1 wheel drive. whats wrong?

It could be just a blown fuse, or a wire disconnected/broken or a corroded connector somewhere, or even water got inside the controller somehow.

I've never seen one with push button control.

On the older model, you engage 4wd with a mechanical lever, then a switch in the transfer box activates the controller that operates a vacuum valve to engage the hubs. If the vacuum is tight, the 4wd light comes on.


I suspect that the switch activates a servo in the transfer case to engage 4wd, and operates the valves for the hubs when the switch on the transfer case confirms it is in 4wd. If the switch isn't working the light won't come on or the hubs engage.

Someone did report that he snapped the wire off the transfer box switch bashing it on a rock once.

If it is under warranty, get the dealer to look at it. (Don't mention the handbrake thing)

You mentioned that you can hear the hubs locking - can you hear the hubs or a hub locking?

Get someone to put it in and out of 4wd whilst you run around listening to each hub. If one doesn't lock you'll only have rear wheel drive and as has been said before, the wheel with the least grip will spin - which is not unusual at the moment and on the slippery surface you are on!

Hopefully it's just crappy vacuum hubs not working properly for you.

Kirkynut

As you have an electronic transfer box perhaps the noise you are hearing is that engaging and not the hubs. The hubs can also click and not duly engage.

Martin

I went to the car and its not the 4wd fuse. Had another look underneath and there is a sign of oil which i think is comeing from the transfer box. Its hard to do anything as there is a foot of snow on ground. Hopefully the snow will hold off so i can get it somewhere i can work on it.
I can hear the hubs locking, well what i think is the hubs. Will the rear wheels make a locking sound or is it just the front wheels? Also does the rear dill lock when 4wd is engaged? Or how does it actually work?
Thanks

When you move the transfer box lever from 2WD to 4WD.....

1. The vacuum hubs lock on the front wheels (you may hear a click from near the front wheels)

2. When the system THINKS the hubs have locked (they may not have) then a soleniod moves the transfer box into 4WD, you may hear a clunk from the transmission tunnel area.

Today i finally got to spend a bit of time on it. I put the car in 4wd and took hubs off. Both are locking. The prop shaft is spinning to the front diff when in 4wd but not in 2wd. So transfer box is working ok. Why it was in 4wd i was turning the drive shaft by hand when hub was off. Is that normal? That was for both sides.