To start off i have a 97 ranger 4x4 extended cab with a 4.0, its my first truck and i bought it a few months ago. The guy i bought it from said he had only engaged it into 4wd once due to snow.
well i have been using my truck to move some stuff around my yard and i engage it into 4wd every time due to the fact that its been raining alot lately, for instance about a week or two ago i had picked up a bunch of wood on the side of the road to use as firewood, i drove through my yard to unload i didn't like where i was so i tried to move and i started spinning so i hoped out and unloaded all the wood to see if i could move, but that didnt help, i was stuck, i tried everything i could and nothing helped, when i got out i noticed that my front wheels weren't even spinning. so i got my moms bronco to pull my truck out and i put it in 4wd and it felt completely different, like you could feel the front tires pull, so it led me to the conclusion that something is wrong with my 4wd.

After i got unstuck i drove around and put it in 4wd and you could hear it click in and it sounded like i think is the front drive shaft spinning, but it still doesnt pull in the front like my moms bronco does, and when i come to a complete stop and go again you cant hear the anything, like it disengages, what could be the problem?

thanks for any help.

 

sounds like the problem could be with the auto locking hubs, which love to not engage at the perfect time... if your getting power to the front (everything clicks, 4wd light comes on but doesn't flash) but not to the wheels, then the hubs are the problem... to check if its the hubs, put the truck in 4wd then try spinning the driveshaft by hand... if you can't, then the problem lies in the hubs...

another thing to know about auto hubs is that they don't like to engage unless you're moving, which would explain why they didn't engage when you were stuck... you may try driving around and shift into 4wd HI and you should feel the truck go into 4wd... may take between 20-50ft for this to happen... also takes between 20-50ft to disengage, which may require you to back up the truck as well... just another reason why people upgrade to manual locking hubs... post up with any other questions...

Joey

 

oh, and NEVER engage 4wd on dry pavement... hell, not even wet pavement unless you're 110% everything is wet...

Joey

 

It's your auto hubs.. get superwinch of warn manual hubs... cheap and you BEST option.. NEVER, and i mean NEVER replace auto hubs with auto hubs!

 

x2, lol

Joey

 

x3... I'll agree with myself haha

 

with some ford rangers to day you dont have to move to put it in 4wd my brothers truck you can be drivein down the road and but it in 4wd or you can stop then put it in but if it had locker hubs then make sure you lock then in frist then try it

 

newer trucks have a live-axle setup, as in no hubs... '97-back had auto or manual hubs... '98-'00.5 had pulse vacuum hubs... '01+ have live axles (bolt on the end of the axle so front driveline is always turning whether 2wd or 4wd)... I converted my '98 ranger to live axle so I wouldn't have to deal with the PVH...

Joey

 

I got my 4wd fixed in the shop like a week ago and then today when to test it out on one of the snow covered hills near my house and it worked like a champ and the when I went to put it back in 2wd the 4hi and 4lo lights started flashing about 6 times and then the O/D off light was flashing as well.

This is the first time I've ever seen this and don't know what is going on?!

 

not sure about the O/D light flashing but the 4HI/4LO lights flashing means somethings up with the t-case motor... there's a write-up on how to clean it up on TRS...

Servicing A Transfer Case Shift Motor

it fixed the same problem I had with my truck...

Joey

 

Alright thanks, hopefully the problem happens to go away when I start the truck in the morning but I doubt that.

 

if they go away, 9 times out of 10 they come back at the worst possible time... I would still take it apart and clean it...

Joey

 

ok thanks ill check to see if it is my hubs when i get back from school, If thats the problem where can i find some warn hubs? i have seen alot of post about the AVM hubs, are they for the vacum hubs or will they work on my truck too?

edit: i wasnt stuck when i engaged it, i engaged it while driving through my yard.