I have a 2006 F-150 Lariat w/5000 miles on it. Went to use the 4 wheel drive last night (the first time they have been used) in a snow storm and no lights in the dash lit up to say it was on (4H and 4L). I have an auto tran w/ the dial on the dash that you turn to 2H - 4H - 4L . Best I can tell, the 4x4 is working. Anyone had this happen? The Ford place here is crap and it is at least 2 hours on a good summer day to another Ford dealer (I drove 3.5 hrs to get this truck from another dealer). Anyone know the cause or if it is something I can do myself to get the lights to work? Fuses are OK and the lights come on when the ignition is turned on.

 

Are you trying to go into 4 hi or 4lo? 4WD hi is just a switch turn. You should hear the relay click and feel the front end engage. 4 lo is a different story. You need to be stopped with your foot on the brake and the trans in park or neutral. Then you can switch into 4 lo.

 

When i put my 2006 in 4 hi it goes right in and light comes on in about 2sec when I put it in 4 low it takes about 5 sec to go into low and you must stay stopped until the light comes on . Hope this helps.

 

same with mine lights up in 4hi but takes a couply of seconds to go to 4lo and you have to be stoped with foot on the brake after i put it into neutral.

 

On mine the idiot light comes on a second or two after turning on the 4WD. To see if it's just a bad light, while in 2WD give it about 1/4 to 1/3 throttle while on snow/ice and you'll feel the rear end break loose and start to fishtail. Stop, then turn on the 4WD (4 Hi) then do the same thing with the same amount of throttle it took to spin the wheels before. You should get good traction, the truck will pull straight ahead, and the backend shouldn't fishtail.

If it's just the light, no biggie- just get it fixed next time you're near a dealer. If it still fishtails chances are the front end isn't engaging and you'll need repair.

 

I may be crazy but, when I read his post, I didn't get the impression that he didn't know how to change to 4Hi or 4Lo. He even stated that it appears to engage properly. But, no dash light indicating what gear his t-case is in. He even went on to state the lights do turn on when you cycle through the ignition.

Reading comprehension is taught in Elementry school guys.

Seems to me, your shift indicator is malfunctioning. Could be a loose connection. Could be not sending the signal. Best thing to do is to verify the t-case is engaging both 4Hi and 4Lo before taking it to the Stealership.

Good luck...

 

I to never passed elementry school

 

Even easier way to tell if it is working is trying to turn on dry pavement with 4X4 on. You will be able to tell the difference.

 

It appears that you did not pass it either since it was stated that the 4x4 lights come on when the ignition is turned on.

 

The last 3 vehicles I have owned have all been Fords with the shift on the go 4 wheel drive as I have now. I just posted a question to see if anyone else had a problem like this. I can't find anything loose and the 4x4 seems to work (?) - just no light to show that it is supposed to be working. Just hate dealerships. Thanks for the replies.

 

ROFLMAO... Yeah, most of us act as if we are still in Elementry school when on the internet.

 

Yeah, you aparantly didn't "READ" my original post either. S'all good homie. I'm sure there are plenty of kids in the playground for you to steal their lunch monies.

 

For the record, I'm not saying I know what your problem is. I'm trying to help you troubleshoot it without trying to educate you on how to shift into 4WD (which is what everyone else was doing).

Since your system seems to be engaging but, no indicator light (which we know, the light does actually work from the ignition), there must be a loose connection somewhere. The connection is most likely going to come from the t-case up into the cab. The only purpose for this connection would be to send a signal to your dash computer that the t-case is in a different gear. Could be a bad sensor as well. I don't know. But, the system is engaging and your light does illuminate during the ignition cycle.

Good luck...

 

I did have this happen to me, and went to the dealership for a replacement IWE (integrated wheel ends), and it was replaced using this TSB.

https://www.ford-trucks.com/tsb/full...hp?tsb=06-8-15

It was a 20min fix at the dealer.

 

What they don't teach in elementary school is experience. My 4WD on my 05 FX4 does not work and the light still comes on during ignition cycle. That facilitates the fact that just because the indicator light's work during the ignition cycle it does not validate that the 4WD is working and the light's are not indicating it. That being said, everyone who posted a thread about how to prove the 4WD drive was working (ie...explaining how to engage the 4WD) was just trying to help the man validate a light problem or the 4WD is in fact not engaging. Even though he stated that the 4WD seemed to be working, the best he can tell, the statement is not absolute. Oh, but they did teach spelling in elementary, not elementry school.