99 Ford Ranger 302 AWD swap runs great but front tires won't spin.

[xdreamkustoms]

So I did some searching and havent found anything on the forum about the reason my AWD system isn't working in my swap. I used a 98 Mountainer with every piece of the drivertrain and swap it into my 99 4X4 lifted ranger. The thing is a beast but in 2 inches of snow it gets its ass kicked and I have 33 inch tires on it. It seems that my transfer case or front differential isn't working correctly. My rear tires will throw snow for miles but front won't budge. Please tell me I'm just missing something simple. I replaced all the fluids and checked for anything physically wrong with the front end. Please someone help me. Also the 4WD hi and 4WD lo light flashes occasionally. Thanks for any advice.

 

[V8 Level II]

98~2000.5 4x4 Ranger have the dreaded Pulse Vacuum Hublock system. In the factory configuration, the PVH hubs are commanded to engage whenever the GEM switches the transfer case to 4WD.

Either get the PVH system working with your new powertrain or convert to the live axle system found on 95~01 Explorer or 2000.5 and later Ranger.

 

[JoshT]

That was a relief, I was afraid you were trying to spin them on pavement. As rwenzing said check out your PVH system. When the back tires are spinning in the snow but the front tires aren't do you know if the front drive shaft and axle shafts are spinning? If they are that would suggest the PVH as the guilty party. I'd just convert to the live axle system.

If anyone can help you get it straightened out rwenzing is the man. He's done more with these swaps than anyone else that I know of.

 

[xdreamkustoms]

I thought the front axle I pulled from the mountaineer was live. The only thing I didn't get was the PATS system from it I forgot the one behind the passenger air bag. I just bought a parts 98 Explorer Eddie Bauer Eddition AWD and was able to use the PATS system and ECU to finally get the truck to start and run. So you guys are saying I could be missing a main vacuum line down to my front differential not allowing it to engage? Is that the PVH system? Again I don't have the front diff/axle from the ranger in it. Thanks for the quick replies.

 

[JoshT]

Did you swap out the whole front including the knuckles, hubs, and axle shafts (ones from the diff to the wheels)? Aside from the controls the PVH system is in the hubs, nothing in the differential itself. If you swapped the knuckles and all over to the explorer parts as well then you should have the live axles now.

If that were the case I would suspect the Ranger 4wd controls not playing well with the Explorer AWD transfer case. Was the explorer straight AWD or was it AWD/4WD? Some of the AWD explorers have a selector switch for auto and 4wd on the dash, I think all the switch does is manually lock in the front drive rather than allowing it to slip like the AWD setting does.