4 Wheel drive wont engage

The 4wd high light comes on but the 4wd low doesnt, 4wd doesnt engage in either case. Had some problems last winter with it engageing intermitantly. When it did it wa an audible thud you could hear and feel.

98 ford ranger 6 cyl 5 spd 120,000 mi. The yellow 4wd indicator lights on dash come on when I start the veh and then turn off like the rest of the start-up lights. When I turn the knob to engage the 4wd nothing happens, it stays in 2wd. 4wd does not engage (High or Low) and regardless of the position of the 4wd knob the 4wd indicator lights on the dash occasionally flicker while I drive. However when they flicker, that is all that happens, there is no 4wd activity or noises to indicate something is trying to happen. I checked all the fuses near the door panel and they all look good. Could it be the switch itself?

How do you go into 4wd.

I turn the selector knob on the dash so it's pointing at 4wd high. This is done while the vehicle is stopped. Bought the vehicle used last winter and it worked fine for most of the winter then one day it didn't work anymore. :(

I have a 1998 ford ranger 4x4 with a 3.0 liter engine. Today I was driving it home when I noticed the four high and four low indicator lights on the dashboard will blink a few times and then stop for two minutes and then start up again. I tried to put it in four wheel drive but it wont go into either one. I recently had it inspected and I also had to disconect the battery a few days before, could this have caused a code to reset? Pease help, thanks.

1998 Ford Ranger

i have sent my truck to a mechanic twice because my four wheel drive is not locking in they thought is was the valve but it is not they tried the part and still did not work. What could this be.

I have a 1998 Ford Ranger 3.0L with 108000 miles. I have been having problems with my 4wd working. The problem is that the 4wd will not engage and when this happens the 4x4 high and low dash lights flash on and off about 8 times or so. The lights continue to do this every 5 minutes or so. This is not the first time this has happened to me, but last time the problem went away. Any ideas as to the problem? Also any estimate at what it would cost to fix? Thanks alot.

I found this question elsewhere...Looks like it is a good start...

https://www.2carpros.com/forum/problem-with-the-4-wheel-drive-vt24532.html?highlight=explorer

I have a 1998 Ford Ranger extended cab with 4x4 and the 3.0 liter 6 cyl and 5 speed manual transmission. After one week of ownership and driving on a lot of snow and ice the 4x4 no longer engages. The indicator lights for 4HI and 4LO flash together 6 times every few minutes and truck stays in 2WD no matter where you put the knob on the dash. Found no blown fuses. Could this be the actuator motor for the transaxle or probably the automatic hubs?

Hello. I have a 98 ford ranger 4X4 with 125,000 miles. Just recently, my 4whell drive won't work. I turn the switch and the dash light comes on, but the front tires won't go. I then shift the transmission to neutral and switch it into 4 low, I can feel it change into low but the front tires still won't spin. Is it the hubs?

I used my four wheel drive on my 98 ford ranger like a month ago worked fine then a week later I went to use it again and the 4hi and 4lo lights started flashing and hasn't worked since. Been trying to figure out if its the switch or transfer case. I checked all the fuses and they're all fine. And it seems like everyone has a different answer for what's wrong with it. And I don't wanna just go out and by random parts and play a guessing game. Oh and I remember when I put on my manual lock hubs on it a couple of years ago I plugged off one of the vacuum hoses so I unplugged it and put it back where it originally was and now the four wheel drive lights stopped flashing but it still wont go into 4hi or 4lo. So what could the problem be? Its a older truck with 225,000 miles on it but it runs and drives really nice and is in really nice shape with very little rust. I've taken very good care of it and wanna drive it till its completely retired.