wont stay in 4wd

[sandywentzell]

Hi . I own a '99 ford ranger 4wd. When I flick the 4wd switch it goes in 4wd for a few minutes but then goes back in 2wd. I had to pull a buddy out of some mud a few weeks ago. I pulled him out in reverse in 4wd and when I stopped and shifted in 1st to go forward it was out again. As you already know, the 4wd is run by vaccum and I was wondering if you think it's the small motor on the tranny or the solenoid under the hood. You probably ran into these problems before and might know off the top of your head what it is, thanx.

 

[badgett]

I don't think it's the shift motor but try this , take the shift motor off and manually shift the transfer case into 2wd. The tcase is marked and you can turn the shaft with some visegrips. Make sure you have the dash switch in 2wd also. Put the shift motor back on. Unhook the battery for 10 minutes. Then hook it back up. Sometimes the computer will get confused and can't figure out where the shift motor's position is. This might get it back in sinc for you.

 

[gijoecam]

When you say that it went back into 2wd, did the transfer case shift back and the light on the dash go out, or was the light on the dash on, but only the rear wheels were driving?

-Joe