My sister's just acquired a '99 Explorer.

Pretty well fully loaded- XLT with power leather seats, sunroof, all that stuff. Nice shape, new tires- certainly a lot better than her rotted out old Saturn.

Anyway-

-She mentioned that a couple times the brakes (which were replaced just before she got the car) have felt "funny" when stopping. Sounded to me like the ABS was kicking in at low speeds based on her description, but I drove it a few miles and it didn't do it while I was driving.

I'm thinking maybe an ABS sensor wire got pinched when the brakes were replaced. No warning lights, brakes are smooth and work well in regular driving.

a.) This would not cause the ABS light to illuminate, correct?
b.) Is there any chance I can visually inspect this while the wheel's still on the car?
c.) Does the automatic 4x4 in this vehicle use the ABS sensors to monitor wheel speed, or is it some other type of system? (That is, could a pinched ABS sensor wire cause the truck to be shifting into and out of 4x4 as she's driving down the highway? I suspect that would not be good for t-case life.)


-4-low - I showed her how to shift it in and out, and put her in my Ranger to see what it did (I think it's easier to "feel" the difference in a manual transmission rig). Her one question was "why?" and I couldn't really begin to answer that. For someone who'll probably never need 4x4 except on snowy roads and maybe a muddy field (concert parking or whatever), is there any reason she'll ever need to use any position but "AUTO"?

-She's not into cars- just doesn't care much. Which isn't to say she doesn't know a fair bit, just not interested in knowing or doing more than she needs to. Given that, any particular points on this vehicle she should really watch for? Oil and coolant levels, tire pressures....all about the same as any car. Anything unusual on this rig?

On my mom's 2003 explorer, all I will say is that the 'auto' 4x4 feature isn't worth much. I'd advise her to flip it into 4x4 hi when she runs into slick roads. Mom's figured out when it's okay to use it and not to use it. She gets around great in the snow, now.

Ryan

That was my basic advice...see what happens, but if it seems to be slipping a lot in Auto and the road is snow-covered, see if 4-hi works better. She'll figure it out- I've driven 2wd Explorers in the snow, and there's not much doubt about when they run out of traction.

I'm not sure what's so 'automatic' about it. I was driving it in the slick snow one time and spun the tires. 4x4 never engaged. It's really hard to say how advanced the predictive system is.

Ryan

Well...it's automatic 4wd not AWD.

Until the tires spin, it can't know that they're going to. By it's nature, it's reactive not pro-active.

I don't like the idea much, but then...I'm still pretty opposed to these new-fangled transmissions that shift gears for ya, too...

Yeah that's exactly what I mean. I'm not sure how much spinning it would take to engage it. By the time it does engage it, is it too late? I've never gotten it to engage properly so I wonder when it will turn itself off?

Hence why I told the madre to just use 4 hi.

I think her owner's manual allows her to flip into 4 hi as fast as 45mph while driving.

Ryan

Yep I agree. The little woman has an 02 with the auto 4wd. And if there is a couple inches of snow or it`s a little muddy, you can feel the transfer case kicking in and out, in and out, so she just puts it in 4 hi. I can`t imagine that it`s real good for the t-case to be doing that, even if they`re supposedly designed to do that.

These vehicles take a while to get used to.

The 4x4 system and A/T's has a habit of failing as well so, IMO, she should take her time in learning the ins and outs of the system.

How is the fluid in the trans ?

The "auto" transfer works with generated heat. Inside the transfer case is a unit filled with wafer thin "clutch" discs. If you hold one in your hand, your body heat will make it curl up. Imagine a couple hundred of them in an enclosed space. When the "slippage" happens, the fluid gets hot causing the "clutches" to warp, removing all clearance from that enclosed area, effectively "locking" the transfer case. Thats why its important to maintain the transfer case fluid.

The front ABS sensors are on the wheel hubs, the rear ABS sensor is on the center of the diff housing... You probably wouldn't see much with the wheels on, just part of the wire...

I doubt that its going in and out of 4wd though... And if a sensor was bad the light should be on, usually the most common reason that the light is on is because of the sensor for the rear...

when the roads are snowy, or i suspect blace ice, i goose the gas in my explorer after coming to a stop (at an intersection) if the front axle kicks in, i know that is sipperey, and shift into 4WD high