2001 ford ranger edge front differential

[Robalo67]

Hello my name is rob from long isLand I'm a ford guy all the way im 45 and all my trucks with th exception of one two wheel drive chevy i built as a kid very fast 283 enough of that i was usually know for towing chevys off the beach and my 17 year old son 20 year old daughter and lovely wife follow suite with fords and am doing my best with my youngest two girls 5 and 10 anyway i thought i should give a little info about me before asking for your help and happy to answer any questions i can i am a bit confused about a problem I'm having on a 2001 ford ranger edge 4.0. I'm hoping I can help as much as be helped on here i Went to school to be a mechanic in 80s but things were turning to the age of the computer so became a builder anyway i think thats plenty enough about me so heres the deal I bought this truck from a friend he noticed he was getting terrible gas mileage and thought he was stuck in four wheel so he took out front driveshaft. I obtained the truck and love it as used to driving my ford f 250 super duty 7.3 crew cab which I love but its nice to get in something smaller but do want to iron this issue out the transfer case seems to be out the 4 wheel switch was making clicking noise under glove box but no lights come on and doesn't seem to engage but while driving I here humming kinda like the sound you would here from aggressive tires or if you were in four wheel remember no front driveshaft in.anyway the front diff. Moves with the truck and does not turn free like I thought it should and by the way when I turn the switch now doesn't even click please help if you can thanks in advance

 

[adsm08]

Welcome to TRS.

Once the system gets so pissed off it stops trying. The shift motor is the most common issue, but they can be cleaned and usually start working again.

http://www.therangerstation.com/tech_library/TCaseshiftmotor.shtml


One other thing, we have lots of sections dedicated to different things like the engines, transmissions, 4x4 systems, etc. You will generally get the best results posting questions in sections related to your question. A 4x4 question in the 2.8L tech section probably won't get the same helpful results as if it was in the 4x4 section.

 

[Snoranger]

Honestly, that's a pain in the a$$ to read.
Try using a little punctuation. The easier it is to read, the more people that will take the time to read it. The more people who read it, the better your chances of getting an answer.

The front diff is a live axle, it supposed to turn anytime the truck is in motion and should never freewheel with both front tires on the ground.

 

[Robalo67]

Thank you

I am sorry about the poor punctuation.thanks for the advice and I will post in proper area.just trying to learn my way around.