4A issues. ford says this is normal?

[twinturbo4vGT]

Hey everyone. Picked up a 22 Badlands fully loaded wirh 47K miles a few weeks ago. Haven't really used 4WD other than sport mode and Baja in the sand trails in my local Forrest. Used 4A slippery mode the other day and noticed when pulling into a parking spot at super slow speed the front wheels were chattering and the wheel had some resistance. I immediately knew something was wrong. Isn't the truck supposed to be in 2H until it detects traction issues or sharp turns in 4A? I know I read a few people had the same problems here and it ended up either being the TCM or the transfer case.

Called the dealership I got the vehilce from and the guy in the service department said that is normal, which I know is not the case.

Am I wrong or is the service guy ignorant?

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[Bigmoose]

I cannot say if your issue is legit, but the 4A transfer case isn’t like the old ones that are disengaged until it senses something. It constantly is adjusting front rear torque bias via clutches inside the transfer case.

 

[Ducati1098]

is the service guy ignorant?

Yes.
Low speed parking lot maneuvers in 4A should not be binding.
Realistically it should never bind in 4A, which is why it's acceptable for all driving/road conditions.

 

[Smocaine]

Others have reported this issue with 4A - it's not normal, it's probably bound up. 4A will send no power to the front wheels under many circumstances, including low speed/low throttle maneuvers - it should be totally disengaged and NOT chattering.
If it's only at extreme steering angles, it may just be your tires. My 2WD truck sometimes chirps or skips at maximum deflection, especially over painted lines or in the wet. Either way there should be NO driveline binding.

 

[twinturbo4vGT]

Yes.
Low speed parking lot maneuvers in 4A should not be binding.
Realistically it should never bind in 4A, which is why it's acceptable for all driving/road conditions.

That's exactly what I thought. Guy was an idiot. I was going less than 5mph turning into a spot with just the vehicles weight didn't even touch the gas.

 

[twinturbo4vGT]

Others have reported this issue with 4A - it's not normal, it's probably bound up. 4A will send no power to the front wheels under many circumstances, including low speed/low throttle maneuvers - it should be totally disengaged and NOT chattering.
If it's only at extreme steering angles, it may just be your tires. My 2WD truck sometimes chirps or skips at maximum deflection, especially over painted lines or in the wet. Either way there should be NO driveline binding.

That's exactly what I read. It's NOT normal. The car was going less than 5mph into a parking spot and it started binding. The vehicle has almost brand new KO2s and I've never had issues with them binding like that before.

 

[JediMcMuffin]

Others have reported this issue with 4A - it's not normal, it's probably bound up. 4A will send no power to the front wheels under many circumstances, including low speed/low throttle maneuvers - it should be totally disengaged and NOT chattering.
If it's only at extreme steering angles, it may just be your tires. My 2WD truck sometimes chirps or skips at maximum deflection, especially over painted lines or in the wet. Either way there should be NO driveline binding.

I agree with the above, probably just some tire chatter. I use 4A often, and don't notice significant binding, but low speed maneuvering like parking seems to introduce the slightest bit of chatter.

 

[twinturbo4vGT]

I agree with the above, probably just some tire chatter. I use 4A often, and don't notice significant binding, but low speed maneuvering like parking seems to introduce the slightest bit of chatter.

Definitely not the tires. I do the same exact movement in 2H and they do not have any issues even at extreme turning angles.

 

[Strizzo]

could it be that slippery mode is more aggressive/keeps some amount of clutch lock up in the transfer case? Have you tried it again in just 4A?

 

[HeliPilot]

Yeah, I would cycle it back into 2wd, drive it in reverse a few feet. Park it, or go to neutral, switch back into 4a and see what it’s doing. Could just be bound up and may release if you cycle thru modes.

 

[flip]

Without regard for how Ford has decided to classify 4A as OK for all conditions, it really shouldn't be used on exclusively dry surfaces. If you're concerned about slip, traction control is always running in the background under normal driving and will take care of most of the reasons for a slip. It has been my understanding since 4A was introduced, the intended use was mainly for snowy/icy/slippery road conditions, as a more desirable option to running 4x4 on highway conditions.

I have not bothered looking at the WSM to see exactly what conditions are required to activate the 4A strategy but right angle-ish turns where the outside wheels are moving much faster than the inside, tire circumference variations and the obvious slick conditions are usually enough to do it. Feel free to argue with me but I see no reason to run 4A on dry pavement under "normal" conditions. There are too many variables that can cause it to engage when not needed and put undue stress on the CVs and other part time components. There is absolutely no benefit to use it for daily driving. Like I said, it's what you use when you might need 4x4 assist but driving conditions are outside of the 4x4 limits (highway speeds).

There's a 90%+ chance that most unintended 4A activations fall within designed operating parameters. The few that fall outside are due to diagnosable issues like tire size or a speed sensor.

 

[mpeugeot]

Without regard for how Ford has decided to classify 4A as OK for all conditions, it really shouldn't be used on exclusively dry surfaces. If you're concerned about slip, traction control is always running in the background under normal driving and will take care of most of the reasons for a slip. It has been my understanding since 4A was introduced, the intended use was mainly for snowy/icy/slippery road conditions, as a more desirable option to running 4x4 on highway conditions.

I have not bothered looking at the WSM to see exactly what conditions are required to activate the 4A strategy but right angle-ish turns where the outside wheels are moving much faster than the inside, tire circumference variations and the obvious slick conditions are usually enough to do it. Feel free to argue with me but I see no reason to run 4A on dry pavement under "normal" conditions. There are too many variables that can cause it to engage when not needed and put undue stress on the CVs and other part time components. There is absolutely no benefit to use it for daily driving. Like I said, it's what you use when you might need 4x4 assist but driving conditions are outside of the 4x4 limits (highway speeds).

There's a 90%+ chance that most unintended 4A activations fall within designed operating parameters. The few that fall outside are due to diagnosable issues like tire size or a speed sensor.

I understand your point, but 4A works fine most of the time on all surfaces. I am approaching the point where I am confident that 4A can tolerate full time daily use.

There is some chatter/drag at low speed high steering angles that can be induced, but it doesn't appear to be a problem from the standpoint of reliability (n of 2). The easiest answer is to keep it in 2H if you are not happy with the low speed behavior.

 

[Y2KFirehawk]

Yeah, I would cycle it back into 2wd, drive it in reverse a few feet. Park it, or go to neutral, switch back into 4a and see what it’s doing. Could just be bound up and may release if you cycle thru modes.

This or get it off pavement in to some grass/gravel/dirt and see if the condition persists.

 

[adam1991]

Without regard for how Ford has decided to classify 4A as OK for all conditions, it really shouldn't be used on exclusively dry surfaces.

Ford programmed it to come on in Sport mode.

You're wrong.

 

[adam1991]

https://www.bronco6g.com/forum/threads/updated-check-4x4-warning-alert-4a.32371/

You have a bad transfer case.

and therefore, as a practical matter, you don't have 4A.

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