Wheelwright
New Member
- Joined
- Nov 25, 2014
- Messages
- 11
- Reaction score
- 0
- Points
- 1
- Location
- Pennsylvania
- Vehicle Year
- 2011
- Make / Model
- Ford
- Transmission
- Manual
I have a clean 5s 2011, with ~90k on it. I've put about 20k on it in the last year, almost all highway driving.
I noticed after I got it, that the 4wd didn't really want to engage. It did when I test drove it, but changed its mind after I got it home.
The switch made the 'click' that it should, but it would take several tries to get the 4wd light to come on, and sometimes it would get the light, but not be enagaged. Along with this comes a sound behind the dash that I can only describe as a 'crackling'. it happens a heartbeat or so after I move the switch, almost every time. it's exactly the sound that a wire makes when it's coming apart and has a lot of little tiny arcs at the joint. It's very audible, and my '08 didn't do anything similar.
It's now reached the point where the 4wd doesn't engage at all, crackling or not, 4H or 4L.
I pulled the fuses for a bit to clear any cache memory that might exist, and the system worked as it should for about an hour. It worked when I tested it, and next day it didn't.
The lights don't flash, and a code pull shows nothing.
Is there any way to diagnose this without crawling on the ground? I read that the transfer case motor is a possibility, but there's snow on the ground, and my garage is full of motorcycles.
My inclination is to throw a used transfer controller at it, and maybe a switch, just to se what changes. I know that those are ridiculously specific, but I found one with exactly the same part number and vendor code.
-HR
I noticed after I got it, that the 4wd didn't really want to engage. It did when I test drove it, but changed its mind after I got it home.
The switch made the 'click' that it should, but it would take several tries to get the 4wd light to come on, and sometimes it would get the light, but not be enagaged. Along with this comes a sound behind the dash that I can only describe as a 'crackling'. it happens a heartbeat or so after I move the switch, almost every time. it's exactly the sound that a wire makes when it's coming apart and has a lot of little tiny arcs at the joint. It's very audible, and my '08 didn't do anything similar.
It's now reached the point where the 4wd doesn't engage at all, crackling or not, 4H or 4L.
I pulled the fuses for a bit to clear any cache memory that might exist, and the system worked as it should for about an hour. It worked when I tested it, and next day it didn't.
The lights don't flash, and a code pull shows nothing.
Is there any way to diagnose this without crawling on the ground? I read that the transfer case motor is a possibility, but there's snow on the ground, and my garage is full of motorcycles.
My inclination is to throw a used transfer controller at it, and maybe a switch, just to se what changes. I know that those are ridiculously specific, but I found one with exactly the same part number and vendor code.
-HR