4x4 ranger question
 

i have a 95 ford ranger 4 wheel drive 4.0 v6 automatic transmission.I put it in 4 wheel drive today and when i took it out it is like the front tires are still engaged and it makes a real bad grinding noise and i mean bad when you drive it.no matter what you do it wont stop, ive tried backing up and every thing to try to get it to disengage but it wont.it has automatic hubs on it.can the hubs be bad that is causing it to grind like that?We just replaced the wheel bearings (inner and outer both sides) about 4 months ago. and the u joints seem to be tight.What else could cause it to grind like that?Please give me some help im begining to get frusturated with it.Any info would be greatly appreciated.

RE: 4x4 ranger question
 

the reason for the gind noies is that it still in 4wheel drive but stuck in the middle. the grind noies is from the ptu u might have a bad 4 wheel drivesolnoid or the ptu is bad. make sure the ptu fluid is full also. hope this put u in the right directon. BJW

RE: 4x4 ranger question
 

What is a ptu? what is a 4 wheel drive solnoid?never done much work on a 4x4.will the ptu fluid being low cause it to grind?

RE: 4x4 ranger question
 

I have a 91 ford f150 4x4. It used to have automatic hubs and a manual shift for the transfercase. Couple years ago on the way home from a hog hunt we pulled into a gas station and filled up with gas. When we left the drivers side from hub clicked (grinded)to beat hell. It acted like it was trying to engage or was stuck half way engaged. We had not used the 4x4 at all on this hunt and so I have no idea why it messed up like it did. But we drove it on home down the interestate at 80 mph. Wasn't anything else we could do at the time. I put lock outs on it the next day. No problems since then.

P. S. I had a 86 ranger with a automatic transmission. The transmission was JUNK. Sunk $1300 in it and it was going out again a year later when we traded it off. My brother had a 88 ranger 4x4 with automatic, same story. JUNK transmission. I hope you have better luck than we did with them. I won't own another one.

RE: 4x4 ranger question
 

OK a ptu is the power take off unit or transfer case that what tranfer power or what drivers the front wheels in 4 wheel drive. the 4x4 solnoid is a vacum solnoid that put the transfer case in 4 wheel both of those things might be bad. if the fiuld low it might cause a noies but not a ginding noise hope that helps. BJW

RE: 4x4 ranger question
 

Allright, with some of these fords, when u go into 4wd and then back into 2wd, some require you to back up any where from 10-15 feet to disengage the automatic locking hubs. We had a 95 isuzu trooper that used to do that untill we read the manual. Our 98 f250 will shake like a mother if we dont back it up after we take it out of 4wd. Give it a try.

RE: 4x4 ranger question
 

I just got rid off my ranger. if it still doesn't dis-engage after backing up 10ft. then its your hubs. Ford auto locking hubs are ****. take your wheel off and the pull the hub off, if the little tabs that stick up are worn and rounded, time for some new ones, if you use your 4wd often i suggest upgrading to the Warn manual locking hubs. If not go to the wreckers and grab some that have nice square edges still. Explorers are also good donaters. here's my old truck
http://www.we-todd-did-racing.com/wetoddimage.wtdr/wMTE3Nzc0OTZzNDEzZGZkMzF5NTQx.jpg