So I bought this 05 FX4 ext cab about a month ago. It has 245k on original motor and tranny. Also, 6" lift kit with 35's(now), but I'm pretty sure it's got a bunch of miles rolling 37" mud grapplers. No doubt it's been rode hard and put up wet. I like buying the trucks like that which no one else wants. Get em cheap, fix a few things and flip em. Anyway, I've changed all front end parts from control arms, wheel bearings, ***** joints, tie rod ends, even installed new caster camber bolts, all the way to swapping the front diff. Up until this morning I still had a couple of pretty good issues with noises. I bought it with one noise. When rolling at 5 mph or above and turn somewhat sharp to the right, it would make a sound as if a brake pad is dragging. No biggie right now. It also has had a little slack when shifting between R and D and vise versa. Well about a week ago, it started making a noise in what sounded like the front. (Head stuck the window looking straight down at the road, noise was in right ear) it only made this noise at higher rpm when rolling slow but as speed increased it would take less throttle to make the noise. At 60 mph or above the noise would only stop when throttle was not pushed. So this morning I leave for work and about 3 miles from home, "bam! Klank!" Lost all pull. At first I was thinking rear ended but it. But nope. Nothing to the drive shaft. As I shift into various gears, you can actually feel it working (shifting into the gear selected) when holding a hand on transfer case. But it no pull at all. In fact it doesn't even have a parking gear. Any chance this is just the transfer case or is it going to be the whole tranny, or what? FYI, I did try driving in 4X4 as well. The light would come on but still no pull. Can anyone help me out here? I've lost gears and or had skipping before, but never had an issue like this.

 

Since park doesn't work the problem is in the transfer case, not the transmission.

 

Yup.

D

 

Big tires are tough on transmissions/transfer cases if you don't change the gearing too.

 

Thanks guys. I'm thinking the chain in the transfer case broke. That would explain the slack I've been thinking was in the rear end too.

 

I drained the fluid from the transfer case. Fluid looked fine. No metal. Good color. I could see the chain still on the sprocket at the point of the drain hole. Stuck a screw driver in to see if it would turn. It did turn about a half a chain link then fouled out. So, the chain appeared to be fine. Any other ideas?

 

Output shaft from tranny possibly?

 

Possible, but I've never seen it. That's a hell of a durable shaft.

D

 

It's been slow going trying to diagnose my problem due to weather and hunting season. I did remove the transfer case and it doesn't appear to be the problem. The output shaft from the tranny also did its job properly. The truck does have electric 4wd. With the push button 4wd, does the transfer case still have the neutral gear like a manual shift transfer case? Also, what are chances this is a torque converter issue?

 

Lets again go back to if park isn't working then it isn't the transmission. Specifically if the output shaft is fine. Absolutely, positively if the output shaft can't be turned in park, but can be in any other gear.

Torque converter has exactly 0% to do with park.

It's losing it's connection in the transfer case.

D

 

Thought so. I'm just trying to keep from taking it to a tranny shop and siending a fortune on a rebuild if it's a broken part I can change myself. Which leads me to my next question.... Where would the pump be lol cater in the transmission? And isn't it possible that if the pump bites it, nothing will work like it should?

 

SO do you have park?

S

 

After towing the truck up the road to a friends farm the morning it laid down, the truck seemed to roll further than it should have. I felt it rollingand immediately applied the e-break. However, with the transfer case off and the truck in park (not running), I could not turn the output shaft. That leaves ME to believe one of two assumptions. 1) I was hasty in diagnosing that the parking gear wasn't functional or 2) the issue is within the transfer case in an area besides the input and output shafts. Assumption 2 is what lead to me questioning whether or not an electric shift transfer case still has a neutral gear hidden somewhere