Recently left truck sit over the winter ,while out of state .came back last month no 4wheel drive ,it's old but it was running a1 I'm the only owner and decided to go thru it new battery,4x4control module,new switch and new shift motor .
checked every fuse under the hood and on driver's side dash panel , still no light to switch and no 4x4 action .went thru the harness connections no corrosion all still had factory grease in them no rubb spots that I can visually or digitally find .
At a loss . Everything was working fine untill the truck sat for 3 months with a dead battery .
ANY IDEAS ALL IS WELCOME BEFORE I TAKE THIS SOB COMPLETELY APART PEICE BY PIECE AS MY OCD IS DEMANDING I DO LOL.seriously !

 

Welcome to the forum

2001 4x4 wiring below

Not much to the system so don't let the OCD take you to deep, lol

When you turn on the key all the dash "indicator" lights should come on for 2 seconds or so, this includes the 4WD lights, this is just a BULB TEST, to let driver know if a bulb is burned out
Make sure 4WD bulbs work

2001 - 2011 Ranger have a 3 part system
Dash switch, rarely breaks, its just 3 resistor
4x4CM, the controller, in passenger kick panel in 2001-2003, behind radio 2004-2011
Electric shift motor on transfer case, can last a long time if you shift from 2wd to 4low and back to 2wd once a month, don't have to drive it, just shift it sitting in driveway, these usually die from disuse, brushes/contacts corrode

If the shift motor dies, then when you select 4high and 4x4CM can't detect shift motor moving, then it will Flash the 4WD lights, or if fuse13 in engine bay is bad(shift motor fuse)
So no Flashing 4WD lights usually means 4x4CM problem, and these were a KNOWN issue, used are a gamble, since they had a high failure rate
There are also 2 versions of 4x4CM, 2001-2006, and 2007-2011, and NOT interchangeable
4x4CM has 2 relays inside, when you select 4high you should hear a relay "click", if not then 4x4CM may not be powered on, check fuses, or its bad

The 4x4CM sends 5 volts to the Dash Switch, this 5v will pass thru ONE of the 3 resistors in the switch, the switch sends back............
4volts for 2WD
3v for 4high
2v for 4low
So when you turn the switch the voltage changes and that's how 4x4CM knows what you selected
And you could also turn the switch with Key OFF, from 2WD to 4high
When you turn key on 4x4CM would boot up and see the 3volts, and would change transfer case to 4high

Shift motor is just a 12volt motor, works the same as power window motor, has 2 wires, send it 12v/ground and motor turns clockwise, send it ground/12v and motor turns counter clockwise, easy peasy, window up, window down
Shift motor housing has 5 wires, these are contacts, sensors, each of the 3 positions has a contact pattern, so 4x4CM knows the position of the transfer case by the pattern of the contacts
When 4x4CM closes a relay(powers the motor) it expects the contacts to change Instantly, if it doesn't see that it will STOP sending power and start Flashing the 4WD lights
Flashing 4WD lights with key on means 4x4CM is "lost" its not seeing a contact pattern it recognizes.

You change the 4x4CM, was it new?
You changed shift motor, was it new?

 

All parts are new shift motor ,switch and remanufactured doorman CM just paid 226.00 for that lil beauty at the parts store ,core change was another 200.00 they know when they got us .
WAs wondering if there are any relays under the hood that could affect power to the switch and module?? Going to replace all fuses under hood and on driver's side tomorrow maybe I should pick up a couple relays just in case .
Considering the fact that I left it sit on the farm I've had mice issues in the past the last resort will be to pull the dash ,I really hate doing that but several dash lights are out around the rpm and speed gage anyway so I'm sticking up on bulbs also .
Ones love for an ole rusty truck is a hell of a thing almost as bad as the love for my dog .thank God I got rid of the ole lady or I'd be really broke 😁
p.s. when I installed the new shift motor the truck and motor were in 4 wheel high and the back tab on the motor housing was not able to fit without modifying could grounding be an issue on the transfer case? Or the set up initiated in 4 who high ??
Thanks for your response I will get to the bottom of this issue 9ne way or another 😉

 

Not sure what you mean by "modifying" shift motor to fit transfer case in 4high??????, but sounds scary, lol

You just needed to move transfer case shift rod with pliers to 2high.............if that was the new motors position

Shift motor doesn't need to be grounded to transfer case to work
You can have it unbolted from transfer case and plugged into its harness, then select 2WD, 4high and 4low and shift motor will move to those 3 positions, 4low requires foot on brake and trans in neutral

You can take shift motor to battery and apply 12v and ground to the yellow and orange wires, to see if motor will move, it has a STOP post inside so will only go so far in one direction, you just swap/reverse 12v and ground and it goes the other way


You have the wiring diagram, no relays, just fuses
You can test each fuse holder for 12v with key on, just to be sure
And also test the 12v and ground wires on the 4x4CM connector to make sure those wires are good

 

The housing bolts that run thru the shift motor are farther apart so the end bracket doesn't fit I need to drill the holes slightly larger or off to 9ne side .just not a priority untill I get the system figured out .but thanks for you input bro .
didn't get anything done today had to spend the weekend at my daughter's place putting the play set I bought for the grandbabies together . But I'll update once 8 make progress.✌️