do a full STI swap.... i wonder how fast that would be?,...

 

o well it sounds good but i dont think it would perform around town very well

 

My dad had a Prelude with 4 wheel steering...that thing drove like it was on a rail at high speeds. it was sweet. I think all-wheel drive has its applications....and its probably not for a pickup.....but I figured someone tried it.

 

my moms explorer w/ the awd has a 4LO......the shifter options is 4auto, 4hi, 4lo.......

 

A turd in whatever way you see fit to call it a turd. Is it weak? Does it lack something our current 1354's have that you see as important (like low-range)? Does it require an electronic control system that is unreliable or undesirable? I don't know.. I was fishing for answers. What are the downsides of the Explorer AWD transfer case(s)?
Fine. My choice of words was probably not the best. I was not trying to suggest that the BW case was a bad one.. or that it did not serve the needs of 99.9% of us. I have zero complaints w/ my case and no real need or desire to replace it.. That is not at all what I was trying to say.

The point I was trying to make is that the Ex already has an AWD system. I presume (and this presumption could very well be false) that a swap would not be all that difficult, considering the platform sharing between the Ranger and the pre ~'03 (or was it '02) Ex. Certianly easier than trying to fit a case from a Jeep or 'Rover application, as you pointed out.

TheBob's RPS link seems to suggest the swap is NOT possible. But then that discussion is about swapping AWD into a 2WD, coil sprung Ranger w/ a 2WD auto trans. I still wonder if it would be easier to swap into a 4WD Ranger w/ the torsion bars and a 4WD trans case..

The AWD Ex was only avail w/ the V8 and auto trans, correct? Was the auto trans the same trans that we have in the Ranger? If so, then it stands to reason that the t-case is probably setup similar to the 4WD Ranger's t-case.. no?

So if it is theoretically possible to swap in an AWD case from an Ex, what are the possible downsides? Would it be weaker than the BW cases we have? (Sounds like the anwser is no.) Would it be less useful than the BW cases we have? (Sounds like the answer is yes, because there is no low-range.)

I still think AWD would be sweet to have, especially if it is lockable into part-time 4WD anyway..
What year is her Ex?

 

My Explorer says that and it is not an all wheel drive unit. My Buddy Ryan has an All wheel Drive Eddie bauer and it says something like onroad/offroad and all it does is lock the center diff so that is works like a 4 high unit.

~HJ

 

That is Ford's Control Trac 4WD system which is not the same as AWD. In 4auto mode, it operates primarily in rear wheel drive under normal conditions. When slippage is detected at the rear wheels, torque is biased to the front diff. The 4HI and 4LO shouldn't be used on dry roads.

 

So 'Control-Trac'.. is that the BW4405? Is the older BW4404 the AWD case w/ the center diff.. and no low range?

TRS describes the 4405, and mentions the clutch. But there is no description of the 4404.. and I've struck out w/ Google. TRS lists the 4404's low range as '?', which would jive w/ what you say about it not having a low-range.. but then they list the same thing for the the 4405.

 

Next, somewhat related dumb question: What is the difference between 'New Venture Gear' ('NV') and 'New Process Gear' ('NP').

I gather than New Venture (NP) is a GM/Chrysler joint-venture. But is 'New Process' the same company? For example the table on the TRS site lists a 'NP242' t-case as being a part-time/full-time t-case. Is this by chance the same case as the 'NV242' case used by Jeep in their 'Selec-Trac' products?

 

The AWD 5.0L used the 4R70W trans but current auto Rangers use the 5R55E, a completely different animal. I doubt that you could bolt up the BW4404 to your manual truck.


4.0L:

The Control Trac T/C from the 4.0L Ex is not a true AWD but it would probably bolt up to a late model Ranger auto since they both use the 5R55E transmission. I am guessing that means that it would physically bolt up to your manual as well. However, I would bet that the electrics would be an absolute nightmare in a Ranger, especially with a manual.


5.0L:

From what I understand, the complete 5.0/4R70W/BW4404 from the Ex is a bolt-in into a 98+ 4x4 using the same driveshafts and mounting points. The exhaust doesn't quite match up but that's an easy fix. The VSS comes from a different sensor than your 2003 and gets conditioned in the 4WABS module instead of the PCM - meaning that you would also need to swap in the Explorer 4WABS module to make the speedo work and the transmission shift. You would need to look for a later donor Ex with PATS or rewire around it. There may also be other minor wiring differences.

In your Ranger (5.0L, auto, aerodynamically worse than the AWD Ex and equipped with the stock LII 4.10 axles), you should expect your mileage to drop into the mid teens.

 

If you believe this chart, there were two AWD transmissions used behind the 5.0L:

BW4404: 96~98
BW4403: 99~01

Both had a viscous coupling and no low range. Neither had a center diff.

 

Hey Bob, What does the switch on the dashboard do if it doesn't lock the center diff? My Buddy's is a 96-97 Explorer eddie bouer with a 5.0 AWD and has a switch where the 4x4 switch is on your ranger, and it says something like, Onroad/Offroad. I am trying to find a pic of one on ebay but they all have just a blanks spot there. I swear I seen it though, maybe I finally lost it

~HJ

 

EXCELLENT info (as always) Bob. Thank you very much!

I was not aware that the 5.0L AWD Exes had a completely different trans. That more than likely 'nixes that idea, as you point out.

Personally speaking, I have no interest in either the 5.0L V8 nor the auto trans.. even if they would fit. All I would be after is the AWD. And only then if I could keep the low range AND have it lockable to have a true part-time 4WD, as I do now. From the sounds of things, none of the BW44xx AWD t-cases would work. (I count 5 on that table you linked; BW4403, -04, -05, -10, and -11.)

The viscious couple by itself is not a deal breaker, even if it is not a 'real' differential. The lack of low-range however is! ... And it sounds like the later 'Control-Trac' solution used a clutch and a host of electronics to 'fake' it. That definitely is not what I am after either.

The more I read, the more I think an NV (or is it NP?) 242 from a Jeep Cherokee, Grand, or Liberty application would be the only option. And as Gil pointed out, would require a lot of mechanical and adapter work..

Certianly not a weekend bolt up mod! .. But then I really didn't expect it to be. I (for one) was really just what-ifing here..

 

I am going to take a WAG and say that it is the clutch-based, electronically controlled system. The 'onroad' setting tells the computer to unlock the clutch giving you RWD until the computer 'senses' rear slippage, then the clutch is locked (at least partly) to engage the front axle. Then the 'off-road' setting completely locks-up the clutch, giving you part-time 4WD exactly like we have. Then the 4Lo setting drops it into part-time low-range, exactly like it does on our Rangers.

The TRS page says that the BW4405 is basically a BW1354 (what we have in the Ranger) w/ an electrically controlled clutch added to the mix.

I personally wouldn't want such a setup because A) it is electronically controlled, and I don't want the extra electronics (thank you very much) B) it is not really true AWD anyway and C) it would be way more work than it is worth to wire into the Ranger, as Bob suggested.

 

I don't know much about Explorers. I do remember that the Bauers and Limiteds could be had with an air suspension system for leveling and "automatic ride control" which could vary the shock damping. IIRC, the air suspension would raise the truck up for more ground clearance in 4WD. Maybe that switch is needed for the air suspension and ride control on the AWD dash because there is no other way for the driver to signal the vehicle that it is going off road.

 

That could very well be, I must have looked at 100 explorers with AWD trying to find a pic of the switch and all of them were blank like a 2WD, so that would make sense since automatic Ride control is a Rare option.

~HJ