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Got my 4wd system fixed!, Blinking 4hi & 4lo


4x4junkie

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Ranger Al said:
Well, here is my story...

I was out deer hunting and came to a place I felt I needed my 4x4 and click on it, nothing happpen. Then the 4hi and 4lo light came on flashing (6 flashes every 2 minutes). My instinct and what I have read a few times on this board was the "shift motor" tend to be the curpit. Well, I took the "sh1t motor" apart and cleaned and lube it with grease. Nothing happen, the stupid lights still flashes and took the switch apart and checked all the contact, everything checked out ok. I then checked the fuses compartment where the 4wd fuse, it checked out.

So, I ordered a new "SH1T motor" from Car Quest for $106 and installed it and still the lights doesn't go away! Now I am begging to worry cause I called the Stealership and they wanted $189 per hour to tell me something wrong with it. They are not going to get rich out of me for the second time, since the first time was me buying the truck from them.

I read the repair manual carefully and realized that there is another "FUSE" under the hood in the power distributor box! I pulled out this 20A fuse and checked it and sure enough it was blown! I didn't have the excalt fuse, but replaced with a 15A and turned on the ignition and WHOALA! The lights are gone and I shift to the 4Hi and see the light came on!

Now I got a spare "SH1T motor" and $100 low! Anyway, I am so glad I got it going and should have a pretty good weekend!

Anyway, a lesson learned the hard way. check all the cheap stuffs first, loose connections and those fuses!
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Blackdog

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Lights flashing

This is my 4X4 lights flashing story.

I have a 95 4X4 Ranger with auto hubs and an auto tranny. Someone attempted to steal it and destroyed the ignition lock in the process. Thats when I started having the flashing 4X4 lite problem. Below is my original post from another site.

I got robbed big time 5 days ago. My restored Scout is gone along with tools, welder, plazma cutter, etc.

They tried to take my built 95 Ranger by hammering out the ignition switch. Thats as far as they got but now I'm having to fix this mess. Now when I drive it the 4X4 dash lights come on and off and I can hear and feel the tranny or transfercase engaging. This rig also has the electric 4X4 switch on the dash and automatic hubs. I pulled the 4X4 fuse in hope that would make it drivable but I still have the problem. It's as if someone is playing with the 4X4 high/low switch while I'm driving. Any ideas on how I can fix this?

Second post:I just noticed that when driving the 4X4 light blinks 6 times every few minutes, each time it blinks I can feel/hear a small change in RPM. I disconnected the wires going to the tcase but no change. I'm open to ideas, I don't want to damage anything in the drive train.

As you can see I was thinking the damaged ignition switch was my problem but now I'm thinking it has nothing to do with the switch but is a seperate problem. I did a search and found that others have experienced the 6 flashes and found the sensors on the transfer case to be at fault. What do you think?

The fix

OK, now the good news, the truck is fixed. After replacing the column and installing a new factory ignition switch I still had the flashing light. The next morning I reset the computer and no more light. I then installed new matching door locks and a glove compartment lock. I'm operational again and ready for the first snow fall.

Lesson learned: A destroyed lock can cause your 4X4 lights to flash. This flashing also causes the transfercase to try to engage. The used column cost me $140 and the new Ford lock set was $90. Took me about 4-5 hours to install.

I like to post the final fix.
 

downzero

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I understand that this is an old post, but does the flashing automatically mean that the circuit is open or does not have power?
 

metalmacguyver

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It just means that there is an error of some sort. It does not specify what it is in anyway.
 

camping_mailman01

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My '98 Ranger just started doing the six flashes problem, and the transfer won't kick in. It has 230,656 miles on it so I replaced the original motor as it has worked sluggishly recently. When it flashes, there isn't any noticeable noise or engine RPM changing as earlier mentioned. What else should I be checking?
 

CaptStyrofoam

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More of the same

So I've rebuilt my motor 2 or 3 times now, taken apart the blue cap and cleaned all the connections, realigned the springs on the disk for a better connection, triple checked the alignment on the position of the sensor disk and used a dab or silicone to hold it in place during reassembly. I'm pretty convinced the motor is toast but I also have doubts since the first time I tried cleaning the disk under the blue cap, afterwords on start up, sometimes the CPU would think the truck was in 4hi and turn the indicator light on even though it was in 2hi.

My question is: Is there a computer module somewhere with a self diagnostic like the 94 and earlier and the touch-drive BII's?

and: My dashlights on the heater controls have never worked, and the cigarette lighter recently stopped working too, is there a control module around there behind the radio that could be fubared? I've checked both fuse boxes and all the fuses are good... relay maybe?

Anyway, the rig is a late '97 ranger XLT. Kinda weird since I think it has both some gen 3 and gen 4 features, like there being no speedometer cable, just a wire to the rear axle.

Any advice would be appreciated... I don't want to just start throwing money at a problem and hope it works.

I really want to know though who at ford thought that 2 levers sticking out of the floor was too many so I can gouge one of their eyes out with a spork and say well, it was too much clutter.
 

CaptStyrofoam

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bushing

Well I think I haven't checked the bushing on the backside of the gear hooked to the worm drive yet so I'm going to try and get that gear off, I'm betting that the bushing is in several pieces in there. I'll let you guys know.

*update* well I took the gear off and the bushing was still there but it was completely crushed on the one side showing a little bare metal. So I replaced that, hooked the wires to the motor itself to 12v and that turns back and forth freely, everything on the sensor disk has been painstakingly realigned so if it doesn't work this time it's time to start testing wires.
 
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cowgirlsuzie

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99 with the same flahing lights

read your post sounds like mine. went and got new motor but there is a brown ? wire coming out of the transfere case that is not on the new wiring harness what is it :sad:
 

nick344

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the brown wire is the clutch wire.. you have to remove it from the plug on your old motor. it is a pain to get out but it will come on mine i had to do this to 3 wires green and blue i think were the colors goes up to the sensor at the transfercase output shaft and the brown wire. you also can cut and splice them back together
 

dryin

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my four wheel lights blink 6 times every 2 mins. now i havent changed the motor yet. i wanna know what else could be the issue before i go out and buy a new one. also when i turn the 4 wheel knob nothin happends any ideas???
 

bilzy7

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I hope the thieves got a swift kick in the a$$ by someone
 

disciplerocks

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Back from the grave......
 

dryin

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yea sorry about that guys
 

whocares

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yea sorry about that guys

Dont worry about it, you were obviously searching and reading to find an answer to your issue. Wish I had an answer for you, but someone will chime in if you dont get it fixed.
 

ronnie2hotty

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I would like to resurrect this thread once again. I am having trouble narrowing down this issue on my Ranger...so first, specifics:

1999 Ranger XL (assuming it is an XL.. it is the most basic model made)... I bought this truck a month ago, 4wd worked fine, used it twice in a month. Then, after the first snow storm of the year, I put the flipped the switch from 2wd to 4wd, heard all the normal clicks (I am new to electric 4wd, only ever owned a stick 4wd) then nothing happened. Then the 4HI and 4 LOW lights started flashing, 6 times.

After spending a long time researching and talking to various people more knowledgeable about vehicles than I am, my father (who knows more about vehicles in his little finger than I know in my whole body) and I started to tear into the issue. The problem is, is that he has never worked on a 4wd vehicle. Only typical 2wd's and high performance race cars.

So we have been "chasing the dragon"
- checked the fuses, 20A in the distribution box, it was fine... pulled out all the fuses in fuse panel, they are fine...
- went to transfer case motor... all connections are intact and don't seem corroded...
- pulled transfer case motor off of transfer case, disconnected wiring (except for the brown wire running from the case itself to connector)... put meter to it, it is reading out put, although only some millivolts...
- disconnected brown wire (ok, cut brown wire) hooked motor to 12V... it completed it's cylce just fine..(reversed polarity, and it turned the opposite direction)
- checked front switch (the dealer told me he replaced the switch when got the vehicle because it was broken)... their are 4 contacts in the switch connector... when hooked to a meter, the switch is showing continuity... the female end of connector is only showing continuity between the two outer prongs and between the two inner prongs.. and it is only putting out 5V for those.
- traced vacuum lines from tire to engine compartment.. then (we are about 99% sure we got the correct lines because after we traced from tires to a tee, we think the line ran up by the distributor) we hooked up a vacuum tester to the lines... the lines from the tires would bleed off any pressure above 15psi, but would hold steady at 15... the line coming from the motor would push about 20 psi (of course, we had to start the engine to check that)
- put truck on blocks... with a pair of vice grips, manually turned transfer case to 4HI position (and 4LO, but back to HI for the test), started engine, put in drive, and let off the brake. All axles were spinning, BUT not the front tire.

So, obviously the front hubs are not locking into place, but this brings up several questions...

1. In an electrical system, something has to "tell" the motor to move to 4wd and has to "tell" the hubs to lock into place (or tell something that creates the vacuum, that in turn, locks the hub in place....right?
1.A. If something in that system fails, does everything fail?.... After some research, I am finding that this is called a "4wd control module".. everything we read says that this is box with two things plugged in it, with a white button and a red LED light.. we can't find that anywhere to check it...we found two boxes behind the radio.. one part number is "XL5T-14B205-EC" (which shows up on ebay a type of computer module, and it has 4x4 on the sticker)... the other part number is "F59F-2C018-AA" (which shows up on ebay as an ABS control-type thingy.... we also found "F57B-6912-AA" (which is a transfer case relay)... so if one of these modules in not working 1) how do you test to see if it is indeed one of these...2) would that cause both the hubs to not lock in AND the transfer case motor to not work?

Sorry for the long post, but we are stuck, and don't know which way to turn next.. Thanks in advance for any replies this post may get... Thank you also for letting join your community!!
 
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