I have a 2002 Ford F150 Supercrew. The 4 high & 4 low on the instrument panel comes on but the 4 wheel drive doesn't seem to be working. 1st clue, got stuck in about 5" of sand that should normally not been a problem. Where should we start looking for the problem?

 

i don't know, sand is really tricky and gets everybody, especialy sugar sand, even in 4x4 low i have gotten stuck in 5" maybe 6" or 7" but still it is very tricky to get through, i try to avoid it until i get my wider tires and e lockers

sand is my biggest problem

 

Welcome
I would say your first place to look would be electrical. The 4x4 shift on the fly is probably controlled by a solenoid. (I'm assuming you mean the transfer case is not engaging the front axle) and that the solenoid is not working. Your best bet would be to get a service manual and check fuses, etc., to make sure the shift solenoid is working. Also, you might check under your rig and see if there are any electrical connectors @ the transfer case that have come disconnected or are loose. Might just be something simple.
Good luck and hope this helps.
Mike

 

First thing, verify that 4wd is not engaging. Even 4x4's get stuck. Do you get one front wheel and one (maybe two w/ LSD) rear spinning? On dry pavement in 4wd, can you feel the transfer case bind when turning tightly?

If you do verify 4x4 does not work, check the solenoid than engages it, specifically the ground wiring before replacing it.

 

First, we need to narrow down the problem. Jack the front end up and secure it on stands, start the engine, let it idle. In 2wd you should be able to spin the front driveshaft. Lock it in 4wd and the driveshaft should not turn. If that's the case, it's not a transfer case issue.

Next, give one front wheel a spin. If the other wheel doesn't spin, it's a problem with the center-axle disconnect not engaging. The most common problem is that the disengage solenoid sticks, and when the engage solenoid comes on, you have vacuum on both the engage and disengage side. Unplug the vacuum line from the disconnect solenoid and check for vacuum on it. If there is, that's the problem. You should never have vacuum on both the engage and disengage solenoids at the same time. Once the disengage side is unplugged, give the wheels a spin again and you should find that they are engaged.

I hate the setup all together. It doesn't take much to troubleshoot it, just a little knowledge of how the system works.

-Joe

 

I am having an issue with my 4wd engaging on my 2004 F150 FX4. The Hi4 & Low4 indicator is working just fine. I have done the t-case test and the shaft spins freely in Hi2 and won't spin in Hi4 & Low4. So it seems that my t-case is working just fine. I havn't gotten a chance to lift the front tires off the ground and spend one and see what the other one does yet I hope to do that later this week or this weekend. My question is should I have the switch on for Hi4 when I test the front wheels or should the truck be in Hi2? Now from reading I see that the opposite wheel should spin opposite of the one I am spending is the anything else I should be looking for.

Now lets say I lift the front end up and the opposite wheel does nothing what is my next step or steps, and what are my next steps if the wheel spins opposite?

Thanks

4X4-4-LIFE

 

Depends... is it a 'new' '04 or a Heritage?

-Joe

 

Joe it is the new style 04 5.4L

 

For a new '04, that test doesn't work. You need the front wheels off the ground to test the driveshaft in the first place.

Now, with the wheels in the air, engage the 4wd. If you can still turn the front driveshaft, the t-case is not locking up.

If you cannot turn the front shaft, spin one wheel. If the other wheel spins the opposite direction, then everything is engaged as it should be.

-Joe

 

Just a recap I have a 2004 F150 FX4 Supercrew (new style). A few weeks ago notice my 4wd was no longer working cuz I got stuck trying to move my boat in my very wet back yard and when I switch into the HI4 and the truck still didn't move. After I got it pulled out I tried to engage the 4wd again and still nothing.

The dash indicator is still working the light come on when ever switch into HI or LOW 4 but no pull from the front wheels.

Today I was able to lift the front wheel off the ground and perform the test that GIJoeCam told me about and here is what I found out.


Test 1

Truck in park with front wheels of the ground and switch in HI 2 front shaft spins freely and I noticed cv shafts turned as I turned the front shaft. They would turn in together in same direction changing rotation direction when I rotated the front shaft in a different direction.

Test 2

Truck in park with front wheels of the ground and switch in HI 4 front shaft would not turn in either direction.

Test 3

Truck in park with front wheels of the ground and switch in HI 4.

Spun front left tire in both directions got no movement out of front right tire, and no movement of left cv shaft

Spun front right tire in both directions got no movement out of front left tire, and no movement of right cv shaft


What are yall thought and suggestion on what is wrong and what I should check next

Thanks

4X4 4 LIFE

 

Just to confirm, the truck was idling for all these, correct?

What's happening is that the transfer case is working just fine, but the IWEs are failing to engage. The Integrated Wheel Ends are supposed to default to the locked position with no vacuum on them, and when you turn the key on, the system is supposed to activate the IWE solenoid and apply vacuum to unlock them in 2wd.

What I suspect is happening is that the IWE solenoid is sticking and not closing for some reason, so it never cuts the power to the IWEs and, therefore, they never lock in. So, there's a couple things we can try.

First, with the front end back in the air, idling in park, remove the vacuum line from the IWE solenoid (mounted to the firewall behind the outside corner of the battery). With the vacuum line disconnected, the IWEs should lock in. When you shift to 4high, the vacuum on the output port should cease at the solenoid. If the vacuum continues, and the IWEs lock in with the vacuum line off like they should, you've got a bad IWE solenoid. Sometimes a couple of taps will break it free, but if it's stuck, odds are it's frozen.

The other possibility is that the PCM is not properly grounding the solenoid. To check that, you'll need to check for continuity to ground through the harness. If you unplug the IWE, the connector will have one hot pin and one pin that goes to ground when you shift to 4high. You'll want to verify that the PCM is grounding the solenoid properly before you spend the money on a new one.

Make sense?

 

Yes I did have the truck idling during the entire test.

I understand what you are telling me to try next. Thanks so much for your quick response.

At the moment I am unable to lift the front end back off the ground. It seams what you are telling to test next could be done with wheels on the ground, but I could be wrong.

Can I test the IWE solenoid and PCM with the wheel on the ground?

 

You can test the PCM and the solenoid with the wheels on the ground, but to test the IWEs, you'd need to give it the 'right foot test' (i.e. find some snow or gravel, lock in 4high, and plant your right foot), but if it doesn't engage, you won't know which side to look at the IWE.

 

Ok i was looking under the hood today at the IWE solenoid and i noticed there where two hoses on it one on top the other. which one do i need to disconnect or do i disconnect both of them?


Joe could expalin a little more what is supposed to happen with each hose so i can make sure i am testing it correctly

thanks

 

ok with the truck in the air turn on the 4wd hi or low it doesnt matter if you see the front drive shaft spinning with it in drive then its not the transfercase motor. next look on the side of the front differential at the vaccume look to see if when your in 4wd its pulled in all the way and when your in 2wd the vaccume pushes the rod out, if this works then move to the next step which is not fun but most likely its your shift fork assembly in side the side of the differential, could have worn off the alluminum ears on the fork? causing the front wheels not to catch and get power to the front