Ok. Thanks guys.

Hi guys im new on this forum and I have question I just bought a f150 2000 ext cab lariat 5.4l with 200000 milles on it the engine is awesome but I have issue with the 4x4 sometime it work fine but sometime not I checked all the fuse possible 6,8,15,23 wich are 4x4 related I took out the transfer case 4x4 motor inspect it grease it,lubricate it and put it back on I inspect the 2 solenoid behind the batterie seem fine to me but now im worried about the transfer case motor RELAY wich is behind the radio could it be it?cauze yes I hear a click when it does work but when it doesn't I don't hear nothing...just to put you a little more in context 2 days ago we had a snowstorm and I needed the 4x4 so I tried put it on nothing worked so went for a drive a for no reason it came on the switch was on 4x4 too and also it went off while driving with the switch on...my other concern is the abs light on could it do something with it?I use to have a 2005 f150 and once the front bearing went bad and the abs came on and the 4x4 didn't work well as well so it make me think it could be a bad bearing and if im right to activate the 4x4 there some vacuum line running to the front bearing hub and activate the hub wich make them engage into 4x4 position? so it make me thinkl it a bearing pls correct me if im wrong thank you (sorry for my bad English im French canadien)

Greetings,
I am a newbie as well. I have a 1997 Ford F250 XLT 5.8l 4X4 HD and have a fairly simple question. When changing the rear drum brakes out is it necessary to remove the wheel hub and axle or can the brake shoes and assorted springs, etc. be installed with the hub still in place? The shoe and drum replacement appear fairly straight forward, I am hesitant to remove the wheel hub and axel at this time and they seem to be fine.

1997 F150 4x4 issue
 

Long story short, my 4x4 quit working and all I needed to do was unhook mybattery for 5 minutes to reset the GEM computer (which was replaced 1 1/2 yrsago -- around the same time I didn't have 4x4 anymore). Just wanted to postthis for anyone with an electrical issue or maybe not sure where to startexactly. I'd start by unhooking the battery. I had done this before, butprobably only for 2-3 minutes, not a full 5 min. I also had only read 1 otherperson mention doing this and since it worked for me, i wanted to re-iterate itfor others to find as well. <?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" /><o:p></o:p>

FYI - RevyTrucks has posted the best overall solution/summary on this topic that I ran across, so be sure to read all that info as well.

Good luck with your repairs!! <o:p></o:p>

I have an 01 f250 with 6 in lift 35 in tires it's got an 5.4 gas motor and it's automatic 4 door. She's my baby! It's got 154000 miles and I wanna give her some more power what can I do.

need help please
 

I have a 1997 ford f150 my 4x4 is not working. 4x4 light dose not cone on when I turn the switch to 4hi or 4 low . I have remove the actuator n te transfer case abd put it jn 2 hi by hand but as soon as I turn the key on the transfer case gose back in 4hi aagain. l have changed gem, switch, vac actuator on fire wall transfer case actuator and still nothing. Front diff is not engaged but it dose wrk I have engaged it manually. I really need some help im starting to loose my mind thanks

OD light wont stop flashing and truck barely accelerates
 

truck is not wanting to give any power, once it gets power it wont shift into OD . only having issues when in gear... idling fine. just changed fuel and air filter.. any other suggestions :'(

Great post, and it might be the problem - but i wanted to also add could be the wheel hub/bearings.
I have a 2003 F150 Screw 5.4L with 144k miles on it - the front 4X4 started making "grinding" noise this winter 2014-15, either in or out of 4 wheel. I checked as I thought it was this, but these solenoids UNLESS they get wet rarely go out. A few trucks had leaking on them but they generally are good, and easy to check.

MNy problem was the Hubs/wheel bearings. and the half-drive splines were WELDED essentially to the Hub. I searched and searched as working in the garage when it was minus 30 was not fun even with the propane heaters going full bore.

I finally went to Harbor Frieght and got their 12 ton Hydraulic (Gear) Puller and after putting a Bolt between it and the Hub, and pounding it broke free. So if you spent tons of time, go right to this big 12 ton puller think it was 100 with coupon, and the splines will break (and yes I used creeping Kroil, PB blaster - air, heat -- everything.

Now I need a 03 F150 alum. alloy RIM as it broke in the process.

Seems not too many posting so I assume most of these trucks are going off the road the the scrap yards - I keep driving mine till it drops.

Ford 5.4L VIN L REMAN ENGINE 0 MILES F150 Exped E150 F250 1997-2003
 

If anyone is looking for a remanufactured zero mile Engine, I just got mine from AAAEngine out in chatsworth, california. They ship all over the US and offer the cheapest prices along iwth OEM Parts installed and all gaskets necessary for install. Give em a call ! 818-900-8601.

How to troubleshoot and fix F150 4X4 1997-2003
 

I'm new to forums so be kind if may posting is not right. Great info on troubleshooting my 4X4 system post by revytruck. I have a 97 f150 manual shift 4x4, the 4x4 engaged light comes on when the lever is in 2wd position, a metal on metal squeal followed by loud thud can be heard. I went through revytruck's troubleshooting guide and all is well. I replaced 4x4 engaged indicator switch on transfer case and the problem still continues. Any thoughts?

rears for fx4 lariat
 

I have a 8.8 axle in the front and a 9.75 in the back but I have a 5.4 triton I just got the truck and dont know what came in it the truck is a 2003

Since I have to wait for moderator to approve a new thread... trying to copy and paste here.

Yes, I know there is a sticky on troubleshooting. I've read it along with dozens of other posts probably at least 10 times now. I'm pretty confident that I have seen every single thread/post out there on troubleshooting ESOF 4X4 issues. So with that said, I'm STILL looking for help before I have to swallow my pride and take it to a dealer that has the cool kid scan tool that will see and manipulate the GEM...

Issue started with 4X4 NOT working (worked fine last winter). Turn knob to 4Hi, nothing...no relay click, no dash light, like the switch wasn't even working... Checked fuses inside and underhood and those were still good.

Then, since it was quick and easy, I tested with another selector switch and still nothing.

Then, went ahead and swapped BOTH solenoids, as both had good vacuum coming in, disconnected battery just to "reset" everything and then turned key on, turned selector switch to 4Hi, got a SINGLE "relay click", but no light, no engaging anywhere...still nothing

Then, grabbed another transfer case shift motor, disconnected battery again while swapping out, hooked everything back up and started the truck. Turn the selector switch to 4Hi and then "click click", "clunk" and 4X4 Light comes on. Drop it in drive, could tell front was definitely engaged and I'm thinking "Cool, it was just the shift motor"

Then I move selector switch back to 2Hi....NOTHING. No click, no clunk, light still showing 4X4 on dash and NOW the truck is stuck in 4Hi and will not come out... So I went from not being able to get 4X4 to not being able to get rid of it. I took the shift motor back off the transfer case and manually moved the shaft back to 2Hi and then manually moved the actuator to disengage the front axles to be able to at least drive it.

Started pulling dash apart today, hoping to find good old fashioned relays, and ended up seeing another stupid module. So the transfer case relay module seems to be getting power, but still nothing.

I haven't had the windshield leak issues, so there is no issue where water would've made it to the GEM. And if the GEM was actually bad, I'd expect I'd probably be having some of the other issues like wipers, power window, dome lights etc. that come with bad GEM...

So if anyone has any suggestions, I'd welcome it! I ran across a post saying they replaced a "Transmission Range Sensor Switch" because the ball was sticking a little and that fixed their issue, but I'm not seeing that part anywhere like it said on the transfer case, so maybe it was a floor shift optioned truck instead of the dash switch....

Really, I don't want to hear a dealer say "That'll be $1000". I don't claim to be a mechanic, but I'm not completely ignorant either. I just feel like there is something small I'm missing somewhere.

Anyone Know??
 

Any answer for this?

same problem
 

I have the same problem. Only 4 volts at switch on one wire and nothing on the other. even with the key off, same thing.

Thanks (again) to Revytrucks
 

Although it is now 6 years after the last entry on this thread, Revytruck's post, and cool diagnostic plan has again put someone else on the path to rightuosness (?) I recently purchased a very interesting (more later) 1997 F-150 which was supposed to have functional 4-wheel drive (but didn't !) I didn't figure that out until I had driven it 500 miles away fom the dealership where I had picked it up, with a 100% warranty ! ("Just bring it back, we'll fix any problem that arises ") I wasn't up for two more 500-mile trips from San Berdoo (almost) to Lake Tahoe in the high Sierras and back through deep snow, so pulled out what books I had received with the truck and started reading only to find nothing on the subject ! So, off to the computer and Google to be directed to Revytrucks post, which I printed out and took out the vehicle with me. working through the steps one by one. When I got to step 3 ( I think) which involved testing the two solenoids, we felt no "clicks" when "shifting" from 2wd to 4wd, so I called and received almost overnight 2 new solenoids (thanks, Rock Auto), one with the little plastic raincap which was supposed to keep them dry. We tested again and indeed felt a satisfying "click" from each, but still no entry into 4wd ! I had to wait for the snow to stop for a couple of days for the soil to solidify enough to trust that my ramps would stay upright, but when It did and I was able to get under and pull two screws and loosen a third on the dust/dirt/snow-shield, ALL WAS REVEALED ! Turns out the shaft from the diaphragm was supposed to mate with the vertical shaft descending from the actuator via opposing "flats" milled into the sides of each shaft so the horizontal movement of the diaphragm-shaft would impart a "waggle " (?) movement to the actuator shaft, BUT my diaphragm shaft had rotated so that the flats could no longer fit and lock together. I don't know nor have figured out what could have caused the d. shaft to rotate, as I suppose that there should have been some sort of spring/clip holding the shafts together. However, the guy at the Ford parts counter couldn't bring up a picture or description of that connection, and when he asked his head mechanic about it, was told "Oh yeah, there is supposed to be a clip on that, but we don't source it except by buying a new actuator for +- $250.!" So, as the fit between the two shafts seemed pretty snug, I just wired them together with .030 tie-wire to hopefully prevent further rotation of thre d-shaft, however it happened.

As to the "interesting" F-150, this is a very straight, apparently factory-painted 1997, except that it has been fitted with all the body-mods to make it look exactly like the yet-to-come 2017 Lightning !! It has it all, big body-color front air-dam (bumper cover) , plastic "flare-side" rear fenders (partially supported by +- 1/4" rod "space-framing" inside), fiberglass lift-up bed cover, and a stamped-steel hood with two "nostril" vents starting a hood power-bulge that runs all the way to the rear of the hood, and obviously high-end 16" aluminum wheels. BUT, unfortunately, with what appears to be standard 4.6 power !

I see that all these mods are available from aftermarket catalogs, but this truck of mine looks as if it was all created as one factory-issued package, and if so, were others created ? Was this possible in 1997 ? Was it someone's aftermarket demonstrator ? How is it that the factory is going to offer their top-of-the-line new-year model with 20-year-old styling ?

Again, thanks to Revytrucks, and all others who have contributed to this thread!

All info and/or opinions as to the origins of this obviously-special truck are solicited !