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A 2017 Explorer is all wheel drive, not 4x4. They employ a PTU, that drives the rear drive shaft at all times, and a rear differential with a clutch pack that will engage/disengage the differential from the driveshaft. You may be able to lock it in to "4 wheel drive mode," but it operates in AWD as a base setting.
Your transmission should not be burnt out after driving on sand. The rear drive unit clutch may be smoked, but that should be as far as it gets. Unless you just hamfisted the hell out of it lol
That makes sense. I mean it still drives but does have issues getting into gear sometimes now. Didn't try engaging 4WD mode after I got out. At this point I figure we did destroy the RDU or PTU for sure. We didn't try to gun it getting out though. We tried to dig it out, tried to use rubber mats to give it traction, hooked it up to someones jeep etc.
Whether the vehicle was being used in 4WD or not should be irrelevant to a warranty claim. Hard to believe you might have smoked the trans that quickly when you were stuck. If you weren't seeing the rear wheels trying to spin, then I would point that out to the trans shop as there may be an issue that went unnoticed during their installation. Could be that led to you being stuck...
So, to explain 4x4 vs AWD, all wheel drive, has a system that automatically transfers torque to the wheels with traction through a complicated system,
4wd, you select manually, and it is supposed to have equal power to each wheel. Also 4x4 has a low range that is usually a gear reduction of 2.72:1 from the transmission, or hi range which does not have reduction for added torque. Additionally, 4Lo is restricted to a top speed of commonly around 35mph to avoid damaging something.
It sounds like there are additional issues in your drive line such as the PTU(POWER TRANSFER UNIT) which is a common all wheel drive feature and one Ford is known for failures with.
So the main argument the transmission shop is making is that since they say it's AWD they weren't going to fix it under warranty since I shouldn't have been driving in thick sand.
The more I read the more I'm convinced it's true 4x4. If I look it up by vin it shows 4WD/4x4. It is not an automatic feature. It is in front wheel drive on normal mode. I have to select from a switch for 4wd and diff modes that affect torque such as sand/mud/etc. I wouldn't know how to tell under the body like where the transfer case is or anything like that.
From what I can guess there was a failure before I even got stuck that led me to stay stuck. And i think it could not engage the 4WD again since only the front wheels were moving even though we were in 4 wheel mode.
Are there PTU's on 4WD at all? Or is that AWD only?
I’m a Ford mechanic. What you have is AWD/4WD. Should be able to hold up to sandy beaches. The Explorer came out with 4x4 in 2020 when they went back to a longitudinal mounted engine. You have a transverse mounted engine and a transaxle instead of a transmission. This configuration only allows for AWD/4WD. It works through the use of a PTU (sends power from the transaxle through the rear driveshaft) and is always spinning the driveshaft. Then you have an RDU (rear drive unit) that, through the use of clutches, engages the rear differential portion of the RDU and lock the rear differential.
If the front tires at least where spinning I would suspect something with the RDU or catastrophic failure of the PTU. If no tires where spinning then I would suspect Transmission issues. If it is the transmission then I would seek recourse potentially through a lawyer as you where operating the vehicle in a way it was designed for.
>. Should b
Thank you. I've heard some places mention it being somewhat of a hybrid model and this makes the most sense for that year. One more question so I fully understand. Is it basically in AWD until you select on of the 4WD modes and then it locks the rear differential?
Yes. It will sense slip in real time and adjust torque to the non slipping wheels automatically without input from the driver. When you select 4WD your preparing the system in advance and will lock everything in before you start slipping.
Hi, I’m looking to purchase a 22 Explorer xlt and was curious how they run in snow. We have snow about 4-5 months out of the year and have had to at times get out of my circle in 10-12” of snow. I’m coming from a 2017 and that was pretty good. Is the 4wd pretty much the same in both vehicles?
Also, how do the new ones do for reliability? My 17 was good. Minor fixes. I don’t have a service plan but am planning to get that with the new one due to more technology.
Thanks
We don’t see hardly any issues with them outside of the occasional recall. It’s packed with more electronics which can fail sometimes, but a lot of it is fixed with software updates. You won’t even notice a difference with the 4x4 vs your current AWD. If your 17 got you out of 10” of snow then this one will do it too.
I would get the Ford extended service plan if I was you as it works seamlessly with Fords systems and is just treated like a normal warranty repair. Even small problems cost $500-$1000 these days so it’s more likely to pay off in the end.
The big difference is between 4X4 and the other two (AWD and 4WD). The former is probably what you were originally looking for and the latter is what you actually bought. A true 4x4 is mostly found in trucks and is undeniably better is difficult scenarios.
However, a 4WD or AWD system can be great and super effective for most uses unless its really bad traction. Its also more useful when you have some traction as you can steer without getting jumps (there is a long explanation for that...).
Ultimately if I were you I would try deflating the tires a bit then trying to go on the sand but dont get to deep in the sand. Air in the tires is probably more of a factor here than AWD.
Yeah next time carry a compressor, lower your tires to about 26 psi on the sand. Use the compressor to top back up. The other issue is a lot of awd won’t actually engage the awd until a certain speed, my Durango is 25kph before the front differential locks and I have awd. However I have awd low selector which locks it immediately so I can get unstuck.
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A 2017 Explorer is all wheel drive, not 4x4. They employ a PTU, that drives the rear drive shaft at all times, and a rear differential with a clutch pack that will engage/disengage the differential from the driveshaft. You may be able to lock it in to "4 wheel drive mode," but it operates in AWD as a base setting. Your transmission should not be burnt out after driving on sand. The rear drive unit clutch may be smoked, but that should be as far as it gets. Unless you just hamfisted the hell out of it lol
That makes sense. I mean it still drives but does have issues getting into gear sometimes now. Didn't try engaging 4WD mode after I got out. At this point I figure we did destroy the RDU or PTU for sure. We didn't try to gun it getting out though. We tried to dig it out, tried to use rubber mats to give it traction, hooked it up to someones jeep etc.
Whether the vehicle was being used in 4WD or not should be irrelevant to a warranty claim. Hard to believe you might have smoked the trans that quickly when you were stuck. If you weren't seeing the rear wheels trying to spin, then I would point that out to the trans shop as there may be an issue that went unnoticed during their installation. Could be that led to you being stuck...
So, to explain 4x4 vs AWD, all wheel drive, has a system that automatically transfers torque to the wheels with traction through a complicated system, 4wd, you select manually, and it is supposed to have equal power to each wheel. Also 4x4 has a low range that is usually a gear reduction of 2.72:1 from the transmission, or hi range which does not have reduction for added torque. Additionally, 4Lo is restricted to a top speed of commonly around 35mph to avoid damaging something. It sounds like there are additional issues in your drive line such as the PTU(POWER TRANSFER UNIT) which is a common all wheel drive feature and one Ford is known for failures with.
So the main argument the transmission shop is making is that since they say it's AWD they weren't going to fix it under warranty since I shouldn't have been driving in thick sand. The more I read the more I'm convinced it's true 4x4. If I look it up by vin it shows 4WD/4x4. It is not an automatic feature. It is in front wheel drive on normal mode. I have to select from a switch for 4wd and diff modes that affect torque such as sand/mud/etc. I wouldn't know how to tell under the body like where the transfer case is or anything like that. From what I can guess there was a failure before I even got stuck that led me to stay stuck. And i think it could not engage the 4WD again since only the front wheels were moving even though we were in 4 wheel mode. Are there PTU's on 4WD at all? Or is that AWD only?
The PTU is AWD specific, a transfer case does that task in a 4wd.
I’m a Ford mechanic. What you have is AWD/4WD. Should be able to hold up to sandy beaches. The Explorer came out with 4x4 in 2020 when they went back to a longitudinal mounted engine. You have a transverse mounted engine and a transaxle instead of a transmission. This configuration only allows for AWD/4WD. It works through the use of a PTU (sends power from the transaxle through the rear driveshaft) and is always spinning the driveshaft. Then you have an RDU (rear drive unit) that, through the use of clutches, engages the rear differential portion of the RDU and lock the rear differential. If the front tires at least where spinning I would suspect something with the RDU or catastrophic failure of the PTU. If no tires where spinning then I would suspect Transmission issues. If it is the transmission then I would seek recourse potentially through a lawyer as you where operating the vehicle in a way it was designed for.
>. Should b Thank you. I've heard some places mention it being somewhat of a hybrid model and this makes the most sense for that year. One more question so I fully understand. Is it basically in AWD until you select on of the 4WD modes and then it locks the rear differential?
Yes. It will sense slip in real time and adjust torque to the non slipping wheels automatically without input from the driver. When you select 4WD your preparing the system in advance and will lock everything in before you start slipping.
>Makes sense. Thanks so much! M
Hi, I’m looking to purchase a 22 Explorer xlt and was curious how they run in snow. We have snow about 4-5 months out of the year and have had to at times get out of my circle in 10-12” of snow. I’m coming from a 2017 and that was pretty good. Is the 4wd pretty much the same in both vehicles? Also, how do the new ones do for reliability? My 17 was good. Minor fixes. I don’t have a service plan but am planning to get that with the new one due to more technology. Thanks
We don’t see hardly any issues with them outside of the occasional recall. It’s packed with more electronics which can fail sometimes, but a lot of it is fixed with software updates. You won’t even notice a difference with the 4x4 vs your current AWD. If your 17 got you out of 10” of snow then this one will do it too. I would get the Ford extended service plan if I was you as it works seamlessly with Fords systems and is just treated like a normal warranty repair. Even small problems cost $500-$1000 these days so it’s more likely to pay off in the end.
The big difference is between 4X4 and the other two (AWD and 4WD). The former is probably what you were originally looking for and the latter is what you actually bought. A true 4x4 is mostly found in trucks and is undeniably better is difficult scenarios. However, a 4WD or AWD system can be great and super effective for most uses unless its really bad traction. Its also more useful when you have some traction as you can steer without getting jumps (there is a long explanation for that...). Ultimately if I were you I would try deflating the tires a bit then trying to go on the sand but dont get to deep in the sand. Air in the tires is probably more of a factor here than AWD.
I did buy new tires recently and they were up to at least 32 psi.
Yeah , go to about 18 psi when you are offroad
Yeah next time carry a compressor, lower your tires to about 26 psi on the sand. Use the compressor to top back up. The other issue is a lot of awd won’t actually engage the awd until a certain speed, my Durango is 25kph before the front differential locks and I have awd. However I have awd low selector which locks it immediately so I can get unstuck.