Would it hurt anything?

[blazin8556]

i am planning on doing a 4406 electronic swap. i went to the junk yard and got a 4x4 GEM, shift relay, torque on demand relay, and little wire harness that goes under the seat. since i am currently converting to a 2000 radio and swapping to a short console. would it hurt anything if i install these items and have them ready for when i get the t case? i am really curious to see if the GEM from a 96 will work in my 97.

 

[albi1cnobi1]

There is a slim chance it will work. You usually need to swap year specific to avoid problems. There are some times small changes in the way things are setup electronically from year to year. It can't hurt any thing to try it though. Just make sure you check all accessories, and I mean everything. The GEM has no effect on the drive ability, it only controls chassis functions. I went from a 4405 to a 1354 and a ranger GEM in my 99 mounty with no issues except that the rear wiper and rear defroster didn't work because the ranger had no provisions for them in the GEM. I rewired the controls for them and everythings fine. So give it a try. You may get flashing 4hi/4lo lites because the GEM is looking for input from the t-case but it won't hurt anything.

 

[blazin8556]

from what im reading. and this is just what im picking up. i have no clue on this. from 95-97 its interchangeable. now i am worried about my remote not unlocking my doors. and the key pad code changing. not that i knew what the key pad code was anyways. but isn't it on the inside of a panel somewhere?

 

[albi1cnobi1]

The GEM doesn't control keyless entry. The remotes should still work and the door code won't change. These are controlled by the RAP module, which is separate from but works with the GEM.

 

[blazin8556]

put just the GEM in. everything works fine. the 4WD and 4WD LO lights flash for a minute and go out. then come back on after a while then go out. the only difference between mine and the donor's is where it says F67-same numbers on both-BC and a big B on the 96 and mine says F77-Same Numbers-AA and a big A. im assuming that the 6 and 7 indicate years and the letters indicate 4x4 or not. but it works.

oh btw. i noticed that different GEMs have different connector colors, whats the deal with the color variations. or was i seeing things. i think i saw dark grey, light grey, and white.. mine is dark grey on both modules and my wire harness'. i guess different electrical generations so to speak.

 

[albi1cnobi1]

From what I gather from a friend at a ford dealer the letters at the end are date codes indicating where in the build run it was made. You are right, the letters in the front are year codes. It worked out for you, sometimes you can get in trouble mixing years. When I first started testing I tried a 2000 in my 99- no go. Tried a 99- everything worked. The connector colors are just different generations as you said, makes no difference. Also your 4wd lights are going to flash like that,(flash-stop, flash-stop) until you install the new t-case. The GEM is looking for signals from the case and your AWD case doesn't send them. Shouldn't cause any problems though, that's just letting you know there's a "problem" so to speak. I'm glad it worked out, good luck with your swap.

 

[blazin8556]

thanks for the info. i have done tons and tons of searching on here. thats the only way im picking up on ideas right now. this is the 3rd ford ive owned. the first two were owned at the same time. on was a back up for the other. but they were a 76 f100 (it was a wrecked junker) and 96 f250 (work horse). never moded either of them. just made a few repairs too them. so im just getting into fords a little bit more.

 

[albi1cnobi1]

I've owned my 99 since it was new and just started doing mods about 3 years ago. I've done a ton of research on the wiring and electronics on the ex and mounty and it has come in handy. I took out my control-trac 4405 and replaced it with a part time 1354, so I had to do all of this research and testing myself already. I ended up with a GEM from a Ranger because in 99 thats the only one that ran a 1354. But I did my homework and all worked out fine. Some minor problems but nothing I couldn't work out. Maybe we've started something here. I'm about to do a write up on my swap including all of the electronics, so others can try it. When you do yours you should do a write up as well. Might as well share the knowledge.

 

[blazin8556]

mine mods are based of of some threads that already exists. and im still finding stuff i want to do to it. i would like to try out some trails but nothing really extreme. like drowning the truck and needing articulating frames to navigate. this is a daily driver but i want it to do stuff as well.

electronic 4406 http://www.explorerforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=97181&highlight=awd+swap&page=8

m5r2 http://www.explorerforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=248285&highlight=v8+manual+transmission

 

[blazin8556]

im interested to see what you have done. let me know when you get the write up started.

 

[albi1cnobi1]

I originally started out going the opposite way you're going. I was going to swap in a manual 1354 so I got a GEM from a 99 V8 mounty and swapped it in. Everything worked fine except that I couldn't find a manual 1354 that I didn't have to re-mortgage my house to get it. The linkage was just as hard to find. Thats when the wheels started turning and my background in electronics kicked in. I knew the 1354e was offered in 99 in a ranger so I set about acquiring everything I needed. Everyone I know who work at garages or Ford dealers told me it wouldn't work, so I got more determined. The problem everyone said was the cross vehicle thing. But I found every service manual and wiring diagram I could get my hands on, and both vehicles are identical in every way electronically except for the rear wiper and rear defroster which the ranger didn't have. I wired it all up and modified the rear hatch circuits and it all works great. Right now I'm working crazy hours at work so I haven't had time to compile and post everything, but it's coming. Things should be calming down at work in a month or so, should be able to get it posted then.

 

[blazin8556]

you got pics of everything?

i was wanting to do a manual tcase but got to thinking about it and really dont want to beat on my floor and cut a hole out. i didn't understand the different types of electronic cases till i found a thread on it.

i have done the console swap leading to no cd player which led to a cd player swap from a 2k that someone gave me. also had to get a ranger ashtray/power port to cover the hole for the long console. all in order to accommodate the shifter for the manual mod. i already have a few of those parts.

i have all the in dash parts now. im bidding on a new radio bezel on ebay with the 4x4, cig lighter, rear wiper, rear def., and fog lights. they seem a little costly for a piece of plastic. like $30+ . guess i say that b/cause i walked away with a gem and all the relays and the harness for $15 too bad the donor truck didn't have the bezel anymore.

 

[albi1cnobi1]

If you come up with a bezel without switches let me know, I have extras of all of them. You might be able to get it cheaper without the switches. And yes I have pics. I just have to get them off of the camera and sort through them, then get them uploaded and start the post. I just picked up a radio bezel from a member here on the forum. I think he had a couple of them, his name is boominXplorer. Try sending him a PM to see if he has any more. If you do end up needing the switches let me know and I'll send them out to you as a bonus just for playing.

 

[blazin8556]

ok. cool. thanks.