Stuck in Mud and wondering why...

palmtree108 · #1 06-18-2017, 07:53 PM

Well clearly it's because I probably shouldn't have driven through it.

But!
I am confused because I don't think that the 4x4 was engaged even though I had turned it on and it made that noise that it does.
In the mud only the back tires were spinning and the front ones didn't really have any mud kicked up that would seem would be the case had they been working too.

Then I had to leave the truck in the back yard and cook dinner so it's sitting in the mud during the rain tonight....

So - is there anyway I could try to engage the front wheels while it's in the mud to get it out?
Or am I better off dragging some boards/sand/gravel/small children over there to get it out and then deal with it?

Rinna
New York State
99 Ranger XLT

I'll figure this out someday....

Jimmyspy · #2 06-18-2017, 09:19 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by palmtree108

Well clearly it's because I probably shouldn't have driven through it. But! I am confused because I don't think that the 4x4 was engaged even though I had turned it on and it made that noise that it does. In the mud only the back tires were spinning and the front ones didn't really have any mud kicked up that would seem would be the case had they been working too. Then I had to leave the truck in the back yard and cook dinner so it's sitting in the mud during the rain tonight.... So - is there anyway I could try to engage the front wheels while it's in the mud to get it out? Or am I better off dragging some boards/sand/gravel/small children over there to get it out and then deal with it? Rinna New York State 99 Ranger XLT I'll figure this out someday....

Being a 99, the truck came with vacuum operated front hubs, which were prone to failure. It's pretty common for these to be swapped out with manual hubs. If your truck doesn't have the manual hubs, I would be suspect of the vacuum ones. The manual hubs will have knob/dial in the center of the wheel that needs to be turned by hand for the hub to engage.

Another common issue is the shift motor on the transfer case. These tend to go bad if not actuated regularly.

Unfortunately, neither the vacuum hub nor shift motor issues are very easy to pinpoint with the truck in its current state.

aroundincircles · #3 06-19-2017, 08:37 AM

Drop your tire pressure in your rear tires to ~12psi, and try to drive out again. Dropping PSI gives you a much bigger contact patch and allows your tires to grip more. Worth a try before you start getting out the boards and stuff, May even drop to 8psi, if you're driving just a few feet to get it out of the mud.

x2 on the vacuum system. I would first check the motor (4 bolts, just a moment to get it off, has somebody inside flick the switch to make sure the motor turns). Then I would check the vacuum for leaks. I still have my vacuum system in tact for now, I may switch to manual later, but I may also do a SAS, so waiting before I put the work in.