4WD Issue. Engages but front tires do not work.

Exactly why I would much prefer a manual shift TC and manual locking hubs. A friend of mine buried his Ford Super Duty at the dunes pulling his toyhauler. The switch was in 4hi and no warning lights on the dash, so he assumed he was in 4wd and as soon as he hit sand he was stuck. Leave all the electronic 4wd crap for suv's and let trucks be trucks.

 

Take another look at that ADD? Wouldn't hurt to ask ECGS, they're the experts!

 

That pretty much narrows it down to the front diff. Most likely the ADD. Any way for you to test it while it's off to make sure the motor is working?

 

I plugged it in earlier and the fork moved when I switched to 4hi. I also plugged it in but left the part out and then manually move the collar in the diff while the truck was on stands. Tires still didn't move.

 

Can't be the diff. If it was one side would still spin or you wouldn't be able to move period.

 

So what would be the next thing to check? Wouldn't manually putting the diff in 4wd be enough?

Could it have anything to do with CVs?

 

You sure you pushed the collar all the way? I'm pretty stumped man..

 

Unbolt your rear driveshaft. Just the four bolts on the diff. Don't get carried away with the throttle, idle only. Manually engage 4wd at the T-case, just unbolt the aluminum part of the actuator from the T-case and pull it out one click (assuming you started in 2hi). Next, pop the ADD out of the front diff and slide the collar into place. Now start the truck and ease out the clutch. The truck will move in front wheel drive. If it does not, then it is possible you broke a side gear in the front end (or grenaded a locker if you have an ARB). My money is on the T-case actuator, if you correctly tested the ADD as described.
(I have a spare front diff with 3.73's if it's the former, but sounds like you are re geared?)

 

I'll give that a whirl hopefully tonight. I just regeared...still on the 500 mile break in. Which is why I was afraid it was the diff.

 

Unless it was a side gear (one of the four little ones). I broke one in my rear last weekend and if felt like the truck was in neutral (was in 2hi when it happened). The ring gear was spinning, but it wasn't turning those four gears and therefore neither axle received power, even with the locker on.

 

How easy is to break them? It wasn't working the first time it went in 4wd or at least not for very long. And the times I had it 4wd I was taking things pretty dang easy the majority of the time. Not like I was flooring it and slamming into rocks.

 

I don't know, I've never broken anything in the front diff, even with 37's. In the rear I have broken one ring gear and one side gear on separate occasions, but both took considerable effort. Like shifting while bouncing off the rev limiter without lifting off the throttle with the tires spinning. The weak link in the front is the inner tripod joint on the CV. In ten years of web wheelin' and real wheelin' with lots of 05+ tacos I don't remember anyone hurting the front diff in any way, although I read somewhere someone grenaded an ARB up front and seeen several inner tripods grenade over the years. Those actuators though....there are hundreds of "why doesn't my 4wd work?" threads that ended up being the actuators. The ADD is more likely than the one in the T-case, but mine went bad. I got so fed up with it I made my own manual shift T-case out of a boat shifter and just leave the ADD in the "locked" position all the time.

Edit: just found this nugget on FJC-

 

So your 4wd has not worked since the diff swap?

Did you make sure to swap the stub shaft from your old clamshell into the new ECGS unit?

 

SOB, well we have a winner. I was under the impression it was a swap the brackets and get the bad boy back up in the truck.

A quick look through a thread on expo shows this...


The gear that is driven by the transfer case must be swapped as well.

Well I feel like an idiot for not double checking everything but I have learned a ton from this. I didn't even know how to take my CV's out before I started this project let alone what actually controls 4wd.

Live and Learn I guess. Looks like ill be calling ECGS in the morning and asking them to kindly send back my stub shaft .

 

Glad you got it sorted man! And your ADD got a much needed check up as well

 

Ha! Yea you kinda need that part..

It's a bitch to get out too

 

Any tips on getting it out?

 

Yea..but you'd have to pull the diff apart haha

Silas told me if you get two big ass screw drivers on both sides and pry it'll come out. It has a retaining clip on the end. I actually took photos of mine today.

Bit my dad and I couldn't get that method to work. Ended up used a brass tap on the inside of the carrier to tap it out

 

Seriously. Fuck the front diff.

 

Haha yeah, probably would have went out the moment I got the stub shaft back in just to screw with my