03 Ranger Edge 4.0 Just as the title says. 4 high works fine but when i put it in neutral to shift to 4 low it doesnt engage. I dont hear the relay under the dash click like i do when i select 4 high...no 4 low indicator on the dash either. any advise would be greatly appreciated.

 

transfer case issue, low range fork broken?

 

My best guess would be that there is either no voltage going to the relay or the switch is bad or a broken wire along the way. What i would to is get a volt meter and go and test the leads going in the relay and see if there is any voltage going to the realy. Or you could take a continutity tester(or an ohmmeter would work) to the switch and see if you have a bad switch.
Hope this helps.
Lane

 

I checked all the fuses and they are all good. There is 3 of them. The actuator motor does work. I can hear it engaging/disengaging 4 high. The wiring looks good connections are clean. No broken wires. going to test the switch itself tomorrow. Does anyone have a wiring diagram so i can test the individual wires with a meter?

 

well hope it is the switch that would be the easiest, but let me know how that goes for ya.

 

Trans in neutral, press brake pedal, actuate switch to 4L? That per the directions.

There is a 4WD Control Module that has Diagnostic Trouble Codes that can be downloaded with the proper reader, (Ford will have one), there's about 50 pages of troubleshooting steps in my 2001 Service Manual.

If it's not obvious I would go to Ford or an equally well equiped independent shop. For the diagnostic at least if not a full repair.

 

So heres where i sit after trying to figure this out. Last night i dissconnected the 4wd actuator motor harness cleaned the contacts which were fine. Still no 4 low. So i dissconnected the battery, both pos and neg let it sit for 15 mins the hooked the battery back up. Still wont go into 4 low. Let it sit overnight and first thing this morning i go to go get a new motor and the right front wheel feels locked upt truck wont move foward but goes in reverse. Got a ride to get a new motor. Pulled the old motor out checked the to make sure the tranfer case was in 2wd which it was and installed the new motor. Started truck and it still felt like the right front was locked up. Put the truck on jack stands so all 4 tires are off the ground, with the truck off spin both front tires by hand and they both spin free thinking its a bad hub. Started the truck put in drive and the rear wheels start spining. Put it in 4wd high and the front wheels turn. Still now 4 low. Ok so i figure that the transfer case in in the right position and not stuck between positons. Lower the truck to the ground and it still feels like the right front is locked up.

Really frustrated because now i have a dead horse any help would be greatly appreciated

 

do not know enough about post 97 hubs......I would check that the auto hub was actually disengaging though

 

Ok still have the 4 low problem but I figured out why it wouldnt move. I have to be the biggest *******. My probelm for the truck not wanting to go was the e-brake was froze( i used it yesteday when i put it up on ramps(duhhhhhhhhh) so thats an easy fiagain). Still looking for answers for the 4 low though.

 

Out of curiosity, why is the 4 low a pressing issue? Mine hasn't worked since the truck was given to me 3yrs ago. I see no need for it in snow. To me all the low gear is going to do is give me a longer walk out from wherever I'm stuck.

 

Some one else posted it but I didn't see an answer, you are at a complete stop, brake on and in neutral when you try to shift into low range? Friend of mine had the same problem and thats all that was wrong.

I use low range in the rough spots off road so I can just creep along, easier on me and the truck.

 

Yes i am at a complete stop, brakes pressed, In Neutral, then switch to 4 low.

As for using low range it is much better for crawling around off road and in the mud. Alot less strain on the drivetrain. Gears are your friend...use them thats why they are there!

 

The big issue is if 4 lo is broken will that affect the rest of the transfer case leading to no 4 wheel drive? HHmmm?

 

I realize that this is an old topic and some resolutions were made but I have one of my own (not sure if anyone else covered it because I never read the entire thread). Check/replace your Neutral Safety Switch. In the case of mine, it was a replacement improperly installed. But if the 4x4 module isn't receiving that the vehicle is in neutral when it is, it will not go into 4 low. When changing mine out, I noticed that the switch was likely reading Reverse when it was in fact in Neutral. But if the switch is going bad, same results, no 4 low. And when installing the Neutral Safety Switch, do not do it in Park like I see sites saying. Put it on ramps or jack it up and put jack stands under it, set the parking brake, chock the rear wheels, put it in neutral. You will notice that the Neutral Safety Switch is marked for neutral. Remove the nut that holds the shift linkage in place. If it shifts to drive while loosening the nut, manually shift it back to neutral. Once you get the switch on, make sure the neutral marks line up, then reinstall the linkage.

 

Link to the 2~4WDTransfer EletricalDiagram; believe this diagram is valid for
model years 2001~2005 Explorer+MazdaB+Ranger+SportTrac with a 1354 Series 2~4WDTransferCase;
earlier+later model years use a different ConModule & ShiftMotor.
https://www.ranger-forums.com/attach...s-2001-4wd.pdf

Click here for more info on this 1354 Series 2~4WDTransferCase.