4wd not working

^^This^^ Water for sure! I try to avoid unless the Zombies are coming!

 

So I believe I’ve fixed the problem now but won’t know 100% until tomorrow as ive got to wait 24hrs for the gasket maker to fully cure before putting oil back in the front diff. I ended up pulling my front a.d.d actuator and found water inside with a bit of corrosion. I sanded down the corrosion, soldered the motor leads and put dielectric grease on everything. When I turned truck on, my 4wd light is not flashing anymore. Also tested motor when it was out and it was working.

 

Any indication of where the water got in? (To hopefully seal it in the future)

 

Glad to hear it appears fixed, and appreciate the update.
One note: The feedback wipers give a non acceptable reading to the ECU when the ADD motor is operated too far either direction. While reassembling the actuator it is possible to end up with the actuator in this condition. In that case, there is nothing necessarily wrong with the actuator, it just needs to be manually (physically or electrically) operated back to a mid position where the feedback is acceptable. This should only come up while reinstalling or replacing the actuator, not in normal usage. If you appear to have no lights with ignition ON, then you should be fine in this regard.

 

Well when I filled up diff with oil Today I tried 4wd and still not working properly. 4wd light flashes when trying to engage and it locks my front diff it feels like but not my transfercase by the feel of it. Once it locks my front diff I have to turn knob back to 2wd and then turn truck off then back on to get it to unlock and to get 4wd light to stop flashing. I am assuming it’s my transfer case actuator now. They both probably got water in them ffs. So annoying right when I thought I fixed it nope.

 

Sorry to hear that.
Before you tear into the transfer actuator, i would do a simple test to make sure the front ADD is physically locking up properly, although this doesn't check if the ADD is 100% electrically working. (will need to check it with an ohmmeter to know that for sure.)

Put the truck up on some jack stands, at least 1 front and 1 rear tire off the ground.
Get it happy in 2wd with Ignition On.
Switch to 4Hi, Turn the front wheel forward and back and check to see if the front ADD physically locks in properly and is now causing the driveshaft to the transfer case to turn.
If front ADD is physically locking, next check if the transfer case is physically locked in (with truck in neutral).

Don't want you to go off on transfer case if the front ADD is still not working right. Note, the front ADD can 'lock in' during this test, and still be the root cause of the issue, but its a quick test and better than nothing.

Only way to be more sure, is to do an ohmmeter check on the actuators (when in the flashing mode) to see which one is not electrically happy. Checking them with an ohmmeter isn't hard, and should point to the problem more definitively.

Good luck

 

Is ohming out easiest done at the actuator or at an ECU?

 

If skid is off, then definitely at the actuator, (or 1 connector away from the actuator...)
if skid is still on, probably still at the actuator
If interior totally removed but skid installed, then at the ECU

 

Thorough explanation

 

I have a slightly off topic question, but if he had an air locker up front, would he have been able to engage it and side step this problem? I have a hard time wrapping my head around these varying driveline issues.

 

No
The locker makes a differential... not be a differential when it is turned on. The differential allows the axle to have different speeds LH to RH, but the same torque LH and RH. The locker makes the LH axle turn at exactly the same rate as the RH axle, with torque no longer the same LH to RH.

The ADD (and similar parts) makes 4wd driveline components not turn when you don't need them (in 2wd)... generally this is to reduce wear, reduce parasitic loss, etc.

 

Okay so I lifted up just the front of my truck In neutral and when I spin 1 tire the other tire spins the other way turned into 4hi but still flashing. Then I lifted up the whole passenger side front and rear wheel up off the ground in neutral in 4hi with light flashing still and when I turn my front wheel my rear wheel spins as well same way along with both drive shafts. Making me think both actuators are working. Making me very confused now. Any ideas?

 

Also put truck up on 4 jack stands and all 4 tires spin but green 4hi light just flashes and will not get out of flashing 4 hi until I turn truck off with switch turned to 2wd and then on start up it will disengage back to 2wd

 

Does it engage/disengage when changing between 2WD and 4H, just not showing that it has engaged/disengaged via the light?

 

Yes that is what it’s looking like. When I put it into 4hi I can hear the click but then stays flashing. But then when I flip it back to 2wd it will not disengage until I shut truck off then turn back on

 

more than likely a connection is loose or corroded

U r going to have to look ......prod.......clean

reattach

 

I have put dielectric grease on both actuator connections they all looked good.

 

NOT sayin Uv done anything wrong

NOT sayin the issue is Ur fault or U r the blame

what U can do is no less what a dealer tech will do

sometimes the issue is well known & out of experience

someone on this site or others can tell U expressly what the trouble is = quick fix !!

sometime out of experience the dealer tech maybe having seen it b4 can go to the right zip code
find whats the issue = bingo

Y E T

more often than not its a headache/pita

thenU have to hunt peck search.................loose or maybe gain religion

could be under the dash

in the console

a frayed wire rubbing against something

good luck

 

Sounds like the transfer switch actuator assembly. That assembly contains the 4WD and 4L detection switch. Would need to locate it and check a few things on it.

 

So both actuators are 'working' as they are both operating (engaging and disengaging).

There is a 90% chance that you have a bad feedback signal from the transfer actuator based on your current description, but i can't guarantee it.

Per my recollection
When going from 2hi to 4hi, first the front ADD engages. After it completes the ADD actuation (and the ADD reads to be in the new position), the transfer actuator begins to engage.

It sounds like the transfer actuator is never providing the '4hi' signal to the ECU, although it is engaging mechanically. This will cause the ECU to flash, as the 'locked' signal is not being received, and the ECU gets perturbed and locks out further motion. When you power cycle and switch to 2hi the bad signal doesnt piss off the ECU.

I would say chances are very high that it is the 4wd or TL2 signal from the transfer actuator. Could be in the actuator or wiring.

To diagnose (if it were I), I would put it in 4hi, then check the transfer actuator with an ohmmeter.



Or pull the actuator and physically look at it... but I would like to ohmmeter it while still in the truck.