Overdrive oer ride switch in the shifter is inop on my 1999 Ranger XLT 4.0 with 4 speed auto. Was working on the way into town and on the way home it wasn't. It is still inop 4 days later. Is there an easy fix or should I just wire in a switch and mount it on the dash?

 

Some folks have had good luck popping the cover off the end of the switch & cleaning it's contacts with a plastic safe electrical contact cleaner & a foam tiped swab, if the contacts look ok, but are dirty, or corroded.

Some folks use WD-40 & a swab to clean the contacts.

Some folks just replace the switch.

Try a search, you'll likely find several hits from a couple, three years ago on the subject.

 

I had that problem in my 2004 and it wasn't the switch, it was a broken wire. The wire runs thru the shifter and had a bend that was too sharp on the exit side. It broke after being bent too many times.

 

I would suspect the broken wire over the switch having a problem because it never gavr any problem (I tow a lot and use the switch fairly regularly) until it just quit.

 

Well, it's fixed and we were all wrong. My youngest daughter mentioned that the backup lights were also not working after she used the truck Saturday night. I quickly put 2 +2 together and looked up the backup light fuse and checked it. I was blown. Replaced it and not only did it fix the backup lights but the overdrive cutout is fixed.

 

Good find, fix & feedback.

Something dosn't sound right here though, so lets think about this one some more.

If the Brake light fuse is blown, or one of the Brake Lights are burned out, the cruise control won't set, as the cruise control deactivation switch uses that circuit, but this is the First time I've heard of the Back Up lights having any affect on the Cruise Control operation!!!!????

Do you by chance have an aftermarket trailer wiring harness, or trailer electric brake activator plugged into the Rangers trailer wiring harness, or otherwise electrically pigtailed in????

If you don't have a trailer connector, ect, hooked up, you should consider trying to find out Why the fuse blew!!!!

Was it a burned out lamp filament, or was it because of a wiring insulation problem, like a short to ground????

By chance, has your Ranger had the Cruise Control deactivation switch replaced & or the recall wiring harness installation done????

If the deactivation switch has been replaced, the insulator color at it's spade lug electrical connector will be black, if it's the problem switch, it'll be a rust red color.

 

BACKUP lights, not brake lights. And yes the cruise control recall was done years ago. The cruise control worked fine thru all this. The fuse that blew is marked;

A4LDE Overdrive
Backup Lamps
DRL System (whatever the hell that is)

 

Good grief, I must have had my head cross threaded!!!!
When I just re-read your initial post, I realised for some reason I had gotten the OD switch & cruise control switch confused in my feeble mind somehow. Gettin old is a bummer sometimes!!!! lol

 

Tell me about it.