Bronco II Stuck in 4Hi

[The Fonz]

Tried searching but couldn't find anything on it. My 88' Bronco II is stuck in 4Hi, it has the infamous auto locking hubs with a working module. The button lights up and everything when its activated and clicks and turns off when it's deactivated but the damn thing won't get out of 4Hi! I tried shifting it in park and neutral but no go and tried shifting it into 4Lo then back out of 4Lo but it still is stuck in 4Hi.

 

[70roadrunner]

electric shift?

 

[wildbill23c]

Shift it back into 4WD high range. Put the truck in reverse and back up a bit, then try putting it back into 2WD mode and pull forward, sometimes they get sticky especially when extremely cold. Another reason why I like the manual levers and hubs LOL.

 

[ab_slack]

Shift it back into 4WD high range. Put the truck in reverse and back up a bit, then try putting it back into 2WD mode and pull forward, sometimes they get sticky especially when extremely cold. Another reason why I like the manual levers and hubs LOL.

^ ^ This

Even when it shifts, it takes driving backwards to complete the unlock. I even think that was in the manual someplace but I may be confusing with some other vehicle.

It can be especially finicky when tension has been wound up into the 4WD system by being on pavement when conditions aren't slippery enough.

 

[The Fonz]

Thanks everyone that did the trick! I really hate these electronic shift systems

 

[ab_slack]

Thanks everyone that did the trick! I really hate these electronic shift systems

Agreed. My 89 didn't make it thru the first winter after I got it before I had manual hubs swapped in. Then I just left them locked. Never had problem shifting between 4hi and 2 like that. May still have had trouble 4hi and 4lo sometimes still when tension was wound into the system, but I may be confusing that with my 02 explorer. The Explorer electronic switch seems pretty transparent and quick to me compared to the 89 B2. At least between 2 and 4hi, but then again it is designed to auto engage even when in 2. Going from 4hi to 4lo is still clunky process, but even with manual level you have to do things the right way.

 

[wildbill23c]

This fall I had new tires installed on my B2, and since then we just had about 4" of snow and thought I'd take it out and try out the new tires, I locked in the hubs and started off in 4WD, drove into town got to the store got out and turned the hubs back out and drove home in 2WD, its amazing the difference a set of tires with tread makes LOL.

My grandfather's 93 Ranger got stuck in 4WD and ended up driving it in reverse out of the driveway and it finally unlocked. Everyone seems to think electronics is such a great idea until it don't work the way its supposed to LOL.

Glad you got it to disengage, that could have been really bad on your drive train.