ohiobuckhunter Posted November 19, 2008 Report Share Posted November 19, 2008 i have a 1988 ford ranger xlt 4x4 with the touch drive 4 wheel drive. well i went into the field with it and when i tried to put it back in 2 wheel drive it wouldn't disengauge. so now my hunting truck is stuck in 4x4 low range. so far i have tried driving around the house in reverse with no luck. then i tried disconnecting the battery. then i tried pounding on the cylinnoid all with no luck any ideas of how to get it out of 4 wheel drive would be great thanks in advance Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WHISKEYSWAMP Posted November 19, 2008 Report Share Posted November 19, 2008 try putting it in neutral and disengaging it... I think that's the only way my truck will go from 4 low back to 2 wheel. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ohiobuckhunter Posted November 19, 2008 Author Report Share Posted November 19, 2008 i tried nuetral that's the only way my truck will go in or out of 4 wheel drive Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WHISKEYSWAMP Posted November 19, 2008 Report Share Posted November 19, 2008 not sure what it could be unless something is screwed up in the hub... I have a buddy who is a mechanic and will try to give him a call tonight to see what he thinks... will call you if I found out anything. I'm leaving town in a couple minutes for a few days but I could probably set you up with him next week if you need it looked at.. he does work on the side, much cheaper than taking it to a shop. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wtnhunt Posted November 19, 2008 Report Share Posted November 19, 2008 Really do not know a lot about fords. Would assume that it is probably something in the hubs/axle as well, but could possibly be the transfer case. Might not hurt to take a look underneath and see if anything is loose. Chevrolet used to use a line running to the axle to engage/disengage the front hubs that was bad about coming loose/unplugged from the axle. I know because that line came unplugged on my 92 Z71 and it would not engage the front hubs. Another thing to look at, is the truck still in low? If it has not come out of low even with putting the truck in neutral when trying to change from 4 low to 2 high or 4 high, then the switch might possibly be bad. Think I would start with the switch. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
backwoods07 Posted November 19, 2008 Report Share Posted November 19, 2008 Did you by any chance go over 30 mph? A friend of mine tore up his drivetrain doin about 45 in 4LO... If not, I know for a fact that Ford's 4 wheel drive system gets a little crazy when the weather turns cold. This could be an electrical problem. Did you by any chance smell smoke from say, a burning wire? Do all your other electrical systems work? My three ideas for a fix are pretty much what you already tried. 1.) Disconnect the battery for 15 mins or so. This should reset the electrical system. 2.) Drive in reverse for a minute or two 3.) Get a rubber mallet and tap the transfer case shift motor, then try again. I read somewhere you can drop the shift case and shift it manually. If all else fails, you might want to look into that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
backwoods07 Posted November 19, 2008 Report Share Posted November 19, 2008 After doin a couple google searches, this seems to be a VERY common problem with your exact model...Maybe a quick phone call to the dealer will give you a couple ideas. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pendog Posted November 19, 2008 Report Share Posted November 19, 2008 I went to sites like these when i was working on several of my Jeep's, they are valuable resources since these guys are actually working on vehicles like yours. http://www.automotiveforums.com/t758474-problems_with_electronic_4x4.html If you register and post your problem they will help, this link sounded something like your problem. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ohiobuckhunter Posted November 19, 2008 Author Report Share Posted November 19, 2008 thanks for all the help everyone.it's still stuck but i'm working on it i figured since it is stuck in 4 wheel low range it has to be in the transfer case. i'm going to do some more tinkering around with it then try and check the switch somehow Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dodge4x4 Posted November 19, 2008 Report Share Posted November 19, 2008 that used to happen to me quite a bit, and honestly. . sometimes it was just getting stuck. just wait a day or two and trying the nuetral with shuttin er off to see. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ohiobuckhunter Posted November 20, 2008 Author Report Share Posted November 20, 2008 it worked i let it sit for about 10 hours then went out to mess with it again and to hopefully fix it so i could hunt in the morning and i started the truck and hit the button and it turned off so needless to say i won't be using my 4 wheel drive anymore unless it's a must.. thanks again for all the info Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WHISKEYSWAMP Posted November 21, 2008 Report Share Posted November 21, 2008 I talked to my mechanic tonight ... he said there is an electric motor on the side of the transfer case for your 4 wheel drive. give it a light tap and it might come unstuck... you could also pull that motor off and shift the linkage with a pair of plyors if all else fails... couple other options if it happens again. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.