Bench Test and Tear Down Of 2011 Ford F150 4X4 Shift Motor Contact Plate

In this video I go over how to bench test a 4X4 shift motor out of a 2011 Ford F150 that had an inoperative 4X4 system with code P1867 "Contact plate general circuit failure" stored in it. And, it just so happens that I had a "known good" shift motor available too so that I could do a side by side comparison. I'll go through the bench test on the bad shift motor and on the good shift motor. Once the bench test is completed I then take the contact plates on both shift motors apart to explain what how it works and what is happening inside.

Faulty 4x4 shift motors on F150s are an extremely common issue. Typically a "check 4x4" message will show up on the instrument cluster when there is a problem with the shift motor. Code P1867 "contact plate general circuit failure" may also set in the 4x4 module.

Note: While the shift motor featured in the video is off of a 2011 F-150 this "style" of shift motor is used on a lot of F150s throughout the years. So, this information could help on newer or older F-150s. I do not know the year range that this video is applicable to. I also, am not sure if all shift motors throughout the years are wired similarly to the one featured in the video. So, that being said, please consult your repair manual and wiring schematics to confirm that the video is applicable. Also, I do know that the contact plate pattern does change as mentioned in the video.

Note: This video may not be suitable for everyone. A good understanding of vehicle electrical systems and the use of diagnostic equipment is needed. A good understanding of electrical theory is also needed. Use the information found in the video at your own risk. This video does not show how to test the motor part of the shift motor.

Here is a link to that video I mentioned that was done by a fellow youtuber (Not affiliated. Seems like a smart dude though). It does a good job of explaining the disassembly and assembly of the contact plate to the shift motor:
https://youtu.be/iMZhI0CM4Ps

Note: At the 12:52 mark for some reason I called the contact plates clutch plates. (oops)

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