How the ST’s 4X4 system works

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JohnPenny Peluso

JohnPenny Peluso

Member
V6 Engine
4 wheel drive
2nd Gen owner
Joined
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Location
, Wa
It is interesting that there are so many opinions on how the ST’s 4X4 system works.

I think I have heard them all now. It slips, it grips? it’s a locked transfer case, oh it has clutches. And of course, It plan luck.

It’s active system, or on demand?

Is it tie-in to the Anti-lock brake?

So, anyone want to clean up the air?

Is the “07” different?:wacko:
 
01-05 ST uses a part time 4x4 system. It is a locked transfer case, no slipping clutches, no ABS.



07, different system, I know nothing about it.
 
The 2nd generation Explorers had the automatic 4wd Control Trac system in the v6 models. My 95 Explorer had 3 settings, 2WD, 4High Auto and 4Low. In 4High Auto, the transfer case used a magnetically actuated clutch system to transfer power to the front if the rear wheels lost traction. In normal operation, 95% of the power went to the rear until slipping was detected.



The system could be used on dry pavement in 4High Auto since the transfer case was not locked. In the '97 or '98 model year, the 2wd setting was eliminated, making the 4wd Auto setting the default, and a 4wd High setting was added which locked the transfer case. The only problem I had with the 4Auto setting was when driving in deep snow, it was difficult to steer because the front wheels would not get any power until the rear wheels slipped. I believe the 3rd gen explorers and the 2nd gen Sport Tracs use an improved version of this system.
 
I am very interested in exactly how the 4x4 system works in our ST's since here in Maine I will be using it a lot this winter and exactly how it work will determine how I drive it in some situations. I was under the impression that the locking/unlocking itself works off a vacuum and for the power to the wheels that is was not a full time 4x4, the power transfers to the front when there is loss of traction in the rear. So whats the deal ST experts.
 
The 4wd is "on demand". The front hubs are always locked in, the switch only kicks the transfer case in and out. The switching is electric, not vacuum. Explorers did have a full-time system available like Todd C said, but that system was never used on Sport Tracs.

(1998-early 2000 Rangers did have vacuum-disconnect front hubs, but they proved to be troublesome and unreliable so Ford dropped it in 2000. A lot of people switch them over to Explorer parts so they're just locked in all the time.)

With our system you should not use it on dry pavement or anyplace where there is no wheel slippage because there is no center differential.

I don't know what system the 2007 uses.
 
i know for a fact that wit my 05 it's full time when i 4high cuz i attemped to do a sharp turn in 4h (forgot i was in 4h) and it took more gas to go and the tires hoped
 
I am curious as to why Ford dropped the Control Trac system for the 1st gen Sport Tracs. It was probably a cost related decision, but you'd think most SUV drivers would be more comfortable with a full-time system like the Explorer has.
 
i know for a fact that wit my 05 it's full time when i 4high cuz i attemped to do a sharp turn in 4h (forgot i was in 4h) and it took more gas to go and the tires hoped
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Ummm, that means it is part time if it binds when turning. Full time means it can stay on full time, part time means you run it when you need it.
 
I wish we had lockout hubs for the Sportrac. No wonder our gas mileage isn't very great...
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The locking hubs went away with the '94 to '95 Explorer model changeover. The 1st gen Explorers had auto-locking hubs that were prone to failure. Many of the people over at explorerforums.com replaced them with manual hubs. The failure issue is probably why Ford went with the setup on the 2nd gen Explorers and the Sport Tracs.
 
I wish we had lockout hubs for the Sportrac. No wonder our gas mileage isn't very great...
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Besides some Jeeps, who makes locking hubs anymore. What SUV's out there that are the size f the Trac get "great" gas mileage?





Tom
 
07--



4x4 on auto is on demand, no locking of the front and rear, more of a reverse abs deal. always on.



4x4 high locks front and rear, is a part time, mechanically engaged (but electronically initiated) system--cannot be used on pavement unless ice and snow present



4x4 low engages the transfer case





right?
 
Webby, you are correct. Here is a small part of an article from 4-Wheel & Off-Road explaining it alittle.



The Control Trac system:



the system's "auto" setting operates with sensors that measure and compare front and rear driveshaft speeds and throttle position, and the system computes the mathematical formula to determine how much torque to send to each axle. These calculations are made 50 times per second, to signal an electromagnetic clutch to adjust the transfer case bias and redirect torque. If the rear wheels lose traction, the optimal amount of torque for the situation is transferred to the front axle--up to 500 lb-ft. In 4-Hi the system locks the front and rear driveshafts together to provide traction at all four wheels. In 4-Lo the system locks the front and rear driveshafts together but adds a 2.48:1 gear reduction, adding the advantages of a much lower gear ratio, greater torque, and more traction control.
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The system in the '01-05 ST:



In the Sport Trac, as in many other two-speed transfer-cased vehicles, there are three settings: 2WD for normal driving; 4WD-Hi for slippery surfaces at higher speeds; and 4WD-Lo for slow speed heavy snow, and off-road terrain.
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Hope that helps. My wifes Mountaineer has the Control-Trac. It doesn't have a knob to switch from "auto, Hi, or Low". You can "lock the wheels from the Info center on her dash. She likes it. She knows to only lock the wheels in when the roads are bad.;)
 
Now this is the most likely answer yet.

I appreciated all the response. It is interesting that how much the computer is doing in today’s auto’s. In someway good, and other ways maybe not. It sure has become complex.

:cool:
 
I think just 3/4 and 1 ton Fords and Dodges.
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I know the Ford 3/4 and 1 ton trucks have electronic shift-on-the-fly 4x4 system, not sure about Dodge trucks though.



Locking hubs are a thing of the past.





Tom
 

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