4x4 Won't Engage...b2300
 

Hey everyone - First post here... Anyway my friend's '95 mazda b2300 4x4 won't engage. When he presses the 4low and 4high buttons it only activates the rear wheels. The light on the dash comes on, but the front wheels still wont activate. Any guesses on what could be wrong? Anything like check this and adjust that would be good... Thanks!

RE: 4x4 Won't Engage...b2300
 

Most likely it's a vacuum operated hub system. Sometimes you can have vacuum leaks on the lines leading into the hubs. As the light on the dash is coming on, I'd bet that the transfer case is engaging, just that the hubs aren't. Sometimes they do seize up with rust. (My 01 F-150 did this on one side.) Typically it's a sealed hub assembly and you have to buy the whole unit. Look for another 4wd B-series/Ranger with heavy rear end damage and steal the hub assembly off of it as a whole. Maybe take the whole knuckle ass'y as you would only have to use a pickle fork a Big hammer (BFH) and a couple of wrenches to pull the parts (to separate the ball-joints/tie-rods)

Good Luck

RE: 4x4 Won't Engage...b2300
 

Mazda did not use the pulse vacuum hubs untill 1998 and fortunately killed them in 2001. If the 4 high and 4 low lights are coming on normally then the change motor on the transfer case would appear to be operating normally. The most common problem with these in the auto locking hubs. They are kind of the weak point in the system. Try putting the truck in 4 low and driving forward a ways to give them a chance to engage. Lift the truck up (all four wheels) and see if the hubs have locked. You can do this by trying to stop the axles from turning. If the front axles are turning and you can not stop them and the wheels are not then you have bad hubs.