I just bought a 90 Ranger 4x4 yesterday for $500 and the 4wd doesn't work. When I press the buttons on the dash nothing lights up. It has manual locking hubs though. I locked those in and still nothing. Could be the switch or a fuse? Any help on where i should start first will be much appreciated.

Here's a pic of it. It's beat up but can't complain for $500

 

i do believe that year of ranger , the transfer case is in fact manual shift not electric

 

Yeah but it has the buttons on the dash? I'm pretty lost this is the first ranger I've owned I'm used to S10's.

 

need a picture to verify

 

https://flic.kr/p/uC755F

There u go assuming that link works I'm on my phone right now.

 

you have the rarer electric transfer case , most were manual

there is a switch on the side of the transfer case where several wires lead into

this switch lights up the 4x4 / low lights , wires may be corroded and have failed

you will need a multimeter for the connector , to test for connectivity

the electric motor moves a internal shift collar that engages / dis-engages the front drive shaft

either to 4x4 high or 4x4 low ( as the other switch shows )

over time a lot gunk inside the transfer case will settle around the shift collar , jamming it

you will need a dirt road some where around you , drive around in 4x4 high ( turn front locking hubs to ON ) for awhile , this will dislodge the gunk and release the shift collar ( sometimes )

drain the old fluid and pour in fresh ATF fluid along with 2 to 3 ounces of DURALUBE

 

Alright thanks I'm gonna mess with it Sunday and I'll post my findings

 

Ok I checked the plug it looks fine and I unplugged and cleaned it and plugged it back in. I don't have a multimeter so I couldn't check that out. I did drive around for a while wit the hubs locked in and still nothing. I did read the owners manual and from what I gathered from that these didn't even come with electronic 4wd with manual locking hubs? Is that true? I don't know if someone converted it a long time ago or what. Might just buy a new dash switch and see if that does anything. If anyone has anymore input I'd appreciate it thanks.

 

i need a picture of the rear of the transfer case to be sure

manual locking hubs are the preferred hub , also check the rear of the fuse panel for corroded wire connections.

the fuse may also be blown

 

The fuse was good but i noticed there was 2 plugs not plugged into the back of the fuse panel. I plugged those back in but it's still not working.

Here's some pics.

 

the shift motor is shot

the motor body is severely corroded , more than likely the inside of the motor probable has water in it

i would try a wrecker 1st for a replacement motor , RockAuto Parts Catalog would be my main choice though

those manual locking hubs are in fact FACTORY parts

 

Ok I'll look into that. Kinda want to replace the switch first though because they're only $20. Although that's a long shot.

 

Also just thought of something. The rear anti lock light and brake light is on. Would that cause the 4wd not to work? I know that might on a newer vehicle but not sure on something that old.

 

1st you should test the 4x4 switches electrical connections for voltage infeed before you purchase a replacement switch

rear antilock brake problem will not dis-engage power to the transfer case shift motor

al though you should have that looked at mechanical wise as a safety feature

 

I haven't had much time to check anything but, I did buy a Ford obd1 code reader. It's always ran pretty rough and I just did a tune up and cleaned the upper intake with seafoam intake cleaner and that helped a little. I checked the codes and all I got was 15 which is: No Keep Alive Memory power to PCM pin 1 or bad PCM (Memory Test Failure). Not sure if that's right or matters or would affect how it runs. A friend and I established it needs a fuel pressure regulator so that will be my next step. I should add that I do get a check engine light occasionally when driving.