88 f150 stuck in 4x4
Senior Member
Joined: Oct 2004
Posts: 386
Likes: 0
From: Nashville, TN
When you say won't come out of 4x4 what exactly do you mean? We really could use some more information but here is what I can tell you with what you told me.
I presume you are talking about the 88 f150 so here goes.
The 4wd system on the 88 is pretty simple. Everything is probably manual except for the hubs which will either be lock-in/lock-out (**** on the hub) or automatics that you back up to unlock. If all of the shifter linkage is working then chances are the tcase is dissengauging. To tell if that is the case the front drive shaft should turn free (if the hubs are unlocked). If the tcase is dissengauging then the next thing would be the hubs. If they are manual hubs with a **** then thats a pretty simple case. If they turn relatively easy then they are probably working. Automatic hubs on those trucks are a different story. When they get some miles on them they will often times quit working right for one or more of a variety of reasons. Usually its wheel bearing grease getting out into them and causing the spring to hang up and not letting it release. The spring can just get weak at which point it will kick the hubs in and out at random and eventually they will stay in. The best fix for that is to replace the crappy things with a set of warren or other manual hubs. The pretty stainless and brass warrens use to run about 100 bucks for the conversion but there are cheaper ones out there.
If the tcase is not dissengauging and the linkage and everything is working then you may have an internal problem with it and that is beyond my knowledge on the subject. If that proves to be the case post back and there is probably someone here who can help you with that or it may be a lot easier just to replace it.
Hope that will get you started.
I presume you are talking about the 88 f150 so here goes.
The 4wd system on the 88 is pretty simple. Everything is probably manual except for the hubs which will either be lock-in/lock-out (**** on the hub) or automatics that you back up to unlock. If all of the shifter linkage is working then chances are the tcase is dissengauging. To tell if that is the case the front drive shaft should turn free (if the hubs are unlocked). If the tcase is dissengauging then the next thing would be the hubs. If they are manual hubs with a **** then thats a pretty simple case. If they turn relatively easy then they are probably working. Automatic hubs on those trucks are a different story. When they get some miles on them they will often times quit working right for one or more of a variety of reasons. Usually its wheel bearing grease getting out into them and causing the spring to hang up and not letting it release. The spring can just get weak at which point it will kick the hubs in and out at random and eventually they will stay in. The best fix for that is to replace the crappy things with a set of warren or other manual hubs. The pretty stainless and brass warrens use to run about 100 bucks for the conversion but there are cheaper ones out there.
If the tcase is not dissengauging and the linkage and everything is working then you may have an internal problem with it and that is beyond my knowledge on the subject. If that proves to be the case post back and there is probably someone here who can help you with that or it may be a lot easier just to replace it.
Hope that will get you started.