Help With 4WD

Jeeper89 · #1 (**permalink**) 07-20-2003, 08:00 PM

Last night i went camping with my friends.There was a log blocking the way so i pulled it and had to put it in 4wd.Went from 4Lo to 4Hi and then when i got on the road i was going no more than 20mph and shifted from 4Hi to 2wd and not my 4wd light wount come off.i have tried putting back into 4lo, 4 hi and rocked it in both and it still will not go off.when i shift it from 2wd to 4 hi it sounds like it has to engauge.i do not have any clue what is wrong :-? .eather my light likes to stay on or its not disengauging from 4hi.it shifts from 4hi to 4lo no problem and it will change between the two but when i put it in 2wd the 4WD light doesnt go off. any help is well appericated and thanks in advance. :-? [addsig]

hi_c · #2 (**permalink**) 07-20-2003, 08:00 PM

First, you need to find out if the 4wd is truely still engaged. Go off-road and see if the front wheels churn up the dirt. If so, then yeah, you're still in 4wd. Did it feel like it came out of 4wd when you shifted to 2wd the first time? You need to check all your vacuum lines going to the front axle. Look for leaks, blockages, anything out of the ordinary. Good Luck.

C[addsig]

jeeperwilly · #3 (**permalink**) 07-20-2003, 08:00 PM

Had something along the lines of this happen to myselft. I checked my vacume lines like Hi C said and had almost no pressure. I replace the front axel disconnect thinking that it was the problem, that it had to be clogged. Well, I was wrong so I started following lines all around the belly of my jeep. I traced them back to a switch on the top of my transfer case which is about a 1.5-2in dimeter and has four ends for the vacume hose asymbley to slide onto. It turned out that this was my problem. I think I costs approx. 15-20$, not a bad fix, but one that has to have the problem pin pointed. Oh, if your not sure it is the switch, do this. Go to the front axle disconnect and find the two vacume hoses that run into it. Reverse the two hoses, if your 4x4 light goes out then your switch is bad and needs to be replaced. This will also keep you rigs front axel disconnected for the time, just don't forget to put the hoses on the right way before you replace the switch. Well, hope ya find the problem.

Paul ;-) [addsig]

Snitty · #4 (**permalink**) 07-20-2003, 08:00 PM

take the vacuum motor apart and see if the fork can freely move back and forth, when you do it.. it should push/pull air through the vacuum ports... the motor is on the front axle on the passenger side... also.. if the vacuum is bad, you might want to consider coverting to a manual, cable style disconnect[addsig]

Bounty__Hunter · #5 (**permalink**) 07-20-2003, 08:00 PM

You're in 2wd, because that's controlled by the transfer case lever on the floor. The front passenger side axle shaft is still engaged, that's why the light is still on. Find out why the lights on, either no vacuum or shift fork in the front axle is stuck.[addsig]

Jeff_C · #6 (**permalink**) 07-20-2003, 08:00 PM

This just happened to me. It was the vaccum switch on the transfer case. But like everybody has mentioned, you must see if it's actually out of 4wd and get a vaccum gauge and troubleshoot. Mine was not in 4WD but the light was staying on. I used a Haynes maunal and followed the test procedures. I don't remember the size of socket for the switch, but a reqular socket ( metric or standard) wouldn't fit. I rented the right socket for $2.00. I just took the new switch with me to the rental shop to get the right size. [addsig]

Tug-n-pull · #7 (**permalink**) 07-20-2003, 08:00 PM

I had the front diff vacuum motor go out on my YJ and the good folks here at jeepz showed me the way to change out to a cable posi lock system. about 30 buck and I was good to go. Now I have 2wd lo in addition to the normal ranges. Here is a link to help you out if you need to do the same. I could not be happier with this system. tug[addsig]