avansabben

Hey there guys, I'm new at this, thanks for any help!

My explorer sounds like its in constant 4X4 mode (whirrring sound) even when I have it switched to auto. I'm not much of a mechanic but I found a side road put it in neutral and pushed it and I noticed that both axles were turning.

If anyone has any ideas of where I could start to look for the cause of this problem or if anyone knows the cause of this it would be greatly aprreciated.

Thank you,

Adam

 

Bossnutt

First off what year is your explorer? Mine was doing the same thing. I have a 91 and I had to change out the hubs on it.

avansabben

thanks for the reply i'll check it it out. My explorer is a 1997.

Miss Misfit

Hey Im parting out a 98 F explorer xlt if you need any partslet me know.

kens24

hey adam i am having the same problem and was wondering if you found out anything yet. im puzzeled. mine also is a 97

greyphox

Hey guys,
I had the same problem last winter on my 2000 explorer xlt. Turns out it was the automatic 4x4 actuator. It apparently froze up since i didn't use 4x4 that much, and when i put it in 4x4 high, it got stuck.
Hope that helps

backlash1

Hi guys
You really need to take your car to be scanned for codes. Early model Explorers without a dedicated 4x4 module had problems with the GEM that would cause them to engage/disengage 4x4 on their own. You'll notice this when turning on sealed roads, a vibration is felt through the car and the tyres make a "screech". They also had problems with the solenoid that does the engagement on the transfer case (actuator).
marc

fraxinusalba

Since this thread is several months old, hopefully avansabben got his problem fixed.

My 1997 did same thing once. Think the shift motor didn't actuate or hung up. Turned control knob to 4H then to 4L, then back to 4H and Auto. No more problems. Since then, periodically shift to 4L and back just to be sure everything works.

I've known others who had the shift motor go bad or something else in shift motor electric system so transfer case wouldn't shift. If you can't shift into 4L, shift motor probably isn't working so test this first to help isolate problem.

Also, if you (or previous owner) got the vehicle stuck and tried rocking it out in 4WD auto, you may have gotten the transfer case clutch hot enough to stick. There's a clutch inside the transfer case that engages the front drive train when the rear wheels spin (4WD auto mode). Always shift to 4H or 4L if you are stuck, much less strain on drive train. If you burn them up, those clutch assemblies aren't cheap either.

On 4WD Auto mode vehicles, the front drive axles and drive shaft always turn when vehicle is moving so that's no indication its stuck in 4WD. There's no "freewheel" like with the old manual or automatic hubs.