will prevent it from shifting into four low.

[edit] My best guess (after pondering this for a little bit) is that either the shift motor is bad and is moving all over the place, or there's something mechanically wrong with the transfer case. If unplugging the transfer case shift motor stops it from happening, you can rule out mechanical failure.

Now, if you unplug the transfer case and it continues to do it, there's something mechanically wrong with the transfer case. If the shift fork broke off and is free to let the gears slide to and fro in the t-case, that's bad news. Time to tear apart the transfer case and see what makes it tick.

I suspect unplugging it will stop it. If that's the case, it could be a GEM issue, or a bad Transfer Case Shift Relay. I would personally start with the relay because it's cheap.

OK, I lied.... I'd probably start by limping it (or towing it) to the stealership and letting them run a diagnostic on it to see what the GEM is seeing for inputs and outputs. I'd rather get a definitive answer and if it's electrical in nature, the diagnostic should show it.


Joe

 

[IZwack]

hmm yeah it might be the fork.. the fork holds onto a round flange that a gear is hooked up to.. and that gear's teeths str angled so that the gear "slips" in and out of the LO/HI planetary gears easier.. its angled in such a way that if u apply torque to it, it will slip into "Neutral" and then maybe into the "LO" position if nothing is holding it in the "HI" position (meaning the flange that the fork holds on to moves forward towards the front of the vehicle)

 

[badgett]

I'm having the same problem with my second generation Ex. it shifts into 4 low on it's own ...I have flashing lights , can any one tell me what it means when it flashes 6 times and then the lights go off . rig still in 4 low , knob does nothing , and it intermittenly will dissengage , the right back ..

I have a 98. Mine did the same thing. I unhooked the battery for minute, then hooked it back up and it came out. No more problems. Make sure you have the switch set to low range when you hook the battery back up. Then you can turn it back to AUTO and it will come out of LOW. Hope this helps.

 

[gijoecam]

IZ, do you have a gallery of transfer case pics I can browse through? If not, could you make one? You've got all the pics I've been searching for around here.... Have you been holdin' out on us?

-Joe

 

[ashleyroachclip]

well toonite I came home and disconnected the battery for a 1/2 hour , cleaned posts , they were fine anyway , and it works fine again .
See the problem I have as a pot head I live in the hills and need 4x4 just to get to the house , so I have to be able to drive on the hiway , and then up my road , to the house every day . good thing I have my 94 Ranger anf the old trusty 91 Explorer , those things always can be made to work .
Thanks for all the help , I would still like to know what caused this to happen .

 

[IZwack]

IZ, do you have a gallery of transfer case pics I can browse through? If not, could you make one? You've got all the pics I've been searching for around here.... Have you been holdin' out on us?
-Joe

i only have a few pics of the 4405 transfer case's inside and parts... i was in a rush when i rebuilt the last 4405 so i ddin't take too many shots. i still have a defunked-hybridized (most of it is from a 97) case in the shed so i can take that apart and make a gallery sometime. this weekend its supposed to rain here in the mid-atlantic so im not sure i can do it this weekend, maybe sometime next week or weekend.

i also a spare manual 13-54 umm actually sitting here beside me but im saving this one for when the current goes hooohaaa (which will be at the 10th anniv. run this coming spring).. id rather not crack this 1354 open but i can take pics of the outside (tho thats probably mostly worthless)... though i have learned that there are at least TWO types of manual 1354 out there - fortunately, i have one of each. the main difference being the lack of ANY sensor in one (so obviously this sensor-less case wouldnt work on a 97 and below 2nd gen because these explorers require a sensor at the rear output for the speedometer)

as for the automatic/electric shift 13-54, umm well i only have a few pics of the outside of that - nothing more cauz i shipped that case back to where i bought it from.