Hey everybody!

This is my first post so my apologies if I'm posting under the wrong section...

I recently bought a 99 xlt 4.0 ohv 4x4. I Haven't taken I t offroad yet but have tested the 4x4 and and I'm a bit confused. When I switch to 4wd high and put the car in drive I don't feel the front wheels kicking in, and I don't feel any difference in how the truck handles. But when I put it in 4wd low and put it in gear I do. I can immediately feel the front wheels engage and can easily tell the difference in how it handles. Any idea why this might be? It's my first time driving a 4x4 so I'm not too familiar with all this yet. I'm guessing low is constant and high only engages when the back wheels start slipping. Plus obviously the different gear ratios.

Thanks for any help.

 

4x4 high you should be able to tell a difference, especially at low speeds. If you can feel it in 4x4 low, to me that shows it's working. Try turning at low speeds in 4x4 high and see if you notice a difference.

 

Hi,

You should feel 4WD when making a tight turn, High or Low, the front wheels will feel different, you may feel a lurching.

No, in 4WD High or Low, if everything is working right, you have all 4 wheels working full time.

'99 does have the infamous PVH(Pulse Vacuum Hubs), the previous Ford "auto hubs" were getting a bad reputation..............so Ford decided to make it worse, the 1998-2000 Ranger 4x4's came with PVH.
2001 saw "live axles", lol, no locking/unlocking, just transfer case shifting in and out of 4WD.

It may be hard to tell if 4WD is working, but it is isn't I would read here just to check out the most likely problem, PVH: Ford Ranger How To: Troubleshoot/Fix Your PVH Hubs (1998-2000)