Hello Ranger fans,

I'm in need of a 4WD module part# XL5T-14B205-EE. Mine is showing some improper numbers on a couple of pins and works intermittently. I see that new ones have become unobtainium but there appears to be a robust secondary market with numerous modules availablre on eBay. Before I get swindled I figured I check in here with you folks to find out if there are any reputable sellers or re-manufactured options?


While I'm at it I may as well inquire about other options for getting the transfer case in and out of 4WD.


Many thanks,

Will

 

Welcome to the forum

XL5 = 1999 Ranger GEM

Which matters, and means you can only use a 1998-2000 GEM because those are the only years that have a speedometer conversion circuit inside the GEM

A 1999 GEM would be best and it needs to be from/for a 4x4 Ranger with your options, like if you have power windows and door lock or FOBs(keyless entry)

the EE at the end is good to match but only if there is XL5 at the front

14B205 is the actual part number for a GEM module but.............from any year and for any Ford vehicle, not Ranger specific


Yes, from 1995 to 2000 the GEM was the 4x4 controller in Rangers
There is ALSO a dual Relay box just behind the GEM that powers the Shift Motor on transfer case, its called the "electric shift control module", lol, but its really just 2 relays in a box, and it can fail, these provided the "click" you used to hear when using the dash 4WD switch, GEM runs the relays

If these relays fail the GEM would Flash the 4WD light on the dash when you tried to change transfer case position
Lights would also Flash if shift motor wasn't working
No flashing 4WD lights and no shifting usually means the GEM is the issue, not 100% but most likely
The 4WD lights should come on for 2 seconds or so with Key on, that's a Bulb Test, all dash lights should come on, as said its a Bulb Test

The shift motor quits working from DISUSE not overuse, brushes in the electric motor get corroded or stuck
You can pull it off transfer case and apply 12v and ground to the orange and yellow motor wires to see if motor will turn, the reverse 12v/grd to get it to turn the other way

Switch on the dash never breaks, just 3 resistors inside

 

Thanks for the welcome and the reply RonD.

The VIN indicates it's a 2000 model but it makes sense that some parts would be 1999. Am I correct in thinking that as long as I get a GEM with the same number that is on mine (XL5T-14B205-EE) then I should be good to go?

The dash switch and motor were already replaced when both displayed intermittent faults. I suppose that could have been the GEM all along.

I do get the flashing 4WD light on the dash and 'some' clicking of the relays then nothing further will happen until I change the fuse under the hood. By your description it sounds like the issue could be the relays? When it does work without blowing the fuse, it shifts in/out of 4WD just fine. So I've either got some bad/intermittent relays or GEM. Do you happen to know if the relays are still available?

Thanks,
Will

 

Not the GEM

The fuse under the hood is hooked directly to the dual relay box, and that fuse only powers the Electric Motor part of shift motor, not GEM or sensors/contacts in the shift motor housing

It also powers the Electric clutch inside the transfer case, that's the BROWN wire that runs to the inside of transfer case, and that could short out, blowing that fuse

Look here: https://www.explorerforum.com/forums...7b-jpg.327408/

The Yellow, Orange and Brown wires all carry voltage from the fuse in the engine bay when changing 4WD setting
So check brown wire carefully where it goes into the transfer case for any bare wire where it could short to ground
If Brown wire is part of the 8 wire connector unplug the connector and test brown wire and internal clutch coil with OHM meter, it uses transfer case metal as the ground
And move brown wire around while testing to see if you get drop to 0 ohms, a short to ground
And you can cut this brown wire(at a spot where you can reconnect it) and see if fuse stops blowing, BUT.............you WILL NEED TO STOP when you change 4WD setting
The internal clutch allowed for "shift on the fly" from 2WD to 4high and back to 2WD

2000 was the last year for that, in 2001 Ranger 4x4s all got Live Axles, so front wheels were always locked, this meant that transfer case gears were all spinning at the same RPM even in 2WD, so no clutch was needed when shifting to 4high, or back to 2WD
If you have manual hubs then you can leave them locked all the time and no need for the electric clutch, and you can "shift on the fly"


Dual relay box
Not sure there is anyway to test that "live"/in use, at least for an intermittent short
May just need to replace it if the electric clutch passes the tests

And of course give the wiring under the truck a good look for chaffing or bare wires, any places close to exhaust pipes are prime spots for melted insulation on wiring

 

Thank you again RonD.

Went out this morning to test that brown wire for a short but my 50 yo Micronta multimeter gave up the spirit. I've got a new Fluke 117 ordered but it won't arrive until mid-week next.

I must admit, I'm getting a bit confused. Electronics/electrical really aren't my thing so please bear with me. When testing this brown wire do I want the the 4WD switch in any particular position? Ignition/Engine on?

What do the yellow and orange wires do? Shift motor I assume? Will the shift motor operate when unbolted from the T-case or it it grounded by the T-case metal?

Where is the pair of relays? I was told they are right close to the GEM module behind/left of the radio. I saw some info stating that the tiny circuit board the relays are attached to develops cracks around three of the solder joints and re-soldering fixes this.

I don't care about shift on the fly. We have been stopping to switch to in/out of 4WD after driving straight and level for a hundred feet or so for the past two winters thinking something was getting bound up in the drive train and putting excess load on the shift motor. Now I know its just a very crappy electrical design causing most of the problems. It will almost always go into 4WD high no problem but getting it back to 2WD almost always results in the flashing 4WD lights and a blown fuse.

Final question for now.......what is the easiest, most reliable way to fix or bypass this problem? It is a 2000 model and like I said, shift on the fly is not important. Would cutting and capping off the brown wire where it enters the T-case, leaving it connected to the shift motor and stopping to change the 4WD setting work?

I'm even considering cutting an access hole in the floor and removing the shift motor, entirely replacing it with a manual ****. Front hubs have never been an issue. (so far)

I've about had enough of computer controlled vehicles. I'm seriously considering going back to all pre-80's vehicles.

Lastly, thank you again, especially since you have been the only one to respond since I'm sure the topic has been beaten to death here. Don't go away as I will be back!

Will

 

You would be testing Brown wire for its Ohms, resistance between it and Battery negative which is any metal like the transfer case or Frame of vehicle
You should set a Meter to OHMs and then touch the two probes together you should see 0 ohms, thats NO resistance, a dead short between the two probes which is correct because they are touching, so meter and probes are working

If you touch one probe to end of brown wire and one probe to transfer case metal you should see 40-80 ohms(electric clutch coil), so resistance, not a dead short that would blow a fuse
If you move the brown wire around while testing and you see Ohms drop to 0 or close to it then there is an intermittent short, so it blows the fuse once in awhile not all the time
Cutting the brown wire won't effect 4WD system at all, as far as operation, just shouldn't use shift on the fly, unless front hubs are locked already


Shift motor doesn't need to be grounded to transfer case, so can be operated while it is off the transfer case

The electric motor on the shift motor works the same as a power window electric motor
Its a 12volt DC motor with 2 wires
IF one wire is 12v and the other wire is a Ground then motor turns clockwise, i.e. window UP
IF you reverse the wires so 12v wire is now a ground and the other wire is 12v then motor turns counter-clockwise, i.e. window DOWN
So pretty simple, +/- to -/+ to change the direction of motor's spin

The way all the electric shift motors work is to GROUND both motor wires all the time when not being used
Then the controller only needs to unGround 1 wire and change it to 12volts and motor turns

In your year the Dual Relay box is what does that, each relay is hooked to one of the motor's wires, and grounded full time when relay is off
The GEM activates one relay which changes that wire to 12volts, and since the other wire is a Ground motor spins

Just FYI
The other 5 wires on the shift motor are for contacts that tell the GEM/controller what position shift motor/transfer case is in, and so what direction to spin the motor and when to stop spinning the motor when it gets to 4high, for example

The dual relay box uses the engine bay fuse for that 12v to send to the motor, so yes, if there is a short inside the box on a relay then when that relay activated 12v and ground could be connected together, no resistance, so dead short and fuse blows
If it was a circuit board issue I would expect fuse to blow as soon as it was plugged in, as its not a key on fuse, has 12volts all the time with direct connection to dual relay box, but from your description fuse only blows when 4WD system is being used to change transfer case position, so only when one relay and electric clutch have 12volts

 

Hello RonD. Unplugging the 8 wire connector and checking resistance between the brown wire connector pin and the transfer case metal reads 3-5 ohms so I assume that means a short.

If the brown wire is 12v continuous, that begs the question of why the fuse is not blown 100% of the time. It primarily blows when trying to disengage the 4WD high back to 2WD.

I double checked the VIN plate. It says 9/99 but decoding the VIN indicates 2000 model.

 

Brown wire only has 12volts when shift motor is active, so not all the time, just when shifting transfer case, and it would blow the fuse in the engine bay fuse box, same fuse that powers the shift motor

2ohms is only 6amps at 12volts so almost a short, but if motor draws higher startup amps, which they do, it could cause that fuse to blow
So as said you don't need the clutch if you stop to engage 4WD so cut that wire and see

 

Thank you RonD. Your help is very much appreciated! I cut that wire and took it out to a gravel pit to try things out. Shifted in and out of 4WD about ten times after coming to a full stop. Worked perfect each time! This is my wife's truck so the real test will be this winter as her work is surrounded by several treacherous north facing hills that stay icy. She will really enjoy no more blown fuses! She's tough but I need her rig to work reliably for my piece of mind.

Out of curiosity, I watched several videos showing assembly/disassembly of the BW 13-54 transfer case but none pointed out an electric clutch. Where is that clutch located and what's involved in changing it out. Google wasn't much help as it kept pointing to 'shift motor' instead. Didn't see it in my Ranger

I'm not sure how this place works but is there some way to leave a 'thumbs up' or positive feedback for you? Also does the site accept donations to keep the lights on?

Thank you.
Will

 

Good work

Google: BW1354 electric clutch images

You will see what it looks like, then look at disassembly diagrams for 2000 and earlier electric BW1354s, 2001 and up did not have it since front wheels/drive shaft were always spinning so gears could mesh easily inside transfer case
And no Manual transfer cases had the electric clutch

It's located at the rear of transfer case on main rear output shaft, it works like AC compressor clutch, it starts the chain drive for front drive shaft spinning to match the speed of rear main shaft so no grinding when when front drive shaft and rear drive shaft are connected together

I am sure you did but tape/cap the end of the truck side/end of brown wire as it will still have 12volts when shifting transfer case

 

Thanks again RonD. I soldered a male and female connector onto that wire then put a little heat shrink on them so they cannot make contact anywhere.

 

Good idea