I flew to Dallas, TX to pick up a 2003 F250 7.3. 115k miles, Lariat with electronic shift on the fly.

I ran into snow while going through Colorado today and discovered the 4x4 is not working. Made it through, currently in Idaho but I will be encountering a LOT of snow in Oregon.

When i flip the switch to 4 high I think I can hear the hubs lock but the tcase is not shifting into 4x4. No 4wd light on the dash. Same thing is happening with 4 low.

I checked fuse 27 under the dash, looked good. I will be in Boise in about 3 hours and staying the night there.

I really need the 4x4 working tomorrow. What should I look for? Any simple fixes?

It was a Texas truck all its life so I doubt the 4x4 system was ever used much.

 

have you tried to spin both front axle shafts to confirm your auto locking hubs engaged.if ok there,then your options on the road will be at the mercy of your tools you have access to. somebody with more experience will probaly be along soon,you might be able to pull shift moter and access & shift transfer case manually. other wise bump to the top.

 

Along with the above info....check for power at the shift motor. If there is power at that plug, you may have a bad shift motor. No power could be a bad module.

 

There is TWO power blocks/fuse boxes under the hood,on the side of one there will be a box that supposed to have two relays..make sure they're in there. Im not sure which one is for the 4x4,but one of them is..

 

I have zero tools with me. I flew to TX with a carry on bag only.

The truck was supposed to be GTG, it was inspected by another ford dealership and I was told 4x4 worked fine. They probably didnt even test it

Assuming it is the shift motor, how much would I expect to pay to have it replaced at a dealership tomorrow AM?

I will confirm the hubs are locking when we get to the hotel tonight.

 

might want to pick up some chains, the closer you get to Oregon the harder they will be to find with the weather coming in.

I would suggest Boise to Ontarto to Burns to Bend then over santiam or Hood before I84W. The gorge gets nasty with this kind of weather and cabbage hill is a killer. If you take 84 you have the possibility of 250+ miles of greasy road, if you head through Bend you have a guaranteed 10 or 15 miles of packed snow but it is very well maintained.

whatever you do BE CAREFUL and get home safe!!

congrats on the new truck

 

I've always had good luck in Idaho for repairs. Reasonalbe and good quality.They should be able to tell you right away whats up. Lock the hubs in by hand and if that don't work take it in. If you tell them your on a trip they generally get right to it. Good luck,

Chet

 

Did you check for the relays under the hood..
There's two square relays beside each other..one is for trailer power the other is for the 4x4..at least on a '99..

 

Relays and fuses are all in cab on an 03.

 

I think I read in another thread to put the connector off the t case miter and inspect it. If it looks good plug it back in there is a chance it will "reset"it

 

I see the shift motors for $135-$200. I'd put a few hundred pounds of something in the bed and go home with it before fixing. Weather doesn't look too bad except around Nampa.

 

Are you seeing the 4x4 light at key on? Might want to find and unplug, clean out and replug the connector at the transfer case. If the relays and fuses are in the cab, are there plugs there that might have come loose? Not really a lot to check on the fly with no tools or time.

 

The 4wd light does *not* come on with key on. What would this mean?

I checked the hubs, they are locking fine both manually and with the switch on the dash. Still no 4wd though.

I found the relays under the hood, they are both there.

 

I show that fuse 111 - 30A, controls the 4WD/shift on the fly.

Fuse 19 - 10A, body security module/4X4 module.

 

I'm sure you're familiar with putting it in 4X4, but I don't know how much practice you've had at getting a stubborn 4X4 working on-the-fly. Even if you know this, it's still good for the readers to see.

First, the inspection of the connector to the transfer case motor is an excellent suggestion. You might find oil in there and a good electrical contact cleaner blast will help this. I have found a loose transmission connector once, this prevented me from starting the truck at all.

Once that's done, put it in 4X4 and try shifting in and out of gear with the truck rolling. Stop and bounce in and out of park and try rolling again.

The fact that the light doesn't work may indicate an electrical problem. I've seen the wiring diagram and power to the ESOF is all over the place. A bad fuse could be anywhere, or a relay may have bad contacts. You can try swapping identical relays around... but this could cause you to lose something else more (or less) important. I'll be reading for more specific input. Hopefully, before you need to roll.