Neutral / Flat / RV / Recreational Tow
12-11-2014, 08:02 AM
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02-26-2015, 05:19 PM
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Thanks for the help depami. I did get my 2011 F150 Lariat with ESOF part time 4wd transfer case to shift to the neutral position and stay there as you know when you flat towed it for me on our trial run. It wasn't hard to do once I finally figured it out. I will try it cross country when I get the motorhome. And to all who responded, well thanks for your suggestions to look in the owner's manual and contact my Ford dealer??? After contacting three Ford dealers and talking to two mechanics in their shops, three transfer case rebuilders and the head of Borg Warner powertrain products as well as one of his engineers it became obvious that "no one knew". At least no one was willing to answer. I guess it's no big deal once you find out.
02-26-2015, 06:36 PM
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02-27-2015, 06:02 AM
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02-27-2015, 04:27 PM
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After much research...I still can't verify the accuracy of all of this post, but it is to my best knowledge true, and the results of my findings.
My goal is to flat tow (all 4 wheels on the ground) a 2011 F150 ESOF part time 4WD.
One option is to install the "Shifster" mechanical tc shift device. The Shiftster, when modified by drilling your own hole in the correct position for neutral should work, according to its inventer. The Shifster requires that you get under the truck to change tc position, something I'm trying to avoid.
Second option is to disconnect the rear driveshaft and lock the front IWE's (hubs) in the disengaged position, but disconnecting the driveshaft requires crawling underneath the truck again. There is also supposedly a device that mechanically disconnects the driveshaft, operable from the driver's seat. From my research, it is expensive, costing more than a new transfer case and all associated components.
Third option is to trade in for a different vehicle. Not my goal and not in my budget for this project. Maybe that's why the next option bore no fruit.
Fourth option was to ask a (several) Ford dealer about swapping my 2011 transfer case for a 2012 or newer, along with the tc control module, shift motor, and powertrain control module reprogramming; all components or as many as required to get the neutral option. Could have done this for under $1,000 for new, less for used. I received no answer at all, not yes or no.
Fifth option to install a transmission lube pump. Probably a safe way to go but $1,500, well ouch! Anyway, the tc neutral option disengages the transmission completely.
Assuming all transfer cases disengage the drive gear from the driven gear when shifting between hi and low range, having neither gear engaged is the neutral position. (assumption not verified)
If the assumtion is true, that means there is a physical neutral position for all BW 4419 transfer cases used in the F150, including 2009-2011 years as well as 2012 to present (2015).
F150 models with the ESOF (electronic shift on the fly) part time 4WD use the Borg Warner 4419 two speed transfer case, from 2009 to present (2015). This post does not include any other F150 transfer cases.
There is a detent for holding the neutral position (very loosely) on the BW4419 shift shaft (assumtion) starting in 2012 providing the factory neutral selection beginning in the 2012 model year. This detent was verified on depami's 2014, but not on any others. It may have been used in some late year 2011 built vehicles but not in my 04/11 build date F150.
There is not a detent to hold the neutral position on my 2011. This has been verified.
According to the transfer case parts drawings from Ford's website for the different years, there is a lube pump driven by the rear output shaft in all of the BW4419's. (could not verify that they are all the same with BW or anyone else)
These findings lead toward the assumtion that a 2009-2011 F150 ESOF part time 4WD BW4419 transfer case will suffer no damage if shifted and held in the neutral position while the vehicle is towed with all 4 wheels on the ground.
I could be wrong.
Remedy:
Switch into 4H. Go under the truck.
Mark the position of the transfer case shift motor encoder and remove the 3 screws that hold it in place. The encoder is the round gray plastic part with the 5 wires going into it on the right end of shift motor housing. Don't take the shift motor off to do this. The encoder holding screws don't go back in the same bolt hole tabs on the plastic encoder but will still hold it securely, but don't overtighten them. Be careful not to let the gear behind the encoder come out or you will have to re-index it. I trimmed a little plastic off the hold down tab at the 11 o'clock position so I don't have to pull the encoder off to rotate it. Rotate the tc shift motor encoder (not the motor, just the encoder) about 80 degrees counter clockwise. After finding the correct position for neutral, which by luck was on the first try, I marked the plastic raised rim edge of the encoder and removed a small half moon of plastic so the screws would always hold the encoder in the same exact position when it is rotated. Don't do this step until you make sure you have found the exact position!
There is an oring sealing the encoder and the aluminum motor housing. I actually removed my motor and encoder and lubed the oring and mating parts so it would rotate freely. but remember the gear behind it will come out very easily and needs to be indexed because there is a pin stop on the inside.
Get back in the truck and switch to 2H. That's the position you left the encoder in so nothing will happen when you do this. When 2H is selected your transfer case is now in 4H but the control module thinks it's in 2H so the IWE's (front hubs) are disengaged, although the front driveshaft is turning you are 2wd.
Switch to 4H and the tc shift motor will move the tc shift rod to the neutral position (if you rotated the encoder to the right position), and hold it there. The ESOF module thinks it's in 4H so it engages the front hubs by releasing their vacuum. You don't want them engaged when you tow so you need to make sure the IWE's are disengaged (have vacuum). Do this by pulling the vacuum line off the IWE solenoid (bottom line looking from the drivers side toward the passengers side) and plugging it into the vacuum source line (T fitting coming from engine vacuum going to the resivoir). They are located inches from each other under the hood on the drivers side up high on the firewall. Takes all of 30 seconds to do. You need to run the engine to have vacuum when you do this so they will dis-engage. Make sure you don't have any vacuum leaks or they will leak down and re-engage. Shift transmission into neutral also when towing and turn the key off but don't remove it to keep the steering wheel unlocked. If for some reason your front hubs would engage while you are towing you won't destroy anything immediately. Remember, your Ford owners manual says you can tow your automatic transmission for 50 miles as long as you don't exceed 35mph.
It is drivable when 2H is selected set up this way but your IWE's won't engage for 4wd so you will have to disconnect the vacuum to get that to happen. Just unplug the vacuum line at the solenoid and cap the port. I installed a switch to do this from the driver's seat. You won't have 4L so don't try to select it. You'll get the "delayed shift pull forward" or whatever it is message.
I set this up mainly for one purpose. When driving a long vehicle like a motorhome there will be circumstances that require backing up while turning. That is difficult if not impossible to do for any distance with a 4 down vehicle in tow. It is very easy to disconnect the tow bar but pushing a truck out of your way isn't. This set-up allows the truck to be unhooked from the mh and driven with only the flip of a switch. I know, I had to crawl under my truck to do the mod, but at home in the garage, not on the road in the rain, snow, in the dark along the road or who knows. If I hadn't already owned this 2011, for sure I would have picked a newer tow-ready F150.
When I don't plan to tow for a while it takes a minute to return the encoder to its normal position so I can use 4L to pull tree stumps out of the yard. Please forgive the long post.
My goal is to flat tow (all 4 wheels on the ground) a 2011 F150 ESOF part time 4WD.
One option is to install the "Shifster" mechanical tc shift device. The Shiftster, when modified by drilling your own hole in the correct position for neutral should work, according to its inventer. The Shifster requires that you get under the truck to change tc position, something I'm trying to avoid.
Second option is to disconnect the rear driveshaft and lock the front IWE's (hubs) in the disengaged position, but disconnecting the driveshaft requires crawling underneath the truck again. There is also supposedly a device that mechanically disconnects the driveshaft, operable from the driver's seat. From my research, it is expensive, costing more than a new transfer case and all associated components.
Third option is to trade in for a different vehicle. Not my goal and not in my budget for this project. Maybe that's why the next option bore no fruit.
Fourth option was to ask a (several) Ford dealer about swapping my 2011 transfer case for a 2012 or newer, along with the tc control module, shift motor, and powertrain control module reprogramming; all components or as many as required to get the neutral option. Could have done this for under $1,000 for new, less for used. I received no answer at all, not yes or no.
Fifth option to install a transmission lube pump. Probably a safe way to go but $1,500, well ouch! Anyway, the tc neutral option disengages the transmission completely.
Assuming all transfer cases disengage the drive gear from the driven gear when shifting between hi and low range, having neither gear engaged is the neutral position. (assumption not verified)
If the assumtion is true, that means there is a physical neutral position for all BW 4419 transfer cases used in the F150, including 2009-2011 years as well as 2012 to present (2015).
F150 models with the ESOF (electronic shift on the fly) part time 4WD use the Borg Warner 4419 two speed transfer case, from 2009 to present (2015). This post does not include any other F150 transfer cases.
There is a detent for holding the neutral position (very loosely) on the BW4419 shift shaft (assumtion) starting in 2012 providing the factory neutral selection beginning in the 2012 model year. This detent was verified on depami's 2014, but not on any others. It may have been used in some late year 2011 built vehicles but not in my 04/11 build date F150.
There is not a detent to hold the neutral position on my 2011. This has been verified.
According to the transfer case parts drawings from Ford's website for the different years, there is a lube pump driven by the rear output shaft in all of the BW4419's. (could not verify that they are all the same with BW or anyone else)
These findings lead toward the assumtion that a 2009-2011 F150 ESOF part time 4WD BW4419 transfer case will suffer no damage if shifted and held in the neutral position while the vehicle is towed with all 4 wheels on the ground.
I could be wrong.
Remedy:
Switch into 4H. Go under the truck.
Mark the position of the transfer case shift motor encoder and remove the 3 screws that hold it in place. The encoder is the round gray plastic part with the 5 wires going into it on the right end of shift motor housing. Don't take the shift motor off to do this. The encoder holding screws don't go back in the same bolt hole tabs on the plastic encoder but will still hold it securely, but don't overtighten them. Be careful not to let the gear behind the encoder come out or you will have to re-index it. I trimmed a little plastic off the hold down tab at the 11 o'clock position so I don't have to pull the encoder off to rotate it. Rotate the tc shift motor encoder (not the motor, just the encoder) about 80 degrees counter clockwise. After finding the correct position for neutral, which by luck was on the first try, I marked the plastic raised rim edge of the encoder and removed a small half moon of plastic so the screws would always hold the encoder in the same exact position when it is rotated. Don't do this step until you make sure you have found the exact position!
There is an oring sealing the encoder and the aluminum motor housing. I actually removed my motor and encoder and lubed the oring and mating parts so it would rotate freely. but remember the gear behind it will come out very easily and needs to be indexed because there is a pin stop on the inside.
Get back in the truck and switch to 2H. That's the position you left the encoder in so nothing will happen when you do this. When 2H is selected your transfer case is now in 4H but the control module thinks it's in 2H so the IWE's (front hubs) are disengaged, although the front driveshaft is turning you are 2wd.
Switch to 4H and the tc shift motor will move the tc shift rod to the neutral position (if you rotated the encoder to the right position), and hold it there. The ESOF module thinks it's in 4H so it engages the front hubs by releasing their vacuum. You don't want them engaged when you tow so you need to make sure the IWE's are disengaged (have vacuum). Do this by pulling the vacuum line off the IWE solenoid (bottom line looking from the drivers side toward the passengers side) and plugging it into the vacuum source line (T fitting coming from engine vacuum going to the resivoir). They are located inches from each other under the hood on the drivers side up high on the firewall. Takes all of 30 seconds to do. You need to run the engine to have vacuum when you do this so they will dis-engage. Make sure you don't have any vacuum leaks or they will leak down and re-engage. Shift transmission into neutral also when towing and turn the key off but don't remove it to keep the steering wheel unlocked. If for some reason your front hubs would engage while you are towing you won't destroy anything immediately. Remember, your Ford owners manual says you can tow your automatic transmission for 50 miles as long as you don't exceed 35mph.
It is drivable when 2H is selected set up this way but your IWE's won't engage for 4wd so you will have to disconnect the vacuum to get that to happen. Just unplug the vacuum line at the solenoid and cap the port. I installed a switch to do this from the driver's seat. You won't have 4L so don't try to select it. You'll get the "delayed shift pull forward" or whatever it is message.
I set this up mainly for one purpose. When driving a long vehicle like a motorhome there will be circumstances that require backing up while turning. That is difficult if not impossible to do for any distance with a 4 down vehicle in tow. It is very easy to disconnect the tow bar but pushing a truck out of your way isn't. This set-up allows the truck to be unhooked from the mh and driven with only the flip of a switch. I know, I had to crawl under my truck to do the mod, but at home in the garage, not on the road in the rain, snow, in the dark along the road or who knows. If I hadn't already owned this 2011, for sure I would have picked a newer tow-ready F150.
When I don't plan to tow for a while it takes a minute to return the encoder to its normal position so I can use 4L to pull tree stumps out of the yard. Please forgive the long post.
