no 4 high or low

[nv777]

Hello all Newbe to the forum. I have a 99 exped. 4H and 4L dont work and the A4wd grind and jumps bad when trying to turn at low speed. Switch is good, vacume is fine, not hearing anything from the shift motor though there is power to and through it,and what i think is the rear shaft speed sensor is hard wired in. when i start the thing the 4low light come on but goes out after a couple seconds. Any ideas???

 

[podsquad]

I have 98 since new ...there are 2 vacuum solenoids on rear engine wall passenger side...check lines.

 

[nv777]

Update: was going back over vacume lines and found a bad one, replaced it. Then the 4x4 light came on and it was in Low 4 i presume the switch was in the A4wd position turnd the thing off turned the switch to 4L turned the key on and heard a noise from underneith when i started it the 4x4 light went off turned the switch back to A4wd and its back to normal no more jumping and grinding. YEEE HAAAA i thought well then i tried to get it back into both 4h and 4L no such luck lol, but am happy that its back to a4wd. A couple more little fixes and it goes up 4 sale Hoping i can get 2K for it. Thank you to all who post on these forumes without you there would be a lot more cars in the scrap yard. thanks again and take care.

 

[EngineerMike]

I have a 99, had trouble shifting transfer case for a while, it was glitchy. Then it was stuck in 4Lo. I bought a new shift motor (RockAuto or ebay, don't recall), if you don't buy the Ford unit which also requires some monkeying w/wires & the connector and costs a LOT more, the aftermarket motors are sold as applicable to multiple vehicles and therefore have variable wiring configs when adapted to whichever vehicle. Great vidoes on YT, not difficult, IIRC I used a 1/8" or so drill bit by hand to drill out the connector holes I needed, swapped wires over from OEM to new motor one by one so nothing got cross connected, and Voila! works like new. The motor itself doesn't wear out but the copper plating on the quasi circular contact sheets in the motor gearbox wear off so the ECU doesn't know where the gearbox has positioned the transfer case shift mechanism. Fairly easy DIY repair except for the usual access. I put mine on a lift to do the swap, YMMV. Safety tip: DO NOT!!! OPERATE THE GEARS WHILE UNDER THE VEHICLE. My buddy did & nearly killed himself, fortunately in 4LO it was slow enough he could scramble out from under certain death.

 

[podsquad]

All quite simple to fix the A4WD...there is lots of 'old' info out there and takes some understanding of the few parts associated with the A4WD. The 2 vacuum solenoids, 2 speed sensors input/output, transfer case motor(wires). There have been a number of guys over the years that have contributed greatly to fixes...so search up the problem with guys like Alloro , Stamp, etc and the word 'forum'...it helps. I find the transfer case motors last roughly 10 years...I have a new Ford original transfer case motor put away...just hit 370,000 miles though my ABS module no longer works(probably broken connections that need soldiering within the module...so the automatic function on AWD no longer works. I have managed to keep the truck alive...replaced air suspension with KYB 565019 and 565088. Replace the springs in the accumulator valve body with a combo of Sonnax and Transgo, thermostat with a check ball(prevents pressure in coolant)...so it's been probably 10 years nursing a head gasket. Original Trans and engine...no rebuilds. But still the EXP is best at battling the crazies, city traffic out there...I just don't give a hoot what happens to it at this point...dents, potholes, etc Have a crosstrek, outback and looking to get another outback(remodeled for 2026).