Questions and Answers
Explorer Control Trac
Q. I have a 1997 Ford Explorer with the Control Trac four wheel drive system. The vehicle has a 4.0 liter SOHC engine and the 5 speed automatic transmission. There are about 84,000 miles on the vehicle. The Control Trac transfer case has Borg Warner Torque on Demand stickers on it.
The way the system is supposed to work is in the base mode (labeled AUTO) if there is slippage in the rear wheels power is transferred to the front. The transfer case can also be locked into 4WD High or 4WD Low. My system is operating intermittently, sometimes sending power to the front and sometimes not. When it is not, it doesn't matter if I set the system to 4WD High or Low, still no power to the front. When I set it to 4WD Low, it does seem to change the gear ratio as it should.
The area I live in requires 4WD during most of the winter, so I get to test the system almost every time I leave or return to my house. I have used a OBD-II reader to check for trouble codes, but none were found, and I checked the fluid level in the transfer case and the electrical connections to the transfer case actuator. All appear to be fine.
Thanks for your help.
KevinA. The intermittent loss of the AUTO Control Trac can be caused by the battery saver or chaffed wires in that circuit. Ford issued a bulletin on this and suggests the problem can be resolved by either repairing the wiring or replacing the battery saver.
Since the diagnostic procedure is long and kind of complicated, I would suggest the Ford dealer do the diagnosis to confirm this.
Additional Information provided courtesy of ALLDATA
