Yet another T-Cases to mount to the V8 Thread

[410Fortune]

ahhhh my 96 will benefit from this

 

[V8BoatBuilder]

Go start buying your parts....

The sport tank and skidplate are in!!

(Well, I still need to drill holes in the frame for the forward mount, but it's pretty solid!)

The driveshaft clears fine, at least an 1" to spare in the tighest horizontal spots. There's plenty of room for up/down flex.

 

[410Fortune]

I am waiting for the front d shaft results

 

[boominXplorer]

now is there a manual version to the 4406? Looks like its boomin's turn to collect parts also

 

[section525]

now is there a manual version to the 4406? Looks like its boomin's turn to collect parts also

There better not be! Or else I just wasted a lot of time.

My buddy has a manual shift in his '02 F150. I don't think it's a 4406 though. Aaron??

 

[V8BoatBuilder]

Sorry section, there is.

It's found in 1997+ F150s and F250s. They're VERY VERY rare, and expensive though.

I was able to get my t-case and shift motor for $150 at a local yard, but a 4406 manual was at least $400, and would have needed to be shipped to me.

 

[410Fortune]

hmmmmm.....
How was wiring in the electric shift setup?
I saw a REALLY trick cable operated, gear driven electric shift to manual shift conversion the other day, ran into this machinist/Explorer enthusiast at the boat ramp the other day, after 4 shift motors he came up with this and it was SLICK!!

 

[EMG7895]

hmmmmm.....
How was wiring in the electric shift setup?
I saw a REALLY trick cable operated, gear driven electric shift to manual shift conversion the other day, ran into this machinist/Explorer enthusiast at the boat ramp the other day, after 4 shift motors he came up with this and it was SLICK!!

Can you get any more info on this? It seems to be a bigger problem with the second and later gens, the first gens are so amazingly simple once you understand the system, but the addition of the auto 4w4 seemed to cause more problems.

 

[V8BoatBuilder]

hmmmmm.....
How was wiring in the electric shift setup?
I saw a REALLY trick cable operated, gear driven electric shift to manual shift conversion the other day, ran into this machinist/Explorer enthusiast at the boat ramp the other day, after 4 shift motors he came up with this and it was SLICK!!

Tomorrow's projects include mounting the freshly POR-15'd gas tank (with new in-tank strainer), and the wiring.

I am pretty sure the expy 4406 uses identical wiring the the explorer 4405, so it's all plug and play (wiring harnesses, TOD relay, GEM, switch panel, brown wire mod, etc).

I wanted Control-Trac, as it fits my needs best. Normal driving in 2wd, Lots of on-road driving in nasty weather requires the electronic AWD, and then offroad and boat ramps get the low range.

My Dad's Isuzu trooper has a BW case that is very similar to the 4406, including electronic AWD. However, it has a lever in the cab to shift from H to L, and a button to engage Auto (while in Hi). Its a slick factory setup.

 

[n3m3s1s]

this is a great thread.
i have a few questions...i read the thread but didnt have any luck.

i know you did the swap to gain 4lo. i already have 4lo, but am looking for a reliability and strength upgrade. i cannot afford an atlas, and i was considering a manual bw1354.
would the 4406 be a signifigant improvement over the 4405?
was it absolutely necessary that you swap gas tanks? i didnt think the sizes were that different.
would the 4406 bolt up to my v6 tailhousing? if it does, i could keep my dash switch? does the entire shift motor have to be swapped?

 

[V8BoatBuilder]

this is a great thread.
i have a few questions...i read the thread but didnt have any luck.

i know you did the swap to gain 4lo. i already have 4lo, but am looking for a reliability and strength upgrade. i cannot afford an atlas, and i was considering a manual bw1354.
would the 4406 be a signifigant improvement over the 4405?
was it absolutely necessary that you swap gas tanks? i didnt think the sizes were that different.
would the 4406 bolt up to my v6 tailhousing? if it does, i could keep my dash switch? does the entire shift motor have to be swapped?

Nemesis,

The 4406 will NOT bolt up to a V6. The V6 explorers have a 25spline/5bolt transmission output configuration, while the V8's have a 31spline/6bolt configuration. The 4406 has the 31spline input. If you swapped transmissions it might work....

The 4406 is a stronger case than the 4405, it is still used today in F250s behind the 5.4L engine. How much stronger, I have no idea.

I needed to swap gas tanks because even with the shift motor removed, the rear of the 4406 would have been right where the forward gastank mount is. The driveshaft u-joint would also not have cleared. The sport tank gave me the clearance I needed for the shift motor and the driveshaft, and was almost bolt in. The 4406 is huge, and long. The extra space needed for the setup is similar to the space needed for a doubler.

The 4406 uses the same shift motor as the 4405. I am about to find out how similar the electronics are.

 

[n3m3s1s]

i appreciate the response....count me out of this swap.
looks like a 1354 is in my future. unless i find a rolled '99 5.0 explorer and swapped out the engine and tranny...then swapped fuel tanks...then the transfer case and driveshafts...

 

[V8BoatBuilder]

She's back on the road!

Got all the mechanicals buttoned up today:

My sport tank came with the fuel pump and sender assembly. Although www.car-part.com listed the sport pump/sender assemblies as different from the 4dr units, they are identical. Mine have the same part number, and were made within two months of each other.

I installed a new in-tank strainer on the pump: $19.99 at Autozone. 2 filters are listed, a 4.5" one and a 6" one. Both the 4dr and sport tanks use the 6" filter.

The top of the new sport tank was rather rusty, while the bottom was fine. A little wire-wheeling and POR-15:

Relocated forward gastank mount:

I removed the secondary cats and the driver's side downpipe for easier access. The downpipe is a major PITA to remove/install with the pass downpipe still in place. I was initially worried about clearance with the secondary cat assembly, but there is more clearance here than between the transmission and the passenger side main cat.

Transfercase to catayltic converter assembly clearance:

T-Case and gastank clearance, looking in from driver's side:

Driveshaft clearance looking aft:

Driveshaft clearance close up:

 

[V8BoatBuilder]

The road test was fantastic - the truck feels like I added a supercharger as well as a t-case!! For the first time ever, I was able to chirp a tire. I took her up to 75mph, and there wasn't a single vibration. I'm still running the old u-joints from the junkyard driveshaft.

The AWD sure robs power. The steering is much lighter and the truck turns quicker as well. We'll see how this changes with the front driveshaft installed, but I don't think a true free-wheeling shaft will have much difference.

I lost 3 gallons of gas capacity, but I have a feeling I'll be gaining some serious MPG.

I lucked out, the donor expedition must have had 3.73s in the axles, as the VSS reads correctly.

Tomorrow:
- Wiring
- New U-joints for the rear axle, Autozone had greasable 1430 joints for $9.99. (The old shaft used the weaker, 1410 style)

 

[Heath]

Nice work Aaron!!!

 

[410Fortune]

SWEETNESS
I still wanna see the front D shaft clear before I start collecting parts
Now you just need hubs on the front and you can stop the CV's axleshafts, D shaft, etc from turning all the time....

 

[V8BoatBuilder]

I'm working on the electronics, and thought I'd post the P/Ns of the GEMs:

Old Gem: "Sport Utility 4x2" F77-14B205-AA "B" EB1B024137

New Gem: "Sport Utility A4WD-LIVE" F77B-14305-BC "C" EC2A5249B6

TOD Relay: F57B-2C222-AA
Black Module behind Airbag. The module in the 95-97s is different from the module in the 98+'s. They have different connectors.

Shift Motor Relay: F57B-6912-BA

Also, StadX2 had to provide neutral input for the GEM, and power to the shift relay under the hood, but I'm pre-wired.

 

[V8BoatBuilder]

She shifts!!! I have low range!

And the only wiring I'll have to do is "the brown wire mod."

Some interesting observations on the workings of the control-trac systems in the 97 Explorer and Expedition.When the shift motor is removed from the case, the shift knob is seen:

The Explorer's 4405 t-case has only two positions "H" and "L." In both positions, the front shaft output is controlled by the electro-magnetic clutch. When in 4Auto, the clutch is pulsed to achieve AWD. In both 4hi and 4low, the clutch is always on/engaged. When power is removed from the clutch, the front shaft is "disconnected." This allows the brown wire mod to give both 2wd and 4wd low.

The Expedition's 4406 operates slightly differently, and better IMO. The t-case selector has three positions, 2wd, 4hi and 4low, like traditional cases. Thankfully, the 2wd mode and 4low are in the same exact place as on the 4405. This means that the electric motor will shift the case into each mode, and not get stuck in between gears.

The in 2wd mode, the 4406 behaves just like the 4405 in hi. The front shaft output is controlled by the electromagnetic clutch. No power, and it's true 2wd; pulsed power, and it's awd, full power, and it's in 4hi.

In both 4hi and 4low modes, the case slides a mechanical coulpler over the electromagnetic clutch, bypassing it, and truly locking the case together like an old school maual case.

We can't access the middle locked 4hi mode with our GEM, but still get 4hi the old explorer way, with a fully locked clutch.

The only downside to this system is no 2low, but the benifit of having truly locked 4low makes it worth it.

 

[Joey P]

Looks great! I just replaced the awd case in mine, so it's good for a little bit now. I know you've listed parts and prices in earlier posts but how about a rundown on what you've spent(new and junkyard)? I know it would vary but give us a little idea.

 

[V8BoatBuilder]

Costs of the swap:

EDIT: final costs posted on Page 11