Cdn Paratrooper

There I was, trying to get down a snow covered laneway to my son's house when my 4X4 went out...light on dash goes on, it makes the required clicking noises but nothing to the front tires...I lubed the front actuator, banged on the electric motor and checked all the vacuum lines...( I haven't got a vacuum metre).

I guess I will take into a shop to get them to diagnose it and then I will buy whatever parts it needs and slap them on..

How embarrassing to see my son watching me get my mighty 4X4 unstuck..it was really lucky I didn't have a block of C-4 on me....

RPM6000

I had an 06 that did the same thing i use to tap on the electric motor on the transfer case to get the 4wheeldrive work. After a few times that little motor just gave out i ended up replacing it.

Cdn Paratrooper

Yea, once I find out what is broken, I will go get the part and put it in and hopefully that will solve the problem..

I read where the vaccum solenoids go quite often and the motor goes in the transfer case..tow of the biggest culprits..

Cdn Paratrooper

The odd thing is the 4 wheel drive system started to sort of work today-4 low kicked in but 4 hi didn't, it made a kind of buzzing sound when I tried to kick it in...this leads me to believe my vacuum solenoid is the culprit....I hope...

RPM6000

That shift motor is simple to get off 3 little bolts i will almost bet that is your problem. I would take it off without unplugging it and have someone inside the truck engage the 4x4 if it turns then you know that was not it.

GutsyHick

You can test the line by pulling them off the actuator and having someone switch it from two to four wheel drive and you should feel a very small pull. My actuator was my problem. And just to see if there are any visual cracks in the solenoids. You can check to make sure its not the transfer case motor but having it in four wheel drive and have someone watch the front shaft while you drive forward and see if it is spinning then its something upfront is the problem.

Cdn Paratrooper

Yea, it was odd that one day it worked fine and the next it wouldn't. I park it in an underground parking now and I thought that going from warm to extremely cold affected it somehow as before it didn't work at all and today it went into 4L and make a bit of a tick, tick sound going into 4h...I never felt that it got all the way into 4h so I almost suspect the solenoids on the firewall...

I mean it is a crap shoot, I have researched that the solenoids go bad often, the actuator is troublesome and the shift motor can act up...I almost feel I should change all three for the money...

I will try the tricks you guys mentioned and see what that brings me...

Cdn Paratrooper

The solenoid was cheap so I replaced it but that didn't work...

I will check the other things perhaps this week as I have been pretty busy..having a 4X4 truck without the system working is rather a pain...

michigan ford guy

i feel your pan man mine only works in reverse so now that we have snow i ended up taking it to 4 dealers got same answer loose chain. they said any time you hear that ticking noise and its comming from the transfer case its a loose chain. then they gave me a quote of $1135 to fix it. junk yard one with a 90 return for $125 here i come.