also i was told by a ford mechanic that if the 4wd light comes on and you hear it engage the transfer case should NOT be the problem

 

I just got the 4WD working...

I was able to eliminate the Transfer Case Motor by having my wife switch it while I was under the truck. Then with the truck jacked off the ground and her cycling the system (in/out of drive and 4X4), I was tapping on the Solenoids mounted to the firewall behing the battery and wah-lah, the front wheels began to spin.

We tried this several different times, but it would only engage while I would tap the Solenionds.

I've read that these are notoriously bad on the 2004+ until Ford made the fix by making a moisture cover, but I didn't see this to be talked about for the 97-03's.

Trip to Ford dealer or parts store tomorrow.

 

That's awesome. Should be an easy fix. Keep us updated

 

Well now that I narrow it to a solenoid, I got a price from Ford. If I buy a solenoid with the protective cover it's $21. If I buy just the solenoid (no cover), it's $35. <<<Well done Ford.

Since I probably only need one, and I have two, is there a way to emilinate the bad one by doing a voltage/resitor test on each one?

Since I also have a 2002 4X4 with the same set up, I will try to get a measurement on the working '02 and see if I get the same on the '99.

Thanks guys and I will keep you posted.