Several months back, I noticed my 2003 6.0 diesel (I know, this is not an Excursion forum, but the parts interchange with the rest of the Super Duty family) wouldn't engage 4WD hi, or ;ow range 4 WD. I ran it by my local independent shop, and they diagnosed a bad shift actuator motor. I bought an OEM part and installed it my self. Still no 4WD or low range. Took it back, and they further diagnosed it as a GEM module failure. Ordered a GEM module from Ford, had it programmed, and everything worked fine upon initial operation. (cost of parts and labor at this time, about 900$) Several months later, I attempted to use 4WD, and nothing, no lights on the dash, etc. Ran it back to my friendly local, and they diagnosed the OEM (new) shift motor was shorted to ground. (Bear in mind, I had used this actuator less than 4-5 times to engage 4WD) I purchased a Dorman after market actuator, and all was well, lights on dash, hubs locked 4whl Hi and Low.drove it up and down a nearby dirt road, and while it seemed a bit difficult (hesitant) to engage as easily as I hoped, it did work to my satisfaction. Used it the following DAY to haul a trailer full of fire wood, and it refused to go into either 4 WD, or Low Range, no lights on dash, etc...I'm at my wit's end with this issue. Has anyone documented the parts to convert from an earlier floor shift 4WD, and locking in the hubs manually, what parts from what vehicle will interchange? Any advice on this failure (s) will be appreciated..!!

 

Sounds to me like you're being taken for a ride. I really hope you got your money back for the OEM part you bought. That thing has a 2-year warranty!

I just don't buy that all of these different things are failing and causing the same symptom. It just doesn't make any sense! Shift actuator failures aren't that uncommon, but GEM failures sure are. And I've never heard of two replacement shift motors failing so soon after replacement. So it seems to me like a couple of different things could be going on. Perhaps something is wonky in your transfer case and is causing the actuator motor to bind up and not work. Or you could have something funny with your electrical system causing intermittent operation.

Have you checked the oil level in your transfer case? You DON'T need to convert to manual operation to make this thing reliable. These things aren't perfect, but when properly repaired they should be nearly as dependable as the old-fashioned manual system. And much more convenient.

 

I got permission from Ford to return the first unit (OEM), as, as you stated, there is a 2 year warranty.I tried applying 12 V for a bench test to that unit, nothing/NADA....Dorman also has a return policy, but I want to figure out what is going on with these units. I would have no problem converting to a manual set up, as I can fix what's broken if I can see what isn't working. I would never pay extra for this option if I had a choice on a new vehicle.