Dans 94, RCSB, 4.0, 4x4, 5spd

[Dantheman1540]

Decided to hell with working on important things, I’ll just hack up my bed and do more bumper stuff. Still have a bunch of cleaning up to do, need to figure out how I want to do the ends by the wheel wells, build brackets from the frame to catch the new pieces, and of course grind and paint the new bits. I like it so far tho.

 

[Dantheman1540]

Oh I almost forgot about the trans fluid change I did. Not much came out, probably less than half a quart, and I’m not sure it was all lube, or water. Poor thing has had a terrible whine since I got it moving and at first I thought it was PS pump, then rear end, but after fixing both of those it persisted and I realized it was tranny. Nothing I can do to fix the damage done but 3.5qts of synchromesh sure has made a difference!

 

[Josh B]

Thank you Josh! I hope this motor makes it a long time, it sure runs good! The auto hubs are still in the truck, in fact I have yet to look at anything hub/brake related but I might try to today. My 4x4 shift module fails the basic self test so until I get a new one I don’t know if the hubs are good or not. I have a set of manual hubs on my parts shelf, and I would prefer them just to keep stuff from spinning while commuting, but I’m not sure what I’ll do about the center caps.

I’ll keep in mind that you’ve got some parts for trade, I have all the accessories from the old motor still but if they work is questionable.

The auto hubs are awesome in my book. I know what it means to get out there in the snow and ice(or the mud and muck) and hammer (or dig) until your fingers are froze or your feet are soaked in mud trying to lock in that dam axle. Once I got a chance at that simple push button switch I can't see no other way to go, you may well like it better yourself too. I think the main thing that gets people off of them is the price, but also the problem is they hammered on something they should have first looked at, and aligned, before tapping it on home(while doing a service or maintenance )

 

[Josh B]

Oh I almost forgot about the trans fluid change I did. Not much came out, probably less than half a quart, and I’m not sure it was all lube, or water. Poor thing has had a terrible whine since I got it moving and at first I thought it was PS pump, then rear end, but after fixing both of those it persisted and I realized it was tranny. Nothing I can do to fix the damage done but 3.5qts of synchromesh sure has made a difference!

That's worse than mine was(at 230K when I bought it) but on my first go round I drained the transmission also, and kept all I found out of it, and took it to a dealership shop foreman, and he called his transmission man up and after a bit of brainstorming they said it was likely a bearing cage. I still drove it another 80K or so before having to find another one

 

[Dantheman1540]

The auto hubs are awesome in my book. I know what it means to get out there in the snow and ice(or the mud and muck) and hammer (or dig) until your fingers are froze or your feet are soaked in mud trying to lock in that dam axle. Once I got a chance at that simple push button switch I can't see no other way to go, you may well like it better yourself too. I think the main thing that gets people off of them is the price, but also the problem is they hammered on something they should have first looked at, and aligned, before tapping it on home(while doing a service or maintenance )

luckily I don’t live where it gets cold for more than a few days a year, I do remember that struggle when I lived in South Dakota tho. I think the main attractive point to the manual hubs for me is that it keeps the front diff and axles from spinning when your in 2wd just cruising around town. Keeps some wear off those items and a possible gain in MPG. If my auto hubs are in fact good I’ll probably let them hang around awhile mostly out of laziness to change them, and come up with a solution to engaging them with my center caps.

That's worse than mine was(at 230K when I bought it) but on my first go round I drained the transmission also, and kept all I found out of it, and took it to a dealership shop foreman, and he called his transmission man up and after a bit of brainstorming they said it was likely a bearing cage. I still drove it another 80K or so before having to find another one

If I’d had taken a sample of this fluid I’m pretty sure it would have been identified as pond water and mud mostly. Tranny sounds good now tho so I’m not worried about it. I have the trans and T case in the back of my head as things that need eventual rebuilding. So I’ll keep an eye out for spares I can have rebuilt and waiting for these to die.

 

[Dantheman1540]

How is my 4x4 button supposed to look? My shift module fails to light up at all during the tests, but my dash button is illuminated on 4H, yet I have no 4x4. Is the button supposed to have the light off in 2H?

 

[Josh B]

Yeah. That light shows you to be in 4x. if you push the "Low Range" button now it will drop it to 4x low. My 4x low goes less than half the speed of the high 4x.
If it isn't in 4x now you may have a problem with the switching solenoid? or whatever that is called or maybe a loose wire

I am not sure of any changes from 93 to 94 but believe them to be minimal, so if you were in 4x taking corners on a pavement, you would dam well know it. Mine even tears up the tracks turning on dirt or gravel in 4x

 

[Dantheman1540]

Yeah. That light shows you to be in 4x. if you push the "Low Range" button now it will drop it to 4x low. My 4x low goes less than half the speed of the high 4x.
If it isn't in 4x now you may have a problem with the switching solenoid? or whatever that is called or maybe a loose wire

I am not sure of any changes from 93 to 94 but believe them to be minimal, so if you were in 4x taking corners on a pavement, you would dam well know it. Mine even tears up the tracks turning on dirt or gravel in 4x

That’s what I thought, it’s definitely not in 4H, yet when I press the button again it doesn’t turn the light off. Guess I need to check to see if the front drive shaft is spinning.

 

[Josh B]

It may be in the switcheroo contraption. It works just like a selenoid or something I think, push that button and it turns like a quarter ways to 4x high, push 4 low and it turns another quarter turn engaging that one.
You should be able to pull that and bench test it, but truly it's been so long since I have worked on mine I'm just not positive.
If I remember correctly there is a steel washer like piece in there that you can flip or maybe it was turn half way, and that aligns the working mechanism.
It isn't that hard to pull, you might have to remove the counter weight, and I think the wiring harness is the hardest part of pulling it, and it can be a hoss to get loose (Possibly the locking clip was the thorn in your side there, mine broke off but I just pushed it together going back and it's never come loose), still I believe that's likely where you will either find the problem, or at least a good bit of it

 

[Dantheman1540]

It may be in the switcheroo contraption. It works just like a selenoid or something I think, push that button and it turns like a quarter ways to 4x high, push 4 low and it turns another quarter turn engaging that one.
You should be able to pull that and bench test it, but truly it's been so long since I have worked on mine I'm just not positive.
If I remember correctly there is a steel washer like piece in there that you can flip or maybe it was turn half way, and that aligns the working mechanism.
It isn't that hard to pull, you might have to remove the counter weight, and I think the wiring harness is the hardest part of pulling it, and it can be a hoss to get loose (Possibly the locking clip was the thorn in your side there, mine broke off but I just pushed it together going back and it's never come loose), still I believe that's likely where you will either find the problem, or at least a good bit of it

Very likely, I’ll have to schedule some time to look into it more soon. Right now I want to finish the rear bumper, and get parts ordered for the AC rebuild. As much as I enjoy having operable 4x4, it’s not 100% necessary. Plus this thing really needs gears before it hits the trails or the clutch will be toast.

 

[Dantheman1540]

Swapped 4x4 controller with a known good one, same with the switch and 4x4 still doesn’t work. I’m assuming it’s the motor on the T case since the drive shaft isn’t spinning.

Finished the bumper wrap arounds and painted it again finishing it for awhile. Also found a set of what I think are YJ jeep rock sliders for free today and they look like they will fit really well.

Oh and did a bunch of yard work with it.

 

[mtnrgr]

Ranger is looking really good . I do recall slightly the wiring at the plug or the plug itself was a big issue for the transfer case when it wasn't working. Check the wiring and plug where it connects to the transfer case underneath your truck.

 

[Dantheman1540]

So far I have found two failures while going down the 94 and older 4x4 diagnostics write up on the tech page.

First is that the 4x4 module fails the self test by not lighting up at all. However, I have verified that it’s getting power and ground like it should. I’m assuming both my modules, one which was original to the truck, and the other which worked good on a buddies before he sent it to me are good, but the light simply doesn’t work anymore.

Second is that the test for the speed sensor failed completely. Continuity is broken for that circuit. (See attachment paragraph B for the test I’m doing)

My next question is, does that speed sensor also send data to the speedometer and Tachometer? Because both of those work fine, which would lead me to believe the sensor is fine and there must be a bad wire between it and the 4x4 module. If it doesn’t speak to the tach and Speedo then likely the sensor is bad and it could be an easy fix.

Last question is, does that transfer case speed sensor talk to the Rear ABS? I have a rear ABS light on the dash and have yet to begin diagnosing that issue. Would be sweet to fix two issues with one sensor.

 

[Dantheman1540]

Dug into more stuff and I believe my auto hubs are toast. When jacked up I can spin the tire and it does not spin the axle or drive shaft. When I slip on the manual hubs I have, when locked it does spin everything. Unfortunately I didn’t realize I need a special socket and some other bits to swap to the manual hubs so that swap will have to wait.

This was really my first time inspecting anything front end related, and I found that the rubber brake lines are about to blow. Therefore stainless braided lines are on the next parts order. Along with wheel bearings because the passenger side is a little loose. Other than that the brakes look really good, as do the steering joints which is a big win!

Another thing I found was an odd amount of nuts on the u bolts in the rear. I have no idea what sort of suspension is on the truck, but the lack of factory rear blocks had me thinking maybe it’s a after market spring pack. Hangers and shackles are definitely stock. This leaves an unknown factor to my future spring under, F65a leafs pack, longer shackle suspension height change.

Anyway, last thing I did was mock up the sliders a little better, then washed and waxed it!

 

[Josh B]

So far I have found two failures while going down the 94 and older 4x4 diagnostics write up on the tech page.

First is that the 4x4 module fails the self test by not lighting up at all. However, I have verified that it’s getting power and ground like it should. I’m assuming both my modules, one which was original to the truck, and the other which worked good on a buddies before he sent it to me are good, but the light simply doesn’t work anymore.

Second is that the test for the speed sensor failed completely. Continuity is broken for that circuit. (See attachment paragraph B for the test I’m doing)

My next question is, does that speed sensor also send data to the speedometer and Tachometer? Because both of those work fine, which would lead me to believe the sensor is fine and there must be a bad wire between it and the 4x4 module. If it doesn’t speak to the tach and Speedo then likely the sensor is bad and it could be an easy fix.

Last question is, does that transfer case speed sensor talk to the Rear ABS? I have a rear ABS light on the dash and have yet to begin diagnosing that issue. Would be sweet to fix two issues with one sensor.

That module should engage whether the lights work or not, mine did anyway, I just went and checked it.
Key on, push 4x4, listen for a soft bumb. push 4x4 L listen for another. Same backing out