97 Explorer 4WD lights flashing
J. Mark Atlas
Suddenly yesterday, while driving our 97 SOHC V-6 with Control Trac, in 2WD
on a freeway, BOTH 4WD lights began flashing at a regular interval. Every
2minutes (like clockwork) they would flash 6 times, in unison. Then they
were off for two minutes (exactly) and then repeat. What's up???
Kristy W. Hibbs
This has happened to mine twice. The first time, it had stopped by the
time I got it into the shop. They could find nothing wrong. It
happened again last week on the way to work. I called the dealership
(which is quite a drive from where I work) to see about taking it to a
closer dealership. On the way home that afternoon, it didn't happen
again and I've not seen it since.
Mine happens just as you describe above. Please let me know if you find
out anything.
Kristy Hibbs
--
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Kristy Hibbs-Acquisitions & Preservation Alderman Library
University of Virginia Charlottesville VA 22903-2498
804-924-7853
vhk...@sunlink.net
J. Mark Atlas wrote:
>
> Suddenly yesterday, while driving our 97 SOHC V-6 with Control Trac, in 2WD
> on a freeway, BOTH 4WD lights began flashing at a regular interval. Every
> 2minutes (like clockwork) they would flash 6 times, in unison. Then they
> were off for two minutes (exactly) and then repeat. What's up???
Get thee off to the dealer and get the system checked out. Here's what's
likely to be happening: The Auto 4WD system monitors the speed of the
rear wheels and compares that to the front wheels. If the rear seem to
be turning faster, then the GEM computer starts increasing the torque
(by increasing the frequency of the transfer case clutch pack
activation) to the front wheels until the speeds match. If it gets to
the full-on, 50/50 position (as if you selected 4WD-Hi) and the
difference still exists, then the GEM correctly figures out that this
just cannot be and calls a halt, reverting to 2WD and flashing the 4WD
and 4WD-Lo indicators. Most likely the rear axle speed sensor is faulty.
You may also notice inadvertant 4WD activation before the error signal
flashes. Symptoms such as the tell-tail front driveline noise under
acceleration, or the bind-up that occurs turning corners on dry pavement
with front and real axles locked. Or, in actual 4WD situations the truck
may not respond to a 4WD request! Anyway, it is not a big deal to fix
under warranty. Been there, done that!
=Vic=
Bear Gap, PA
Ted Sz
I had this problem on my '96 XLT. This flashing pattern indicates
that an error was detected by the 4WD controller portion of the GEM
unit. While there are probably many reasons an error may be reported,
mine was due to a faulty Hall Effect sensor on the transfer case for
the front drive shaft. I also had problems with it being
intermittent, but when I finally found a technician at my Ford dealer
who knew how to use the Service Bay Diagnostic System (SBDS) he
immediately found a latched code indicating the bad sensor. A new one
was installed and all has been fine since.
The biggest problem you may have is finding a Ford technician who
isn't afraid of the SBDS and knows how to use it. That tool really
works!
On 24 Nov 1997 19:12:02 GMT, kw...@poe.acc.Virginia.EDU (Kristy W.
Hibbs) wrote:
>"J. Mark Atlas" writes:
>> Suddenly yesterday, while driving our 97 SOHC V-6 with Control Trac, in 2WD
>> on a freeway, BOTH 4WD lights began flashing at a regular interval. Every
>> 2minutes (like clockwork) they would flash 6 times, in unison. Then they
>> were off for two minutes (exactly) and then repeat. What's up???
>>
>>
>
Susan Springer
I bet you got one of those vehicles that the State troopers could not
afford....They ordered more than they could get money for. You could paint
it blue, put flashing lights on it and enjoy your new speed limit...:)
J. Mark Atlas <jma...@thegrid.net> wrote in article
<65cedu$6dc$1...@zinger.callamer.com>...
Ray Pezzi
Yes, it's the GEM module all right, but good luck on getting one
instlalled. I posted this a week ago under the heading "What is it
with Ford and parts?" and I am still waiting.....
******************************************************************************
Well, my Explorer is once again less than fully functional as it
awaits back-ordered parts. During our first snowfall of the season I
put my '96 Explorer Sport in 4WD Auto (it has the Control Trac 4WD
system). Unfortunately, the "4 WD" indicator light wouldn't come on
and then after a minute or so both the "4WD" and "4WD Low" indicator
lights started flashing. Uh-oh!!! I switched it back into 2WD and took
it to the dealer ASAP.
It turns out that it needs something called a "Gems (sp?) module"
[part # F77Z14B205EA]. Fine, I've got the extended service plan, go
ahead and fix it, right? Well that was NINE days ago and the part is
still on backorder, my Explorer sits at the dealership, and I'm
driving their ridiculous little Mercury Tracer loaner car!!! Talk
about humiliation! :-)
I thought the problem might be the nincompoops at the dealership, so
I got the part number and called about 20 other Ford dealers here in
Michigan, and none of them have the part in stock. Every day, my
dealer tells me that he expects the part in tomorrow's UPS delivery,
but obviously that hasn't been correct yet. Don't they have a computer
system they can get on which would indicate whether or not a part is
actually in stock at the warehouse they're ordering it from???
If this were an isolated occurence, I'd be more forgiving. However,
after I hit a deer last winter, I drove my Explorer around for 2
MONTHS with a bashed-in grille and only one headlight while awaiting
some stupid two cent piece of plastic that was on backorder. For
$27,000+, I expected a higher level of service than this.
So, what is it with Ford and parts, anyway? Should I have bought that
Toyota 4 Runner after all? I'm planning on replacing my Explorer next
year and right now Ford isn't a brand I'd consider again.
Ray Pezzi
'96 Explorer Sport 4x4 (occasionally)
****************************************************************************************************
On Tue, 25 Nov 1997 20:12:01 -0500, vhk...@sunlink.net wrote:
>J. Mark Atlas wrote:
>>
>> Suddenly yesterday, while driving our 97 SOHC V-6 with Control Trac, in 2WD
>> on a freeway, BOTH 4WD lights began flashing at a regular interval. Every
>> 2minutes (like clockwork) they would flash 6 times, in unison. Then they
>> were off for two minutes (exactly) and then repeat. What's up???
>
Kristy W. Hibbs
My '97 Explorer started with the 4WD lights flashing again. I had it to
the dealer today, who couldn't identify anything wrong (again for the
third time). I will be calling the Ford Company to see what can be
done, but this is becoming very frustrating. With 30,000 miles on my
explorer my warranty will soon be up (36,000) and the dealer today said
that even thought I've reported this problem previously, if it happens
after the warranty is up, and they discover what they problem is, it
wouldn't be covered via warranty. (I'll check this with the Ford
Company too)
vhk...@sunlink.net
Kristy W. Hibbs wrote:
>
> My '97 Explorer started with the 4WD lights flashing again. I had it to
> the dealer today, who couldn't identify anything wrong (again for the
> third time). I will be calling the Ford Company to see what can be
> done, but this is becoming very frustrating. With 30,000 miles on my
> explorer my warranty will soon be up (36,000) and the dealer today said
> that even thought I've reported this problem previously, if it happens
> after the warranty is up, and they discover what they problem is, it
> wouldn't be covered via warranty. (I'll check this with the Ford
> Company too)
>
this problem. Here's what I found out with mine.
The Auto-4WD system monitors the speeds of the front and real axles
using Hall effect sensors (basically, transistors that switch on when a
magnet is near). If the rear is turning faster than the front then the
GEM computer knows that the rear must be slipping and starts increasing
the frequency of clutch pack activation in the transfer case and shifts
power to the front until they both are turning the same rate. If the GEM
gets to a full-on (clutch pack closed 100%, power now 50/50 between
axles, same as switching to 4wd-Hi) and the speed difference is STILL
there then the GEM correctly figures out that this just cannot be and
shuts the system down, reverting to 2wd (rear) and flashing the lights
on the dash. You may notice the system going into 4wd by itself before
this happens, denoted by increased driveline noise under acceleration or
a binding effect when turning.
The fix in most cases seems to be to replace either the front or rear
speed sensors as they usually seem to be the problem either reporting
too much rotation from the rear or not enough from the front. Takes an
hour or so under warranty.
Good luck!
=Vic=
Bear Gap, PA
RShaw
If you have a problem under warranty that the dealer can not find and fix
and later the truck goes out of warranty and the SAME problem is now
corrected by the dealer, the dealer will have to pay for it as a warranty
repair. As long as you have documented the problem the dealer should honor
the warranty repair. If not get a lawyer.
Kristy W. Hibbs wrote in message <669p5p$fir$1...@murdoch.acc.Virginia.EDU>...
>
>My '97 Explorer started with the 4WD lights flashing again. I had it to
>the dealer today, who couldn't identify anything wrong (again for the
>third time). I will be calling the Ford Company to see what can be
>done, but this is becoming very frustrating. With 30,000 miles on my
>explorer my warranty will soon be up (36,000) and the dealer today said
>that even thought I've reported this problem previously, if it happens
>after the warranty is up, and they discover what they problem is, it
>wouldn't be covered via warranty. (I'll check this with the Ford
>Company too)
>
Allen Kirby
Kristy W. Hibbs wrote:
>
> My '97 Explorer started with the 4WD lights flashing again. I had it to
> the dealer today, who couldn't identify anything wrong (again for the
> third time). I will be calling the Ford Company to see what can be
> done, but this is becoming very frustrating. With 30,000 miles on my
> explorer my warranty will soon be up (36,000) and the dealer today said
> that even thought I've reported this problem previously, if it happens
> after the warranty is up, and they discover what they problem is, it
> wouldn't be covered via warranty. (I'll check this with the Ford
> Company too)
>
> Kristy Hibbs
> --
> ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
> Kristy Hibbs-Acquisitions & Preservation Alderman Library
> University of Virginia Charlottesville VA 22903-2498
> 804-924-7853
Two suggestions: find another dealer for service (some dealers are a
LOT better than others) and get documentation that you had the problem
before the warranty expired. Just because they are inept at
troubleshooting doesn't mean you can't get it fixed. If a problem
existed before the warranty expired you CAN get it fixed later. Only
problem is if they claim that it's not the same problem you had
previously, which they could always try. Try another dealer (I've heard
that Lincoln-Mercury dealers sometimes have better service departments,
might be worth a try).
--
Allen Kirby
AT&T Information Technology Services
Alpharetta, GA.
The views expressed here are mine, not my employers.
Kristy W. Hibbs
My 4WD lights started flashing again this morning on the way to work. I
decided to drive the vehicle to the dealership, leave it running and ask
them to hook it up and test it to see if they could find what was
happening. The other 2-3 times I've had it to the dealer, they couldn't
recreate the problem nor could their system pick up the code to
determine what was happening. This time, it was determined that it was
the GEM module (as reported earlier on this newsgroup) and they have
ordered the part. The serviceman said it would be in next week, but I
have to wonder if it will after seeing all of the other posts regarding
the part being on back-order.
Ray Pezzi
On 12 Dec 1997 19:17:43 GMT, kw...@poe.acc.Virginia.EDU (Kristy W.
Hibbs) wrote:
=====================================================================
Kristy--
I hope you don't have to wait as long as I did. My Explorer's GEM
module finally got replaced this week, 4 weeks after I originally took
it in for service. According to the dealer, the GEM module was on
national back-order.
As I posted earlier under the heading "What is it with Ford and parts,
anyway??":
Gary Ferguson
I have the same symptoms, took it in yesterday and will know more
tomorrow. Mechanic said it was code "61" whatever that is.
Ray Pezzi wrote:
>
> Yes, it's the GEM module all right, but good luck on getting one
> instlalled. I posted this a week ago under the heading "What is it
> with Ford and parts?" and I am still waiting.....
> ******************************************************************************
>