4wd not working

[klloyd]

Ok, got the cv axcel in, and had the chance to test the 4wd on it. Now I know that last year it worked... but it doesnt work now. When you hit the button, the light comes on in the dash, but the rear wheel do not engage. Is it a vac line, or something else? I was excited to see it back on the road again!

[Petros]

I take it is the autotrans that has the solenoid engagement? You have power to the switch anyway, that turns on the light. check your fuses, crawl under the car and see if the connector is attached and not damaged. Put a volt-ome meter on the wire to verify you have power at the connector. I would wiggle the connector, unplug/plug it back in a few times to clean off any corrosion on the contacts and than try it again. These solenoids are usually pretty reliable, but they can get sticky. If you apply 12v directly to the solenoid wire from under the car, and you do not hear a click, you will have to remove the solenoid. If it is burned up you will need to replace it, however it has been my observation that many get gummed up or worn and get sticky. I once cleaned the steel plunger up with fine wet and dry sandpaper (it had been galling with lots of metal transfer), and put a little moly grease on it and it worked again. If all else fails you may have to find another solenoid, since I do not know what else would cause it not to engage short of major transmission damage to the rear output shaft. The point is to test the easy/inexpensive things first, than move on to check the more costly components. That way you are not replacing good parts at random.

[klloyd]

Awesome! lots of stuff to play with! Thanks!

[Mark]

This might seem like a stupid question, but how do you know the rear wheels aren't engaging? With mine, there's no sound or "feel" that tells me the power to the rear has engaged. The only way I can really tell is if I go on a slippery surface like snow or mud. Like Petros said check where the wiring is plugged into the solenoid. According to the wiring diagram, the 4wd solenoid wiring could be unplugged at the solenoid and the 4wd light will still come on when you press the button.

[dlb]

This might seem like a stupid question, but how do you know the rear wheels aren't engaging? With mine, there's no sound or "feel" that tells me the power to the rear has engaged. The only way I can really tell is if I go on a slippery surface like snow or mud.

the way i test 4wd is to start from a dead stop on a gravel hill. in 2wd, the car will usually spit rocks. in 4wd, that doesn't happen. i've also done the same thing on flat gravel, just giving it lots of throttle. same results: 2wd = spitting gravel, 4wd = no spitting gravel.