When to call it quits

[Curious Hound]

Got to become a great Ranger mechanic

FIFY

 

[sgtsandman]

Amen to that!

I received BACK from our daughter her 1998 4x4 ext cab XLT stepside. We gave it to her while she was in high school ( year2000 with 21,000 miles on it), got her through two colleges and medical residency, now has 140,000 miles on it. When she bought her new car this year she didn't have the heart to sell or trade it in so I volunteered to take it back.
Needs a little TLC but runs fine.

The 4x4 isn't engaging nor shifting when I turn the switch, no noise or action anywhere. This is my top concern right now, bad switch????

Dash lights randomly come on: HI and LO 4x4, door open when you make a right hand turn.

The A/C is colder than my 2004 F150 (good for being in New Mexico) but engages when you turn the control knob to the right to direct air flow through dash on dash and Floor or Defroster. Will NOT engage, as it shouldn't, when you rotate the knob to the left to direct air to the floor, weird.

Has small fluid leak, and need front shocks.
I told her "Mr. Ranger" will be my lifeboat when the F 150 craps out.
Got to find a great Ranger mechanic

The 4X4 issue you describe sounds like a wire issue. I've never had to monkey with mine, other than to actuate the system into 4 HI and 4 LO about once a week and drive it in those selections when I can. That actuation helps keep the contacts clean and things rotating as they should. I'm not sure how the wires route through the truck. But it does sound a bit odd that it only happens with the door open.

I'm not completely sure on the A/C question since my 1998 didn't have A/C. At some point, the A/C engage was added to the dash and floor selection. My 2011 has it. The only selections to do not engage the A/C, is dash only and floor only. Everything else turns the A/C on.

 

[Tahoe303]

FIFY

The 4X4 issue you describe sounds like a wire issue. I've never had to monkey with mine, other than to actuate the system into 4 HI and 4 LO about once a week and drive it in those selections when I can. That actuation helps keep the contacts clean and things rotating as they should. I'm not sure how the wires route through the truck. But it does sound a bit odd that it only happens with the door open.

I'm not completely sure on the A/C question since my 1998 didn't have A/C. At some point, the A/C engage was added to the dash and floor selection. My 2011 has it. The only selections to do not engage the A/C, is dash only and floor only. Everything else turns the A/C on.

Yeah I'm hoping the 4x4 is just a bad switch or something simple (and cheap!) Wanted to check the relay or circuit breaker but don't know which one in the box is the correct one to check.
The A/C engaging when isn't in an A/C related dial setting is odd, I don't remember it doing that a few years ago when it was left in my care for a period of time. 4x4 worked great plowing through 2-3 feet of snow, or running through the foothill 4x4 trails. The A/C worked fine in hot weather then, now you can hear it engage and disengage when you rotate the for dash air, floor air etc. If you turn the dial for Heater (Floor) it doesn't engage until to get it all the way to the A/C settings, will have to go out and fiddle with it some more.
Issue isn't linked to the door though, well I don't think.
What I get is the door open alarm light and alarm when going around corners especially right hand turns, and the 4wd Hi & Lo lights randomly light up briefly on the dash without touching the 4x4 selector switch.

Unfortunately my extensive wrench bending days are past. :-(