96 ranger - low range shift motor probs.

[Anonymous Ranger]

Hello guys. I'm pretty new to the Ranger thing. Well not so new to driving it but definitely to wrenching on it. My 96 XLT has push button low range. It only works when I'm lucky. Sometimes it'll shift into low but take half an hour of hitting the button to come out of low. This is very annoying. Any experience with this problem? I'm not sure where to start looking - is this a common problem? Can't help but think a shift lever was the better solution but Ford couldn't leave well enough alone. I'm going to start by trying to isolate the problem motor vs wiring and switch. Any ideas? Thanks in advance.

 

[railman]

first off, ya sure it is a 96...should be a knob....

secondly, is it an auto or manual tranny......

lastly, if it has any driveline pressure on it, will not switch til the "bind" is eased off.....

l8r, John

 

[Anonymous Ranger]

Sorry about the year thing. You're correct it's a 94 - I'm loosing it! I've tried all manner of maneuvers to relieve the tension in the system - doesn't help. It is a 5 spd with terribly tall gears. This is in fact the reason I always need the low range - it's pretty useless off-road in high range. BTW I also get a symphony of pops, groans and grinds while in high range off-road. From my research online this seems a symptom bitched auto hubs. I think the fact that they don't correctly engage or disengage may put tension on the drivetrain.