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'99 Ranger 4x4 won't engage. HELP!!


joeyglvr

Member
Joined
Aug 16, 2012
Messages
6
City
Baldwyn, MS
Vehicle Year
1999/2010 front
Transmission
Automatic
hello. i know this subject has been covered many many times on here but after searching everything i could find i still haven't found anything that might point me in the right direction. i have a '99 ranger xlt 4x4 ex. cab and i'm having trouble tracking down what is preventing 4hi or 4lo from engaging. it worked fine the first time i locked it in back a year ago and i noticed the front hubs weren't locking in. checked all vacuum lines and testing solenoid and it turned out to be a simple blowed fuse which i replaced and everything worked fine. a few months later i have the need to lock it into 4wd so i turn the dash knob to 4hi, which engaged, then to 4lo, which also engaged. pulled out to where i could unlock it, turned the knob back to 2hi and the 4hi/4lo lights started flashing and the t-case would not come out of 4lo. i limp it home, remove the t-case shift motor and do the inspect and clean and still no luck. being my only ride i had to use pliers to turn the shaft back to 2hi. i recently purchased a brand new shift motor with no luck. dash lights just blink 5 or 6 times then stay lit. i'm a certified automotive election so i found a diagram of the dash switch and checked with my dmm and it checked out fine. all fuses are fine. front axle actuator is working properly, or at least theres a vacuum change which i assumed was normal operation. my only other guess is the module behind the radio but from what i've read these rarely go bad. if someone could offer thoughts on what to check or any incite would be greatly appreciated. i've had 8 rangers but this is my first 4x4 so i'm kinda in the dark and this seemed like the most informative site i've ran across. thanks in advance. :icon_confused:
 
Maybe stupid question but did you have it in neutral when shifting from 4low to 2hi?
 
not stupid at all. lol. yes it was in neutral. it's acting like its not getting any power to the shift motor. i've bout decided to just break down and buy a control module from a scrap yard. 100 bucks but it would be worth every penny as many times as i could've used 4x4.... thanks anyways for the replies!
 
Have you check for signal power to the shift motor, and comign out of the module? Might want to check that before you throw money at it, could judt be a bad wire.
 
just now getting a chance to actually try to work on it. something that crossed my mind the other day, is there any kind of reset or something that has to be done after swapping shift motors other than disconnecting the battery cable? i know when i bolted the new motor on i had to slightly twist the motor onto the t-case shaft and got to wondering if maybe it put something in the motor out of align?? just a thought cause i'm absolutely clueless. oh, and if someone could put me in the right direction to a wiring diagram so i can check all the wiring i would greatly appreciate it!!
 
Vacuum leak maybe?
 
Vacuum leak maybe?

no. vacuum lines looked bad when i first got it so i replaced all of them with heavy duty silicone vacuum tubing. done a vacuum pressure check and its all good. its something electrical. thanks for the opinion though!!
 
Just swap to a manual t case! that's what I did cuz I got tired of having electrical problems every 6 months
 
Another stupid question but did you have your foot on the brake when coming out of 4 low? idk if you have to on automatics but my 5 speed you did.
 
I know you did this but have you removed power from the battery? I know that when my brothers Ford van alarm did weird stuff I would use the key fob to lock and unlock the doors a couple of times also I would open and close the doors and it seemed to work.
 

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