shift on the fly ?
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Senior User
Joined: Feb 2004
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From: Richmond NH
shift on the fly ?
hi there good people of FTE just found this place yesterday
question has anyone any experiance withe electronic shift on the fly 4x4.
reason for this question is i am in the process of buying a F350 psd r/c xlt with plow for $34,000 (is that a good price msrp 38,750) anyway it has shift on the fly and it worries me. i had a 99 ranger with it, and i had problms with it.
thank you all in advance great site
question has anyone any experiance withe electronic shift on the fly 4x4.reason for this question is i am in the process of buying a F350 psd r/c xlt with plow for $34,000 (is that a good price msrp 38,750) anyway it has shift on the fly and it worries me. i had a 99 ranger with it, and i had problms with it.
thank you all in advance great site
Posting Guru
Joined: Feb 2004
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From: Elverson, PA
My friend has an F350 S-duty with the dial 4x4 shift and he's had it back to the dealer a couple times for it not working when he really needed it. But I know others that haven't had any problems so.... I have the lever on the floor and that's what I'd reccomend but that's just my $.02!!
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Senior User
Joined: Feb 2004
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From: Richmond NH
thank you for your replies. like you said the esof is definatly a deal breacker i'm thinking. i had it in my 99 ranger and i almost did'nt get out of the woods with once. they where able to correct the problm over warranty no charge. to bad to cuase it was nice. this is going to be my first diesil, or real truck.
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I would not make it a deal breaker. I have it but would never get it again. I have had no problems to speak of though I did put in manual hubs. I would say it all depends on several things. How hard do you wheel. How often are you in a spot that if it failed would you be in deep doo-doo(technical term) and could you fix it if you needed to. I qualify for all of those so I have a little faith, but like all new car systems that require electrical and vacuum systems rather than pure mechanical force, it can break down.
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Senior User
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From: Richmond NH
cwb i hunt with hounds so somtimes i get into spots no sane man would take a $30,000 truck. so if it fails i could be in very big doo-doo. and about fixing it heck no thats why i own new. dont get me wrong i can fix some things. but when it comes to anything electrical i'm lost. heck i'm lucky i was able to figure out how to hook up this computer. still try to figure out my digital camera. back to origanal topic you said you put in manual hubs this one comes with them but that dont help if that little switch dont work it happened in my ranger. like you said never own another. i plan on having this truck a long time. no more comprimises.
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Senior User
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From: Richmond NH
uncertain again. it seems it is not the same as the ones on the ranger. it is operated by electric moter not computers. so if anyone else has advice it would be greatly appreciated.
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Joined: Jun 2003
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From: NE Texas
Originally posted by mountainhoundf350
uncertain again. it seems it is not the same as the ones on the ranger. it is operated by electric moter not computers. so if anyone else has advice it would be greatly appreciated.
uncertain again. it seems it is not the same as the ones on the ranger. it is operated by electric moter not computers. so if anyone else has advice it would be greatly appreciated.
My advice is to do a Search in the this (Super Duty) forum and get as much info as you can. Search word(s), "ESOF" and "Shift on the Fly"
FTE has nothing to hide - it spreads it out in order for you to make a decision.
BTW - Welcome to FTE!
Posting Guru
Joined: Oct 2003
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From: Baltimore
I have had four Ford trucks with ESOF and haven't had any trouble with any of them. My current truck is a 03 F250 and it has the automatic/manual hubs. At least the hubs can be manually locked in if they fail to engage in automatic mode. In the off season, I operate the 4X4 ever once in awhile just to keep things loose.
Posting Guru
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Well, I'll tell you. If I had it to do over and I was going to keep my truck for any substantial length of time, I believe I would get all manual and then swap that t-case for something like an NP-205 or other stronger twin stick case.
Mountain Pass
Joined: Jan 2004
Posts: 210
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From: Ixonia, WI
I agree with slc10844, I only have had a problem once with my left front hub where it wouldn't lock in with the vacume. Turns out I must have gotten some salt or something in there that screwed up the seal inside. It did work fine in manual lock in though. As for the TC motor, I am very pleased with it, It has never really given me any issues(96,000mi). I do lock it in about once a month year round to keep it loose also. I think I will buy it again on my next purchase. Like slc said, you can always lock'm in manually if needed.
Cargo Master
Joined: Oct 2003
Posts: 2,833
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From: Jefferson, Iowa
I have had only one problem, and it was a hub problem, would not disengage. Mud got in there and pluged it up. Cleaned the hubs, and they work great. I have never had a problem other than that. The hubs have that nice man hub thing too, if you hubs do not engage, you can still manually lock them, so you are not stuck somewhere. This is in my 2k (see sig) with 130K, and that hub was my only problem, but it was sitting overnight in a mud hole.
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Joined: Jul 2002
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From: Long Island USA
I have it, but only because I found the truck on the lot and the dealer wanted to get rid of it quick...
I noticed that it does not always engage when the truck is fully stopped. Once or twice, I've had a front hub make a loud clunk when starting up after putting it in 4x4 when stopped. I've also had the transfer case motor not engage totally when stopped, and have to go back and forth in reverse and drive to get it in (until the light on the dash goes on). But it always does engage, which is a good thing.
I think it's called "shift on the fly" for a reason - you have to be moving for it to totally engage. But then, I've had my NP205 in my '74 not go into 4x4 when stopped.
The hubs can be manually locked, and if you all will notice, there is a breather for the hub in the ****. There is a white rectangle of filter material in the middle of the ****. I keep them clean, haven't had a problem yet. After 3 years, only 14K miles, the ***** on the hubs still turn too...
For 4x4 low, you need to be in neutral before it'll even try to engage, and make sure you have your foot on the brake good, my V10 likes to take off in drive in low even with moderate brake pressure.
I noticed that it does not always engage when the truck is fully stopped. Once or twice, I've had a front hub make a loud clunk when starting up after putting it in 4x4 when stopped. I've also had the transfer case motor not engage totally when stopped, and have to go back and forth in reverse and drive to get it in (until the light on the dash goes on). But it always does engage, which is a good thing.
I think it's called "shift on the fly" for a reason - you have to be moving for it to totally engage. But then, I've had my NP205 in my '74 not go into 4x4 when stopped.
The hubs can be manually locked, and if you all will notice, there is a breather for the hub in the ****. There is a white rectangle of filter material in the middle of the ****. I keep them clean, haven't had a problem yet. After 3 years, only 14K miles, the ***** on the hubs still turn too...
For 4x4 low, you need to be in neutral before it'll even try to engage, and make sure you have your foot on the brake good, my V10 likes to take off in drive in low even with moderate brake pressure.