1997 Ford Explorer - QUESTION - HELP **

[Ron Duckworth]

Hi all!!



I have a friend here at work who has a 1997 Ford Explorer 2 Door Sport, 4WD.



Here is the question/problem. We have the same engine but he gets 11 mpg.



He says his 4WD is on ALL THE TIME??? He says the push button 4WD has Automatic, 4 High, 4 Low as settings. But, he says the Automatic setting is not 2 High, that he is always running 4 wheel drive. He says that while in "Automatic" when he goes around slippery turns that he can feel the limited slip kick in.



Is there any way to make it have 2 HIGH to save on gas???



I know this isn't a Sport Trac, but the guy is cool and any help/suggections would be appreciated.



Thanks,



Ron

 

[Tom Schindler]

Automatic 4WD is just that. It is in 4x2 mode until the ABS sensor senses a slip, then it kicks the front differential in.



That is the way it was designed and that is the way it is operating.





Tom

 

[Kevin Palmer]

If he has an AWD (All Wheel Drive) then it is always going to be under a slight strain as well. As Caymen noted above your basically in 2WD until the sensors activate the system. An AWD Vehicle has a different transfer case and turn a few more items all the time.

 

[Travis Munday]

If he can live without the 4x4, remove the front driveshafts. You'll still be turning a few more gears in the transfer case and will be losing some MPG and HP, but without the driveshafts connected you won't be turning the front wheels, which add a lot of drag to the driveline.

 

[Deleted deleted]

I own a '97 Explorer 4 door Eddie Bauer with the Automatic 4WD (called "Control Trac") and 4.0L V6. When slippage is detected in the rear wheels, the front axle is engaged. You can still switch the rotary dial to '4WD' and '4WD Lo' just like on my old ST.



Gas mileage on this SUV is even slightly better than my '01 ST. 16.5 mpg mixed driving, and around 20 mpg on the hwy.



Your friend either has a lead foot, or needs new plugs/wires/air filter/fuel filter/IAC cleaning.... etc.

 

[Tom Schindler]

I have been driving my Trac as calm and slow as I possibly can stand it. My last tank, with mixed driving I was able to average 18 MPG. That is about 12 traffic lights, 5 stop signs and about 6 miles of interstate driving with 5 interchanges.



As I said earlier, the Auitomatic 4x4 system is not AWD. It is an automatic 4x4. When a wheel slips, the front kicks in. If the rear wheels dont slip, it doesn't engage the 4x4.



Little to no loss of MPG.





Tom