My '98 Ford Exp (5.4L) won't go forward, only in reverse. Just happened at the end of today while parking my trailer. Note: 1) I had just switched to 4wd in a gravel, slope area and (2) when I went back out later to fiddle with this problem, I can only go slow forward at very high rpm (should be spinning tires at this rpm). Very bummed and looking for some answers. I appreciate any help!!!

 

If the fluid level is okay, then I'd say it's tranny shop time.

 

Fluid is great. The problem occured just after switching to 4wd, so I was wondering if it could be an electrical short somewhere, like now its "stuck" in nuetral, not recognizing forward drive options. The dash shows AWD and 4WD options when I select them, but no forward motion. Is there a manual way to at least get it back to 2wd (with actual forward motion)???

 

The tranny determines forward and reverse, while the transfer case determines the 2H, 4H, and 4L options. Since you can get it to move in reverse, then the transfer case is transferring power from the tranny to the wheels; the transfer case is not the issue, the tranny is. However, if you insist on trying, the only way to manually shift to 2H is to remove the shift motor from the back of the transfer case and move the mechanism by hand.

 

Many thanks alloro. I have a reputable shade tree mechanic coming out Wed morn...I'm sure he'll think come to your same tranny conclusion.

(The shift motor went out almost 2-years ago and wasn't cheap to replace. If the shift motor isn't functional, wondering if it could also render the car's forward gears useless?)