4WD High & 4WD LOW Lights

[Spd68ford]

well I own a 1999 Ranger extended cab 4 wheel drive with the 3.0 flex fuel engine. Anyways I am experience a problem where the 4WD High & 4WD LOW Lights on the dash are flashing together every five minutes or so also right after start up and also the truck will no shift into four wheel. Earlier in the day i put the truck in 4 low and put it in 1st gear to ease the wear on the brakes going down a pretty damn steep hill. Anyways has anyone seen this problem or know what the hell is going on i need some help. Thanks

 

[sarasota]

on mine when i put it into 4 low sometimes the 4 high light will come on, but its in 4 lo

are you putting it into neutral before you shift into 4?

 

[Jspafford]

The truck senses there is a problem with the 4WD system.

Take it to a dealer and have the codes pulled.

 

[Spd68ford]

1st yes its in neutral when I try putting it in 4w ive tried everything to get it to shift and it wont. 2nd jspafford question with the truck sensing a problem with the 4 wheel drive could it be in a safe mode not allowing it to shift in 4 wheel drive. thats what I am guessing

 

[Jspafford]

Not normally... It will usually shift into 4wd and then break not allowing it to shift out.

Unfortunatly RBV's are not that smart...

Chances are there is a problem with one of the sensors.

 

[Spd68ford]

I also forgot to mention that the lights began to flash when I was driving down the freeway if that has anything to do with it. another question would be if the oil level in the transfer case is low could that be what turned the lights on or tripped the code

 

[Jspafford]

Any issues with your speedometer? Does your O/D light flash?

 

[Spd68ford]

speedometer works like a champ and I dont have an O/D light being that i dont have overdrive which sucks. also everything is working as it should besides the 4 wheel drive and nothing is leaking except for a little bit on the front of the transfer case and I wiped it off looking for a crack or damage and nothing was there guessing the gasket or seal is going bad

 

[ch2112]

Hello... I have the same problem. I have owned my 99 Ranger FlexFuel for about 8 months and it has now done the flashing 4wd lights twice. Once within 3 weeks of purchasing the truck, and again just today. When this happens, 4wd will not engage, either High or Lo. We pulled the battery and it stops. For now, it seems to be a glitch, but that's not enough of an answer for me.

Has anyone found a REAL reason for this? Or a more reliable solution than pull the battery and hope?

 

[adsm08]

next time it happens count the flashes and come back with the numbers. It will be x number of flashes, a pause of a few seconds, and then more flashes. It's a fault code, but we need the number before we start guessing at the cause.

 

[ch2112]

ADSM -

Its 6 flashes, about a 2 minute pause, then 6 flashes, etc. All fuses looked fine, there is sufficient oil in the x-fer case, and the old "beat it with a rubber mallet while someone plays with the switch" did nothing. Not sure if it matters, but it does have 222k miles on it, whether or not that is an issue.

My boyfriend didn't have his code reader with him last night at his parents' house so we couldn't pull the ODB2 codes. Just started randomly after work yesterday... we live about an hour from his folks so he was afraid to have me drive a long distance; not sure if the 4wd would decide to kick on all of a sudden... who knows with all this electronic stuff!

Appreciate the help!

P.S. His 3 SuperDuty Fords over the last 6 years have never had an issue, but I have found a quite a few Rangers that have. May be time to upgrade!

 

[feellnfroggy]

OP when you put it in 4lo to descend the steep hill was it on road or off?

 

[adsm08]

OK, couple things for CH.

That would be code 6, the 2 minute pause means it is starting over. Unfortunately I can't tell you what that means. Ford, in their infinite ignorance left the LCF definitions out of the shop manual (geniuses).

What I can tell you though is that you are safe to drive it. It won't just engage into a 4wd mode by itself.

As far as the Super Duty being an upgrade, not so much. He has gotten lucky with his three. The transfer case shift motors don't have as many issues in the larger trucks, but the hubs are horrible. The inner seals blow out all the time and then they don't work. SD's are nice trucks, but I really wouldn't buy one unless you need something that large. Especially since they have just as many problems as the smaller trucks, but are more expensive to fix. Plus they get horrendous mileage.

 

[ch2112]

ADSM - Thank you for the info... so far it hasn't come back since we pulled the battery, so we'll see how it goes.

I just got the speed control system recall, so I'll ask Ford when I bring it in for the recall.

I wouldn't want to drive an SD every day either... and he has had other issues with them as well. His '03 was in the shop more than it was in the driveway!

Thanks again!

 

[69millwright]

i have 2000 model with the 6 light flashes but on my drive to tx it flashed every 3 minutes i had alot of time to watch at 1200 mile drive.my mechanic out here said my wire harness does not match a 2000 1999 or 2001 model.is he full of poop or just trying to run the bill up?