Anybody have a Ford Superduty with electronic shift 4WD?

Matt Shade

Matt Shade

Joined
Nov 24, 1999
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Another mechanics question of sorts.
My dad has a 2001 F350. Its the first 4X4 I've ever used thats got the auto locking hubs and electric shift. This morning we had 6" of snow down from previous storms and were getting a nice bout of freezing rain to top it off. He tried to drive the truck to work and it wouldn't shift into 4 wheel drive, more specifically he didn't think the hubs were locking. Damn rear end slid sideways and he got stuck in the yard (its a dually, in 2wd and snow its worthless). Neighbor pulled him out (with a ford truck just like it so all you chevy fans can shut up ;) ) and he got on his way. When he got to work, the 4 wheel drive worked again. Figured somehting just froze or something.

Anyway what I want to know is if you can manually lock the hubs in still?
They have a normal looking knob on the hub with an arrow pointing left that says auto, and an arrow pointing right that says lock. I figured that means you can lock them in permanently, but with the truck parked and shut off I couldn't turn the knob by hand.
Do I need to eat my wheaties? Does the truck have to be running? Is it automatic only? Whats the deal? I could go out and dig up the owners manual, but I don't feel like it and I don't remember seeing anything in there about it before.

Thanks
 
A friend of mine had the exact same problem during the recentl cold snap here in Portland. He did some on-line research and found out that many recent-year Ford F-series trucks with electronic 4WD refuse to go into 4WD in cold. Apparently, it's one of those issues where Ford doesn't want to own up to the problem because of the huge campaign exposure.

Talk to your dealer. Even without a recall, dealers often fix known problems and sneak them under warranty. Basically, they mis-report the problem so that it is covered under warranty. From what I hear Ford dealers are especially versed in this sort of thing.

This sort of thing hurts the manufacturer because they use the warranty service reports to determine what they need to redesign and fix. So, the truck has problem A. Ford doesn't want to own up to A because they don't want the huge cost of a campaign. So, the dealers fix A and bill it to Ford as a a warranty problem B. At the end of the year, Ford engineers pour over the warranty data and say, "Boy, B is a big problem. Let's redesign that part of the truck." So B gets fixed, but it was never broken in the first place. Meanwhile A is neglected because there are no warranty returns for it (they're all listed as B). The dealers? Well, they're happy because their customers are happy because A got fixed, so they don't care. The customers? They're happy because A got fixed, so they don't care. It's a classic example of how when senior management denies a problem and tries to make it go away, they end up hurting themselves in ways they never thought of.
 
KER-CHUNK! The good reassuring sound of a manual lever engaging the transfer case in a solid axle Jeep...pure heaven!

Sorry, no solutions. Don't really trust "buttons" to put a truck in 4x4. ;)
 
Originally posted by arcteryx79
KER-CHUNK! The good reassuring sound of a manual lever engaging the transfer case in a solid axle Jeep...pure heaven!

Sorry, no solutions. Don't really trust "buttons" to put a truck in 4x4. ;)
Click to expand...

I prefer the manual shift too, not any harder to do, and you know that it went in. Manual hubs too, I can leave them locked when I know I'm going to be in and out of 4 wheel drive and can unlock them when I won't be, saves gas mileage and wear on the universal joints and stuff.

Gollnick
I don't think its just a problem with fords, the vacuum lock hub system is something I've heard people complaign about on all kinds of trucks. It would be nice if they'd come up with something better though, or just go back to manual hubs and stuff. I think its an option, but you won't find one that way on a dealer's lot.

So nobody knows if you can manually lock the hubs so that only the transfer case disengages?
 
Chevy trucks are notorius for that crap. They use a thermal actuator switch in the front differential to lock the axles together. I pulled my switch out and stuck a welding rod inside the piece that moves and cut it the right length and screwed it back in. 4wd always locks in instantly now:P
 
I knew I'd heard it about more than just fords. Thats why I like manual shifting, transmissions too, that auto stuff just doesn't shift when I want it too :D

Well winter's over and it never happened again, I looked in the manual and you can lock the hubs in manually. Dad just opted to put it in 4 wheel drive before he parked while it was still warm. Turning one know from the drivers seat instead of 2 knobs on different sides of the truck ya know. Lazy ;)
 
My last three pickups have been Fords...two F250s w/460s and the current 2003 F350 w/V10..I put my Western ProPlow on in Oct and take it off in April..Hubs stay locked 24/7/365...nary a problem...While I can appreciate the clank of manual 4X4...my Rubicon has it...I got so tired of my Land Cruisers cantakerous manual shifter (nearly had to beat it with a hammer sometimes...and the Warn Hubs were the proverbal b*tch, I love the touch and go...but I am older too.
 
found out the $300.00 way (dealer) that ALL four tires on a 4x with automatic 4wd must be within certian tread wear of eachother, otherwise it makes the thing (4wd) kick in at various speeds. The best website for ford truck products is ford_diesel.com; even if you don't have a diesel, the boards have every bit of info on drivetrains, trannys, etc. I think that's still a good address, as I sold my truck a few years ago and haven't been there in a long time.
 
How do you like the V10 Michael?
Is the gas mileage pretty bad? I'm driving a little F250 right now with the 5.4 V8, mileage is a lot better than the old 351 but not good. I wish it had the 6 speed, that would help and I like a manual better anyway.
My dad's truck is a powerstroke, which I love. I can't see myself every buying anything else unless I absolutely can't afford it. It does bump the price up though :(

Hank
Good call on the tires. Thats a good practice anyway. My dad's truck just got a new right fender (dually) and running board compliments of the ****** general tires it came with. Very little wear but the tread flew apart on the freeway, while pulling a 30 foot horsetrailer none the less. Replaced them all with good years.
 
Moving to Gadgets & Gear.
 
Hank, the V-10 I have is an auto...11MPG no matter what.
The two F-250s were both 460s...the auto got 10MPG and the straight drive got 12MPG. I really miss the 460...the V-10 is more like an Indy car...the 460s were muscle...
 
My 5.4 V8 gets about 14 mpg with mixed freeway and in town, as long as your not driving it hard, has the 4 speed auto and 4.10 gears. Haven't taken a long trip towing with it to test the mileage that way. I think its about equal to the old 351(which got 10 mpg with a 5 speed manual and 4.10 gears). It seems like it might have a little more torque but the damn auto transmission keeps the rpms up so you wouldn't know it most of the time. It pulls pretty well all things considered.
I never drove a 460, but the farm I work for has a truck with a 400 cleveland in it. Thats got muscle. It is a different feel than these newer motors for sure. They just don't sound right for one thing.

Now a friend of mine had a V10 in an F350 and he straight piped it, that made quite a difference. It sounded like a truck again, from miles away. It had the deepest sound of any motor I've ever heard, didn't cackle like a hot rod, but it carried for miles.
 
Thanks Frank
I'll have to check that out. The system seems to be working fine for him now but any info is helpful, gives an idea of what to watch out for.
 
Man my Chevrolet HD shifts just fine so I really don't know. :p

Of course I've had more than a few Fords and they were all great trucks also. Anyway, my father in laws full size Bronco has push button 4x, and he had this same problem in the snow. If I remember right, he said the problem was a small gear that got stuck and wouldn't engage the 4x. It needed to be lubed, and it would work fine. I'm sorry that I can't tell you more than that, but you may go to the Ford dealership, and find the older guy in the shop thats been working there for many years and he is the one that will usually tell you the absolute truth about what was/is wrong with your truck. Let us know what you find out.
 
Its worked fine ever since that day so I'm guessing its a lubricant issue or something minor like you said and the grease/lube got too stiff from the cold.
Since its been working I doubt we'll bring it up with a dealer, phucking crooks. They wanted to keep the truck for a whole day and charge $450 to change the front brake pads.....JUST PADS! "These biguns aint like them little F150's"
We did at home, top of the line pads were about $60 for both sides I think, and it took less than an hour.
 
This is why I only use true 4wd. Manual hubs and a lever to activate. I see too many problems with electronic 4wd. But, this is the way of the future as I see it in all 4wd vehicles. To many people that want trucks and suv's but really have no use for them. The auto makers give them this convienent way to use 4wd without getting thier hands dirty. The new F-150 FX4 is Ford's off road package and you can only get it with electronic shift 4wd. What the hell is that about?? It's an off raod package. It's supposed to be for heavy use. I guess it's rough getting into a housing development these days. :D
 
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