Newbie Here! Help, my 4wd doesn't work..

[tom999p]

Hi Everybody, newbie here,
Quick introduction- I'm a ranger guy; my first one was a teal 1992 2wd short cab Sport (you know, the one with the big splash graphics on the side, before the Splash came out), then I had a purple 1997 XLT extended cab 2wd, then a maroon 1994 XLT extended cab 4wd, then a Saleen Sportruck (super rare, some people posted about it on this forum, I still have it packed away); and now I have a 1999 XLT Sport 4.0 5 spd extended cab 4wd 4 door.
So my question is, when I click the 4wd switch on the dashboard from 2wd to 4wd hi, I hear the relay in the dashboard click, then the 4hi light comes on, and that's it- no 4wd.... Then when I click the switch to 4lo, the 4lo light comes on and I can hear the tcase clunk and then I can feel the truck drive geared down real low, but still no 4wd....

Does anyone know what the problem can be? I bought the truck like this, so nothing lead up to this condition...

 

[4.0B2]

have you checked your front driveshaft?? is there one?
not trying to be a jerk but... buying a used truck- you never know...

how do you know there is no 4wd? just curious



the shift motor seems fine b/c low range works.
something seems wrong with either the t/case gears to the front, the driveshaft, or the front axle..
did you lock your hubs? or are they auto? (should be auto probably) the 99, is that vacuum stuff? if so... there are a few things it could be.

could be something as simple as a vacuum line... its pretty common by what i hear.

 

[tom999p]

Thanks for replying, to answer your questions, there is a front driveshaft. And I know the 4wd doesn't work because we here in Colorado are just finishing up a winter, and this truck is the worst one I've ever had in the snow, because no matter where the 4wd switch is on the dashboard, the truck always has one wheel drive. I was getting stuck (and embarrased) all winter.

And the hubs are auto, with vacuum lines.

The story with this truck is that I bought it REALLY cheap because it was in an accident that blew the airbags and bent the front driver side suspension. The frame was then straitghtened out and a new a-arm put on. The truck now looks very nice and tracks down the road straight as an arrow, (and engine-wise runs like a champ), but I'm pretty sure that the 4wd problem is a minor one because the truck was very well maintained before the accident.