I have 2H/4H/4L, where is 4A?

[Porpoise Hork]

I'll have to do some hunting on the switch to see if I can find a number for it.

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[Porpoise Hork]

The pn for the drive mode switch is being a bit of a challenge. I found ML3Z-19H540-AA under the Lariat trim From here. The only description is 4X4 and applies to King Ranch, Lariat, Limited, Platinum, Police Responder, Raptor, SSV, Tremor, XL, XLT trims. Not sure if this is even the right switch at all.

Looking on Ebay I found two for the 21+ F150 that have the 4A mode ranging form $65-120. The issue is they both have entirely different part numbers with do not pull up when searching for them from the OEM Parts site or Tasca.

 

[Je1279]

The pn for the drive mode switch is being a bit of a challenge. I found ML3Z-19H540-AA under the Lariat trim From here. The only description is 4X4 and applies to King Ranch, Lariat, Limited, Platinum, Police Responder, Raptor, SSV, Tremor, XL, XLT trims. Not sure if this is even the right switch at all.

Looking on Ebay I found two for the 21+ F150 that have the 4A mode ranging form $65-120. The issue is they both have entirely different part numbers with do not pull up when searching for them from the OEM Parts site or Tasca.

I was running into the same problems. Not sure why they make locating part numbers so difficult.

 

[Porpoise Hork]

Revision changes would be my guess. Probably will just need to call Tasca or Granger and have them look it up. Chances are they have more comprehensive parts list than the online stores have or it's listed under a completely different section than where one would expect it to be at and know where to look.

 

[Atlee]

I couldn't agree more about the headlights. Driving on the steep, twisting mountain roads where I live at night in the rain really accentuates how much the stock XLT headlights suck.

As far as 4A goes... I don't need 4x4 on asphalt enough to miss it and I don't mind switching 4WD on & off when I do. It seems to work well and does make a huge difference when you're pushing through a heavy rainstorm.

The headlights on my relative early MY22 XLT 302A are LED's. Seem fine to me.

 

[Kensretired]

Where does that article contradict my statement?

Here the article explains the 4A function in the Raptor TC:

The Raptor’s pavement-focused 4Auto mode is specifically engineered around the TOD aspect of the transfer case. “The clutch-based system allows an automatic electronic engagement or disengagement of the front driveline based on an algorithm and what the traction demands are. It'll look for rear slip and that will send torque to the front when it's required. It's primarily there for on-road slippery conditions: rain, sleet, snow, patchy ice,” Lecrone said. “With all the power that's going to the rear end of the truck, it's nice to have an all-wheel-drive setup where on a rainy day, you're not spinning up the rear axle just trying to pull out of a driveway.”

Which is exactly how every Borg Warner TOD transfer case has operated since 1995 in 4A mode.

Though to be more specific, the front wheels and driveline are always engaged in 4A; however, there's no engine torque being supplied, so it feels just like a conventional 4x4 in RWD before the introduction of the Ford IWE or Jeep/Toyota front axle disconnects, where the half shafts and front differential just freewheel.

The big difference between the newer Raptor transfer case and the classic Borg Warner torque on demand transfer case is the method of lock up for 4Hi and 4Lo and it's mentioned several times in the article. The classic TOD uses the wet multiplate clutch pack for locking into the part-time 4X4 4Hi and 4Lo modes, while the Raptor case uses conventional dog clutches like the old school TC in the XL and XLT. The Raptor retains the clutch pack for 4A operation.

If you are driving on pavement, the classic TOD 4A case is just fine. Sand dunes, beaches and rock crawling will favor the part-time transfer case and the newer Raptor case when not in 4A mode. However, Ford was confident enough to equip Tremor with the regular 4A case in its lower option packages. So despite people overheating and smoking the clutch pack only Raptor cases in sand and mud, they know they likely won't run into many problems with even extensive off road use.



Same reason why you would want 4A in the rain, added power to the front wheels, though he explains that he accepts the added tire wear and other drawbacks of doing so with the part-time 4X4. He doesn't say whether he uses it all the time in the rain or just during especially poor conditions. Rain is pretty dynamic and sometimes a light intermittent drizzle can be more challenging than a hard downpour, so maybe he uses it all the time.

I don't use 4H in the rain, mostly because I don't like how it feels. If there are those people who do though, I won't judge them for it.

I also rarely used 4H in my old truck when I was driving in snow or on ice. I actually enjoyed sliding around and losing traction at low speeds in RWD but I could manually shift it into 4H at any moment should I need it. I don't have that same confidence in Ford's ESOF though and would probably just cruise around in 4H in the snow.



As a safety feature, sadly for some it can be the end of their world. Just like people went seatbelt free without worrying and even believing it to be safer to be thrown free of their car. Or the early skepticism of airbags and ABS; while individually, those features may be meaningless to a driver and his own experience. When taken over the millions of vehicles on the road, each of those systems does indeed save lives as well as prevent collisions and property damage.

The paradox however is that as cars become safer, drivers risk more. Which is why I try not to drive at all when it rains here in the desert, we can have weeks and months without rain, so when it does arrive, there's no 4A, traction control or ABS saving some of these drivers or the masonry walls and homes that they drive into when grossly overestimating their traction.

That's why 4X4 vehicles can be more expensive to insure and an interesting case is the Chevy Astro Van and GMC Safari. The Astro had one of the worst safety ratings but also had one of the lowest deaths per million miles driven. The best guess by those interpreting the data was people who drove an Astro realized either consciously or unconsciously that they were driving death traps and adjusted their own driving habits accordingly.

I remember when I first got car insurance, I was given a discount for having a motorcycle endorsement and I even knew two other drivers who had taken motorcycle road tests specifically to get their endorsements without any intention of ever riding a motorcycle again after the road test only for the discount because at that time motorcycle riders were considered safer vehicle operators and the $5 a month savings meant something.

On the transfer case side of things, it likely won't matter much longer, since EV's are going to be taking over. The debate will be over front and rear transaxles or individual hub motors. Most everything done now with expensive mechanical contrivances will be done by software!

Kind of makes one think about the guy trying to holdup a gun shop using a pocket knife.

 

[GEN14OWNER]

The headlights on my relative early MY22 XLT 302A are LED's. Seem fine to me.

Exactly... "LED".

Those aren't available on a RCSB.

Not "complaining" just pointing out the reality.

It was always my intention to add lighting anyway which is why I added the Snow Plow option with its factory 50amp circuit.

But I've yet to find the lights I want.

 

[Pedaldude]

Do you happen to know if the motor also needs to be replaced if your adding a TOD transfer case to an XLT?

Probably not if there’s not a separate part# for the motor on the 4A transfer case, at least that’s the way my 2001 Navigator is which is missing 2H, the motor has the setting but the switch in the dash doesn’t.

I couldn't agree more about the headlights. Driving on the steep, twisting mountain roads where I live at night in the rain really accentuates how much the stock XLT headlights suck.

As far as 4A goes... I don't need 4x4 on asphalt enough to miss it and I don't mind switching 4WD on & off when I do. It seems to work well and does make a huge difference when you're pushing through a heavy rainstorm.

My truck has been excellent in the one heavy monsoon that I was stuck driving in for thirty minutes running the Michelin Primacy at 45PSI. I was ready to go 4H and had my finger poised near the button a few times but never did press it.

But yeah the Edison bulb halogen headlights are miserable and I avoided driving my truck at night. Even the headlights on my 2001 Navigator are better even though they are halogen too.

Any LED headlights have to be better than the stock halogen.

I got the Alpharex 880139 from Stage3 during their Black Friday sale and they are much better. The brights actually work unlike the stock halogen headlights that would only make glare from signs worse without improved forward vision.

 

[GEN14OWNER]

Probably not if there’s not a separate part# for the motor on the 4A transfer case, at least that’s the way my 2001 Navigator is which is missing 2H, the motor has the setting but the switch in the dash doesn’t.



My truck has been excellent in the one heavy monsoon that I was stuck driving in for thirty minutes running the Michelin Primacy at 45PSI. I was ready to go 4H and had my finger poised near the button a few times but never did press it.

But yeah the Edison bulb halogen headlights are miserable and I avoided driving my truck at night. Even the headlights on my 2001 Navigator are better even though they are halogen too.

Any LED headlights have to be better than the stock halogen.

I got the Alpharex 880139 from Stage3 during their Black Friday sale and they are much better. The brights actually work unlike the stock halogen headlights that would only make glare from signs worse without improved forward vision.

I’m not so sure that the “lumens” themselves are my main gripe with halogen as much as the lens distribution.

I have a lot of wildlife darting out in front of me where I live.

I ruined a perfectly good Mustang years ago when a wild pig suddenly appeared from out of nowhere in broad daylight. (My wife thought it was a cow) I aimed for dead center, hit it right on the mark but it “evenly” tweaked my front end leaving no signs other than a slight bow in both my fenders, a little pig fur on my licenses plate frame and a once tight front end that forever after that was all over the road.

I once startled a deer at the end of my driveway and watched it try to jump over a F150 driving by and crash through the windshield!

I need LOTS OF LIGHT all across the road and beyond. Especially in the rain.

I’ll take a look at the Alpharex 880139. So far everything I have found seems more like “check out my cool 4x4” than actual “what the f’k is THAT?!!!”

 

[astrand1]

One of my projects later this year is to upgrade my truck to have 4A. It can be, and has been done.
You need to get the following:

TOD transfer case
Transfer case control module
4A mode switch

From what I’ve read, the wiring is there. You just need to replace the components. Should cost about $1500 - $2000 in parts.

Reviving this thread. Did you ever get to upgrading to 4A? I’m thinking this might be my next big mod.

 

[wayfarer556]

Reviving this thread. Did you ever get to upgrading to 4A? I’m thinking this might be my next big mod.

Life happened and this project has been on the back burner.

 

[astrand1]

Life happened and this project has been on the back burner.

Copy that.

 

[HammaMan]

Reviving this thread. Did you ever get to upgrading to 4A? I’m thinking this might be my next big mod.

There's a handful of us that have done it.

 

[JExpedition07]

I think some people are confused here. 4A is very nice to have, but in no way is it a safety issue lol. My Expedition EL has it and my F-150 does not. 4A is not AWD.

The key difference is when you aren’t accelerating it is not locked in by the clutches. In an AWD like a Subaru it is. Going around a turn off acceleration your front end is floating like a 2WD. It is more standby 4WD than AWD, it does send some static power forward even in high traction situations but it still isn’t the same.

Would I like it? Yes- 4A was amazing for light snow where you transition from dry to snowy roads. No switching and way easier operation. But in deep snow or mud 4H is going to be safer, as locking the driveshafts splits brake torque and lowers stopping distance, 4A doesn’t give you that braking help. I’ve tried it many times in my Expy EL, 4H much improved the stopping distance on ice over 4A mode. The only safety argument I can see is hammering down on turns over ice- yea there 4A will help you a lot over 2H. But ultimately 4A is more a convenience thing than safety.

 

[astrand1]

There's a handful of us that have done it.

Do you or someone have a good parts list as in part numbers? I’d like to start gathering the parts needed. Thank you sir.

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