I used the 4 wheel drive for the first time today(04 fX4}When Itried to tun it off,It was stuck in 4kow. I was about 30 miles from home and about 60 miles from dealer. I left the truck in a friends garage, I dd not want to drive 30 miles on the highway in 4low. Anybody else ever have this happen?any help? Thanks

 

rudi66,

There was a similar problem expressed in this thread a little while back:
Stuck in 4X4 low mode

I don't know if you tried it already, but you may need to switch from 4L to 4H with the brakes engaged...after you've gotten into into 4H, then switch to 2H...

I hope you get 'er resolved easily.

Good luck,

 

That happened to me a couple weeks ago. After driving back and forth several times and turning the **** from 4 low to 2 high several times, I set the **** to 4 high and hit the gas moderately hard. The truck made a banging noise and dropped into 4 high, then I was able to shift to 2 high.

I talked to the dealer a couple days later, and after posting to this board regarding the problem, I came to a couple conclusions. #1 Don't touch the brake when shifting the truck out of 4 low. #2 Don't shift directly from 4 low to 2 high - instead, shift to 4 high, wait up to 15 seconds, then shift to 2 high.

Other than that, no problems with my truck in 3300 miles. Throttle lag is gone (engine revs when quickly jabbing the throttle), and the rear tires seem to be wearing faster than the front .

Good luck with the problem.

 

I am quoting from pages 165 & 166 of the 2004 F-150 manual.

"Shifting to/from 4L (4WD Low)

1. Bring the vehicle to a complete stop

2. Depress the brake

3. On vehicles equipped with an automatic transmission, place the transmission in N (Neutral); on vehicles equipped with a manual transmission, depress the clutch.

4. Move the 4WD control to the desired position.

If shifting into 4L (4WD Low), wait for the 4x4 LOW light in the
instrument cluster to turn on inidicating the shif is complete.

If shifting out of 4L (4WD Low), wait for the 4x4 LOW light in
the istrument cluster to turn off indicating the shift is complete.

Note: Some noise may be heard as the system shifts or engages;
this is normal."

I use 4L alot and mine will not go into or come out of 4L unless the brake is depressed. My truck will go to or from 4L within 2 seconds of depressing the brake.

I hope this gets you going rudi66.

 

Five words: Manual Shift On The Fly



-ii

 

ComputerGuy,

I still have the lagging throttle even after just having the PCM reflashed at the dealer. How did you get rid of yours? I had 1800 miles on the truck when I took it in. Thanks.

 

This may or may not help your situation, but I had a 2001 Ranger and sometimes it took longer than I wanted to shift out of 4L. I remember some old fart 4 wheeler guy telling me that sometimes you need to roll or rock your way out it. Meaning that you can put the truck on an incline facing up or down, put the truck in neutral holding the brake, shift from 4L to4H, then ease off the brakes a little so you roll down the incline VERY slowly, then 'Click' it pops from L to H.

That always worked for me. I haven't tried it in my F-150 yet though. Let me know if this helps anyone.

 

I couldn't get a supercrew with manual shift.

Grim

 

Far as I know, you're not supposed to shift 4H->4L or 4L->4H on the fly even if it is a manual shift system.

 

ComputerGuy


PERFECT ANSWER

 

You're technically not supposed to, but if you're going slow (<10 mph) it will probably cause less transfer case wear shifting while slowly rolling in neutral that shifting while stopped. It also helps prevent sticking of the transfer case.

Grim

 

Yep, I find about 7mph or less I can get into 4L, no brake, no waiting for electronics or relays. And the only way it gets stuck in 4L is if I forget how to use my arm.

And that is odd that they didn't offer MSOF with the Supercrew. I guess they were trying to eliminate another floorpan variation if most SCREWS would opt for ESOF.

-ii

 

thanks for all the advice! took a while but I finally got her fixed !thanks again.

 

I have found out REALLY fast...this is the place for GOOD advice.

 

I will try to keep it short to avoid taking the tread too far off topic.

My truck was built the week of 10/13 and was held up at the assembly plant for a month and a half, finally delivered just before the end of November - I am not sure how much that matters (maybe a good batch of engines). 5.4, XLT, regular cab, long box, 4x4, 3.73 limited slip, P255 tires.

I took it easy when accelerating for the first 450 miles. At about 450 miles I started accelerating hard from stops (that's went I found that the rear tires might wear out before the fronts). The truck still had noticeable throttle lag, seemingly hunting for gears - this behavior continued until the truck hit about 2200 miles. At that point the truck started shifting into second at 5000 rpm, rather than 4700 rpm. At 3300 miles I noticed that if I quickly jabbed the throttle, about 1/4 second after the jab the truck would rev. A couple days later the 1/4 second delay disappeared.

I tested jabbing the throttle a dozen times on the way home tonight - the truck immediately down shifts and quickly increases engine rpm - no more gear hunting or throttle lag.

The truck took a lot of abuse when the Michigan winter hit. My road doubles as a snowmobile track, so it is rarely plowed. My driveway is about 100 feet long, as was not plowed the entire winter. Needless to say, the truck had to work quite hard to get down the road and into/out of the driveway.

You might try running the truck hard for a couple hundred miles to see if the computer will relearn how and when to shift. Good luck with the throttle lag.