99 Expy shift motor socket does not line up with transfer case shaft
 

I have been having the 4x4 blinking light issue and the transmission getting suck in 4WD. After some research in this and other forums forums, I decided to replace the shift motor.

I had no problem removing the old one and taking the wires from the old harness that will be moved to the new one; so far, so good.
When I went to install the shift motor it just would not go in; it seem that the transfer case shaft and the receiving socket on the shift motor are not lined up. I tried rotating them manually with no luck, I can put the old part back and it goes in perfectly.

The installation instructions say to:

- Note the position of transfer case shaft
- Connect motor to vehicle harness. Operate motor so drive socket matches transfer case drive shaft position

I looked at the installation instructions with the Auto-zone techs. and they could not figure out what this meant either. They suggested turning on the ignition and cycling through AWD, 4H and 4L and check if the shaft moves. I am not sure which one needs to rotate, the shaft on the transfer case or the socket on the shift motor. How exactly do you "operate motor"?

I don't want to do anything that would damage the shift motor and/or transfer case or prevent me form installing back the original part (last resource).


Any one knows how to line up the transfer case shaft and the shift motor socket?

Expy is stuck on ramps in garage. Any help you can provide will be greatly appreciated.

Just do what the instruction say to do. Connect the motor wiring harness, turn the ignition key on, and turn the 4WD selector switch on the dash until the motor shaft turns to the same position as the shift motor you took off.

Getting ready to do this so I am interested in this thread, I think what alloro is saying is that the transfer case may not be in the same mode as the shift motor from autozone (AWD, 4WH, or 4WL). So compare the position of the motor shaft on the old and new shift motor and turn the selector switch on the dash until the new motor shaft matches the position of the old motor shaft.

So VTG, how long has it taken you to do this and how much was the motor? I have a 99 that had the flashing 4x4 lights and have trouble getting the truck to shift in and out of 4H. 4L does not seem to work at all. I was going to do a little more troubleshooting, before replacing the motor but I have limited time for that kind of stuff. Did you do any other diagnostics before replacing the motor?

I placed the front end on ramps and that helped quit a bit as it gave me a lot more elbow room. The procedure is actually pretty simple; once you figure out how to pull the pins out is downhill from there; make sure you make good notes of the position of the pins. I understand some people take one pin and immediately insert it in the other connector. All you really need is 10 mm socket and extension an whatever tool you want to use to extract the pins.
There is a video on YouTube that show the entire procedure:
How To Install Replace 4WD 4x4 Shift Motor Ford Expedition Lincoln Navigator 97-01 1AAuto.com - YouTube
It is a lot tighter under there than the video shows (i wonder if they removed the cross member) but not too bad. If I had to do it again, I bet it would take me less than 30 minute (always much faster the second time around). If you have access to lift (I would love to have one in my garage), it would take even less time. I Wasted a lot of time over thinking the procedure; you should be able to do it in one hour the first time around.
There were no diagnostic errors when scanned at Autozone, but I understand this is normal for the type of scanner they have. Part was around $69 plus a core change. The symptoms I had were very similar to what you describe and I have seen several threads on the subject and most end up recommending replacing the shift motor.
I will try to get under the car later today and finish the installation and I will report back the results.

Was it this one? Shows $99 for me...

Dorman/Transfer Case Motor (600-802) | AutoZone.com

This is the one I got:
Cardone Reman/Wiper Motor Pulse Board Module (48-207) | AutoZone.com

This is interesting. I posted this question on the Cardone Facebook page:
"Installing a shift motor on a 99 Expedition. The transfer case shaft and shift motor socket do not line up. Instructions on how to address this issue are such that even the techs at AutoZone could not figure out how to proceed. Any chance of getting detailed instructions on how to line up the transfer case shaft and shift motor socket?"

and this the answer I got:
"Cardone Industries
Javier, We park all of our shift motors in 2WD (that’s the most common position for them to fail) – in our instruction sheet we do mention that installers SHOULD NOT Plug in the motor and try to shift – this will throw an error code – and possibly internally damage the shift motor. We do recommend turning the transfer case shaft to the 2WD position manually – I think on the Fords is quite easy as the 2WD & 4WD positions are engraved into the transfer case.

If the truck is on a lift – just put the transmission in neutral, and it should be easily turned by hand, or carefully with a pair of pliers (if you work the drive shaft or prop shaft he should be able to turn it with his fingers). Hope this helps!"

I also sent a request to Cardone's tech support and this is the e-mail I got back from them:

"In order to change out this unit the vehicle needs to be in 2WD HIGH the gear setting on the motor is set in 2WD HIGH . do not connect the unit to the electrical connector as this will set a code on the vehicle . if the gear does not line up then either the unit is built wrong or the truck does not go into 2wd high."

And my reply to them:
The ‘99 Expedition, 5,4 L Eddie Bauer is AWD and does NOT have a 2WD HIGH (whatever that is).The only modes are AWD, 4H and 4L.Do I need to place the car in one of these settings?
I have already removed the sensor pins from the connector on the original shift motor. If I re-attach the original shift motor without the sensor pins and the turn the ignition and the shift mode to the required mode (AWD, 4H, 4L) would that set the shaft in the shaft to the correct position?
Is there a tech. support phone number where I can call and talk to a live technician? Or/ you can call me at any of the number below.

As you can tell, I am still not sure how to proceed. I can't seem to find a phone number for Cardone's tech support to talk to a real person. Hopefully this thread will help you.

One problem with your response to them...it is not AWD, it is A4WD. It essentially acts like a 2WD until it detects wheel spin and then engages 4Hi until the spin is no longer detected and then goes back to 2WD. I'm not sure how that plays into the shift motor position, but it may confuse them when they try to answer you.

Dude, whatever you do don't put the car in Neutral when it is on the ramps without applying the emergency brake and chocking the tires. Actually, you may want to move it to jack stands if you have any. I would hate to see you get rolled over. :)

Secondly, once you have the car safely in neutral, the first quote's advice (shifting the transfer case to A4wd) seems the easiest assuming that it can be turned by hand as the tech mentions.

The only 3 setting on the switch are AWD, 4H, 4L. Right now it is on AWD. You would think that techs that support the equipment would know that.
I talked to friend of mine that is a mechanic and he was not sure which is the best way to proceed.
What we came up with is:
Reconnect the original shift motor with only the motor pins connected (skip the sensor pins)
Choke wheels, apply hand brake, turn ignition, shift to neutral, press brake pedal and switch to 4L.
Shift back to Park, turn off ignition remove shift motor and check if position has changed. If correct, install new motor; if not repeat procedure shifting to 4H.
Hopefully this will take care of it.

I am not sure it can be turned by hand. it sticks out about 1/2" and it is app. 3/8" thick.

Thanks. I am normally pretty conscious about safety, but a reminder never hurts.

You do have three settings, but one of them is not AWD. Better double check what your dial says. You expect the techs that support the equipment to know that but you have this vehicle sitting in your driveway and you dont?

I think if you have the car in neutral, the 4WD shifter shaft on the transfer case (not the one on the autozone motor) is supposed to turn by hand.

I double checked the dial and the three settings are AWD, 4H and 4L.
I got a response e-mail from Cardone and they suggest placing it in 4H...go figure...