I have a problem with my '99 3.0 Auto 4x4 Ranger. I had to get around another car in my driveway this morning and needed 4wheel to get through some snow. I inadvertantly used 4whl LO and then when I was free of the snow and switched back to 2wheel, I found that it would not disengage from the 4x4Low. I even pulled the fuse (#26) which controls the electonic switching - no luck. It's still stuck in 4x4 Low! How do I disengage this gear?
I can't use the truck as most of my commute is on higher speed, dry pavement. Help!

 

put it in neutral go form 4 low to 2wd sit there it willl take a min to switch back. if it doesnt go to 4x4 high. form there it should switch back. dont move the truck when trying to disengage 4 low

 

Yeah try what zach said. On my 2002 it has to be in neutral with the brake on and takes like 5-10 secs..

 

with the manual trans, you have to have the truck in first gear, and you have to be completely stopped with the brake pedal pressed down all the way, then switch it to 2wd or 4x4 high. maybe you have to do something similar. I'd look at the owners manual for more ideas.

 

Don't forget to push the clutch!

 

I had a similar thing happen to me. Turns out my transfer case skid was packed full of snow and turned the t-case to an icecube. I had left it part all night in 4wd. I had to knock all the ice off with my maglight then turn the truck off and on to reset it. Then it worked. Go figure.

 

Thanks for all of your replies. I will try to get this straightened out when I get home and let you all know how I made out.
Kim

 

Whats a clutch... oh wait, is that what that third petal is for???

 

no problem just let us know if there is a problem

 

Yea my 03 has problems going back to 2wd, after clicking it back and waiting, and the light goes off, you put it in drive and start driving, and its still in 4wh, untiil like 10 ft then its not...

Rocky

 

That's the problem with those confounded electric t-cases I used to get confused how to put it in and out of 4LO all the time too. Just gotta be patient as it's quite cantankerous.

 

If the shift motor or wiring gets caked full of mud or snow, it can easily prevent it from shifting. It isn't spring loaded so removing power will not cause to fail into 2wd. It requires power for all actions. I had the same thing happen to mine while off-roading. You know what I had to do to fix it? I took a tire iron and beat the thing into submission. After an hour of trying to dry it off and banging on it, it shifted back.

 

I have replaced several of the shift motors, they are not cheap... but they were on customers trucks, so it wasnt my money

 

I had one put in my truck I had the opposite problem, mine would go into 4lo then jump back out.

 

this is why i HATE electric transfer cases. i know when mine is in 4-lo and not. i also know it wont jump in or outta 4wd and wont get stuck like that.

 

Gotta love the manual T-case.

 

Keep the switch in 4-lo. And go in reverse and turn in the opposite direction as before. You probably made the turn in 4-lo and the just stopped and put it back in 2wheel. When in 4wd the drivetrain will "bind-up" when you make a real sharp/high traction turn in 4wd. To "un-bind" the drivetrain, you have to turn the wheel the opposite direction as the previous turn, and drive in the opposite direction (if you were going forward, back up). Then straighten the wheels out and pull forward a couple of feet. THEN put it in neutral, hold the brake, and turn it to 4-hi (you will here the solenoid click when the shift is actually happening) then switch it back to 2-hi.

If that doesn't work, THEN i'd start worrying about the shift motor elec etc. malfunctioning.

 

If this was in snow he probably had so much wheel-slip that I would not expect bind to be an issue.. Still, decent thing to try..

 

Never hurts to try, it's happened to me in the mud, go figure.

 

Sound like the hokey-pokey..."Ya go right, then stop, Ya put the shifter to the top, Ya put it into 4wheel and wait for it ta drop"
Anyhow - I let it warm up, put the switch to 4 HI moved back and forth gently and it shifted into 4HI then I put it into neutral and then switched to 2HI and it clicked once and ****ed into 2HI. Sounds like we all have tried some combination of a little patience and time and the trans rights itself.
Thanks for all of your help - I was ready to take it to the garage and pay some other clown to do the same thing.