My Kid has a 1997 with the A4WD version of 4 x 4. What are the failure modes in this beastie? He is almost afraid to drive it anymore because he doesn't want to be stranded. What kinds of history are on this particular unit. Junkyards say it is a 97 only ofering which makes me suspicious right up front...how about the transfer case shift motor..it is generally troublesome? We have replaced the front axles hoping that was the culprit...but, no. Any help out there? mayf, down in Pahrump, NV

well typically the transfer case is supposed to be as reliable as the rest of the drive train. if you follow the right procedures for moving in and out of 4hi and low etc.   i have dropped two transfer cases, both my fault for shifting at speed.  eventhough we get alot ofsnow here i just leave it in auto now and let it do its thing and it works fine.  if you are in drive and your truck doesnt go any unles you put it in 4lo then you have a xfer case problem....otherwise it is something else   On the road to retirement? Check out MSN Life Events for advice on how to get there!

Stephen, the kid and I have no clue as to what else it could be. Turning cornes is the worst and we have replaced the fron axle shafts. The front dif  seems to be a non locker type as when we had the front end off the ground, we could turn one wheel while holding the other still. Could the tranny be about to head south? I hate to get a new xfer case and have it be something else...they are 1000 bucks! Can the case be stuck in 2 gears? Think the shift motor could be kaput and hung somewhere in between?    In any case, many, many thanks for answering!   mayf

Isn't this Awd version still available in the mercury version? What is it doing? What was the problem?  

Chris, I will see the kid today and get specific details. For one, tho, it wont shift from Auto to either 4 low or 4 high. We thought about the GEM and that might still be it. As to the Merc version, I dunno because everythime we look for one, it always comes back as 97 only. Be nice if we could find a second supply so to speak. Do you have any experience here?   mayf, and many thanks!