hello everyone im new to this site and new to working on trucks but i want to learn. i have a 1992 f150 with a 5.0.
im having an issue with my 4wd. i lock the hubs and when i go in the truck and pull the shifter back from 2wd to 4wd its not going into 4wd and the 4wd light isnt coming up on the dash. any suggestions would be great. like i said im new to all of this but i want to learn about all this stuff and start doing some work to my truck. Thank you

 

What do you mean by not going into 4 wheel... the shifter won't move? Or it does move but the transfer case don't engage?

If the shifter won't move/won't stay where you put it, the linkage under the truck is probably stuck. They get locked up from lack of use sometimes.

If you can verify that the linkage is actually moving the shift lever on the transfer case thru it's full range (2H, 4H, N, 4L) then we'll go from there.

 

Will the shift lever go all the way back into the 4low position? If not take the 4d linkage under the truck apart and lube everything so that it does move smoothly through it's full range of movement. Do not force the lever or you'll break the linkage.
Test the hubs by jacking each of the front tires off the ground one at a time, lock the hub and spin the tire, the corresponding axle shaft should lock in and begin spinning, if it doesn't that hub is broken or seized so you'll have to disassemble it and find the problem.

 

Did this just start, or has it never worked?
Is the linkage between the shifter and transfer case connected?

 

The shifter will go back into 4wd high but not low. So I should take the linkage apart and lube it up and than go from there? Does the 4wd light on the dash not lighting up mean anything?

 

Did you push down on the shifter when trying to go into N and then 4L? The shifter has a gate on it that prevents accidental shifts into N/4L. Also have to push it down to go back the other way. You can only go between 2H/4H without pushing down.
If it's stuck, I think there's a thread around here where someone took theirs apart and showed where it likes to seize up at. If mine was stuck I'd spray the whole thing down with PB Blaster and apply the hot wrench (torch) to it. I think the rubber boots are hard to come by, but maybe yours are still in decent shape? I don't even have the boot on mine... just lube it up when I do the rest of the chassis and make sure to use it a few times a month.

As for the light, the way it should work is when you're in 4H, you'll see the "4X4" light come on. When you go thru 4H into N, it will go out again. And once you take the shifter all the way back into 4L, the "4X4" and "Low Range" lights will both come on.

Also, since you're new to this here's a few tips to ease your learning:

-The truck WILL roll away if you leave the transfer case (the 4 wheel drive gearbox) in neutral, even if the transmission is in park (or manual transmission is left in gear). I make it a habit to always use the parking brake no matter what I'm driving. The park brake is the only thing that will hold the truck back if the t-case is in neutral.

-If the truck won't go into 4L, try moving it forward or back a bit. Only do 1-2 MPH and just put slight pressure on the shifter, it'll drop right in once everything lines up. Don't ever force the shifter or you'll break things.

-if you have an automatic transmission and you leave the transfer case in neutral for any amount of time with the engine running, you'll have to shut the engine off before you can shift out of neutral without grinding gears. Now I don't mean you can't shift from 4H to 4L w/engine running (if you do it quick), just that if you stop in N, you'll have to shut the engine down.

 

Yea I know about pushing the shifter... Thank you ill give this a shot

 

I have a 92 ford F150 It has 265,000 miles on it and I have never had no problems with the 4x4 working. I'v always heard have it in neutral before putting it in 4x4. But mine is a 5 sp manual. Actually do not know what to do with the truck.

 

You can shift from 2wd to 4wd with the truck moving, but not while the rear wheels are spinning faster than the front. Do you have auto or manual hubs?

 

Today must be revive old posts????

 

Lol, I think it's cause we tell the newbies to search before posting... so they search, find an old thread, and post to it due to either not checking the date first or not wanting to start another thread after being told to search first!

harrisonpromo, you're post makes no sense. You say you ain't ever had a problem with the 4x4 working, you've heard to always have it in neutral, and you don't know what to do with the truck.

Well, if you ain't ever had a problem, and you're obviously not answering the OP, what are you posting for? Is it giving you trouble now? Is so, start a new thread and tell us exactly what's going on. Don't forget to tell us electric or manual 4x4, and auto or manual hubs.

Generally if everything is working right, if you let the truck roll at a walking pace with the transmission in neutral, you can shift to any range as long as you don't pause in the transfer case neutral position (manual t-case only).

 

I am sorry i am new to this . I just bought a 2000 F150 And the 4x4 shifter on the floor seems to be frozen. The 92 ford F150 i never had a problem with i posted that cause someone posted they had a problem with their 92 4x4. I will be more alert with my posts. Sorry .

 

Alright, well for your 2000 F-150 try <a href=https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/forum25/>this</a href> forum instead.

The one you're in now is for older trucks.