Ranger 4X4 pops out of 4WD

[polarbear]

*This is a dupe of a thread in the Tech Help section. Mods may want to delete it later.

Hi guys!

Kids '06 Ranger S/C 4X4. 4.0 V6, 5 spd, manual trans, 4.10 gears. Started making a "popping" sound while in 4X4. Now pops out of 4WD in 4Hi. Won't pop out in 4Lo, but makes the same "popping" noise, along with a noticeable driveline clunk.

Any ideas what might be causing this?

 

[Skandocious]

Without a good knowledge of how the 4wd system works on those trucks, I can't offer much help Sorry Ern. Good for a bump though, huh?!

 

[godblessmud]

Your vacuum actuated hub system sounds like its going out. the problem aint in the T case but in the hubs unlocking

 

[Skandocious]

I don't think so Scott... The hub operation should not differ between 4lo and 4hi; locked is locked-- period. There's no deviation from that.

I think the problem is either in the tcase or the electronic tcase motor control unit. Just a wild guess.

 

[godblessmud]

The popping sound wouldnt be coming from the T case though that sounds like the vacumn system letting one hub unlock before the other

 

[Skandocious]

Popping could be a number of things inside the tcase... Could be the clutch engaging/disengaging inside the tcase... Could be the chain jumping teeth on the cogs.

The only way thing that hubs might be causing the popping noise to differ between 4lo and 4hi would be the speed difference... It could be possible that the hubs are unlocking due to HIGHER SPEED in 4hi, and thus wouldn't do the same in 4lo because you're not going as fast... But I can figure why hubs would disengage due to speed... Perhaps the centrifugal force overpowers the [weakened] vacuum at higher speeds? Who knows...

 

[godblessmud]

Never having owned anything but a manual T case I only know the basics of auto locking hubs and auto 4x4 so idno

 

[CowboyBilly9Mile]

My 04 doesn't have hubs and I doubt an 06 does for the same reason. Ford canned hubs on Ranger back when gas was cheap. Prior to this, the last hubs they used was the pulse vacuum system; when they croak they can be modified to be full time. I have a suspicion that Ford did this at the factory and eliminated the system.

I hate to say it, but I think the transfer case has a problem. First thing I'd do is take it for a drive to warm up the fluid in the transfer case, then come home and pull the fill plug. Remove some fluid and see if there's metal in it. Or go to plan B, just drain it and look at the fluid for metal. Tell us what you find.

 

[Skandocious]

No lockouts? Then what does it have? Do they spin the front end components at all times like the Dodges/Chevys?

 

[polarbear]

Yep- no lockouts and a couple of electronic actuators (?) with servo motors, as I recall.

 

[Brian_B]

No lockouts? Then what does it have? Do they spin the front end components at all times like the Dodges/Chevys?

I don't know about the rangers, but my explorer does not have hubs. It all spins all the time under there.

Mine has the control trac and it kicks it into 4 high as needed when I tire slips. I think it is some sort of electromagnetic thing under there that does it. Not sure.

I do know that on the explorers like mine they do the "brown wire mod" to remove the front driveline from working while in 4 lo to make sharp turns while on the rocks.

Also..you can do some really wild burnouts without the front locking in automatically. No...I have not done the "brown wire mod".

These little 4.0 SOHC engines have some HP for their size. I think they were rated as just over 200 (around that).

 

[CowboyBilly9Mile]

Yep- no lockouts and a couple of electronic actuators (?) with servo motors, as I recall.

There's a shift motor that rotates a rod leading into the transfer case.