Explorer rear wheels won't turn

Did someone push the buttons? I went to put mine in 4x4 mode and the shift motor took a dump halfway thru and left the transfer case in neutral.

No - The switches have been electrically inactive for the last 5 years so there was no attempt to put it into 4W mode. Is it possibile for the trnasfer case to just slip out of 2W into a neutral position? The Chilton's Book on the Explorer does not talk about a Neutral position for the transfer case except for the manual selection system.

I've only seen three positions for the transfer case on mine but I have the automatic trans. But if Ashton says it can happen then personally I'd go yank the servo motor and take a look.

I can't recall if there's a position labeled "neutral" when you have the shift motor off and can see the thing but it definitely wound up between positions. I had to pull the shift motor in the street to shift it back so I could pull it into the driveway. It's an automatic.

Yea, I had to pull mine in the mud to get it into 4WD once. I was so pissied of at the servo motor I left it off for days and turned it with pliers. Surprisingly very little mud got in there.

I've "redone" my shift motor three times and each time it lasted a shorter and shorter time before it flaked out. Last time I bought a new one.

How long ago? I've thought about getting a new one but wasn't sure if it would work any better.

I've had mine apart twice and I push the buttons about every other day to keep it exercised--it always works fine until I really need it!

Just a few months ago. I got it from rock auto. They had rebuilt ones that were basically the same as the original as well as a completely new and slightly different looking one. I bought the completely new one. So far so good but you never know what they may do when you need them.

Would it be possible to replace the motor with a shift lever? (It was available this way with manual hubs on the XL models). I haven't been under the truck to look but maybe there's a knockout in the floor sheet metal for the lever? If this is reasonably possible it would avoid the flaky shift motor problem.

when you need them.

The shift motor rotates, a flexible cable, properly attached and run up to the driver may work. Jack

A lot of people have asked the question in the past 15 years and I have yet to see an answer. My guess is that it's not easy. Unlike transmission shifters that connect to levers that only need to move a small amount, the shaft for the transfer case rotates in the neighborhood of 180 degrees, maybe more. That's a lot of movement to try and get from a shift lever.

I think jrchilds' flexible cable may have possibilities. As far as I can tell the 4 High and 4 Low indicator lights are activated by the transfer case position and not the servo position. I'm not sure what would happen if you manually turned it to 4 Low without putting the trans in neutral first.

BTW Ashton I asked how long ago you replaced your servo motor but my reply got lost in cyberspace. I've had some doubts that a new motor would be a real solution so I'm hoping you can tell us.

It's not just a new motor, it's a complete gizmo with the rotary switch so all the old stuff is gone. There are two things that seem to screw up the old ones. There are the nylon stops on the inside that disintegrate. I replaced them once with rubber hose of the right ID and OD and that seemed to work for a while but the motor is VERY strong and when it gets to the end of the stroke it really mashes the stops. The way it's made there is very little room for error in the size of the stop, too short and the gear pin rides over it, too long and it rubs on the gear. Then there are all the switch fingers, if those get dirty and don't make good contact it doesn't send the right signals back to the "brains" back in the jack compartment.