Transfer case basics - 76 FJ40 (1 Viewer)

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ChuckD

ChuckD

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Jan 18, 2005
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I don't have an owners manual. Anyone know this?

Is all shifting into/out of 4wd to be done while stationary?

Can you use 4wd-low without front hubs (warn) locked to get the low gearing but in 2wd?

Thanks,
 
Stationary only. Unless you want your stuff to look like this.
IMG_2703.JPG


And you can drive in 4wd low with out hubs locked.
 
You CAN shift into and out of 4WD high on the fly but slow down or better yet stop for 4WD low. You can also use 4WD low w/o hubs locked but don't do it for a long time. It's not good for the works.
 
while it is possible to do it, you will end up with a useless output shaft and shift sleeve. Take the few extra seconds and stop. Gently roll back or forward if needed to engage/disengage.
 
you can do a simple mod to run 2wd low and not worry about the hubs, i dont know how to post threads but its out there from like a month ago.
 
cut the shift gate
 
cruiserbrett said:
while it is possible to do it, you will end up with a useless output shaft and shift sleeve.
Click to expand...
Can't quite make sense of this. Can you explain?
 
I don't understand. I would assume as long as you have locked the hubs you could go form 4wheel Hight to 2 wheel high. But you cannot go from 2wd high to4wd high without the hubs locked because the front drive shaft will not be rotating. Nor can you go from 4wd high to low with out having some sort of damage to the output shaft slider or gears like the picture above.
 
cruiserbrett said:
while it is possible to do it, you will end up with a useless output shaft and shift sleeve. Take the few extra seconds and stop. Gently roll back or forward if needed to engage/disengage.
Click to expand...

Every manual I've seen for the 'Crusiers say it is perfectly fine to shift, on the fly, between 2 high and 4 high with the hubs locked. The full stop is needed between 4 high and 4 low because you pass through neutral on the transfer case.
My truck has never so much as bumped between 4 high and 2 high. I see NO damage to my hubs or transfer either.
Of course the hubs MUST be locked.
The "2 low" (unlocked hubs) requires the shift gate be modified. I have gone to 2 low without a modified shift gate but only for VERY short times always less than 1/2 block! I causes the front axle shafts to spin in hubs that are not designed to handle spinning shafts.
 
Don't Understand the Concern

cruiser_guy said:
I causes the front axle shafts to spin in hubs that are not designed to handle spinning shafts.
Click to expand...

Maybe I'm not thinking about this correctly but...
I don't see the difference between the hub spinning around the axle shaft vs. the axle spinning in the hub. This is what happens in 2wd with locking hubs in the FREE position.

Also, if you are driving in 4wd and don't have the locking hubs in LOCKED position, the hubs are still turning with the axle, they are just not engaged. So, there is actually less of the "spinning" action you are concerned about in this mode than in the 2wd with hubs in FREE.
 
cruiser_guy said:
The "2 low" (unlocked hubs) requires the shift gate be modified. I have gone to 2 low without a modified shift gate but only for VERY short times always less than 1/2 block! I causes the front axle shafts to spin in hubs that are not designed to handle spinning shafts.
Click to expand...

I am not sure what you are talking about? How would driving in 2 Lo be any different than driving around in 2 Hi - hubs locked or not?

THe t-case will not be powering the front DS?

So whether hubs locked or not, I am not sure what you mean...

It sounds to me like you are talking about driving in 4 w/ your hubs unlocked. That does not sound like a good idea...
 
The H55F and Split transfer case was shipped without the shift gate. I am going to put a Lock Right in the front axle now.
 
POPO AGIE said:
The H55F and Split transfer case was shipped without the shift gate. I am going to put a Lock Right in the front axle now.
Click to expand...


I put a Lock Right into my 68 years ago. Always hated it. Manual steering gives you real feed back on the strain it put on steering components when turning in 4WD. If I ever get the clutch replaced (been sitting for years) the front Lock Right will come out.

Toyota never had a 2WD low range option. Reason is in low range you have a lot more torque going to a single axle. Switching from 2WD to 4WD and back can be done. I always sure I am going straight so axles are turning the same speed and take my foot off the accelerator.
 
Last edited:
I understand why Toyota did not have the option to use low range in 2 WD accept with old vacuum system people would remove the knob on the pull so that they could get the lever past it or leave the hubs unlocked which I would do when I had hubs.

The old Jeeps and Scouts and the early Chevy, Ford and Dodge trucks came with twin sticks you had the option to use low range in 2 WD and that is one reason twin stick conversions are popular. I had the options to go with a twin stick set up or the Toyota shift levers for the transfer case. I chose the Toyota levers and it was shipped without the shift gate. My 90 F250 did not have a low first gear and just getting it on ramps without lugging the diesel I either had to rev it to high or use low range with hubs unlocked. The Dodge and Ram trucks did not have hubs so if I wanted low range I had to use 4 low and they did not like to turn without the crow hopping.

I will have the option to use 4 low when traction is the top priority and use 2 low when steering is the top priority. Low engine rpms are not going to stress the rear differential. I would take a Toyota 9.5" over a Jeep or Scout rear differential any day.
 
I ran a lockrites frt and rear, and I altered my shift gate for 2wd low. I also had power steering & I hated the lock rite in the frt. I was constantly shifting back and forth from 2 wheel low to 4 low. I had friends with CJ's and 40's that had limited slips and lockrites in the frt and manual steering, and they all struggled turning the wheel. There was one guy with a 40 with manual steering and I'd swear he was going to rip the steering wheel off the column trying to get it to turn a little bit. They could never turn lock to lock because of the resistance from the locker. Some of my best mods are power steering, 4 wheel disc brakes, a locked rear and an arb in the frt. You can run in 4wd and the few times you need it, you could hit the arb button. When your frt end is locked, it will push in the turns. Both frt wheels are spinning the the same speed. An open frt end will allow for a tighter turn and is more responsive under acceleration.

Twin stick j**p t/cases(dana 18 case) have an interlock pill going between the 2 shift rails to prevent shifting into 2wd low. Folks in the know would remove the pill and get 2w low. Jeep was worried about over stressing the driveline too. Once j**p went to the single stick dana 20 t/case in the CJ, they installed the 2 piece rear axle which was designed to strip the splines to prevent over stressing the driveline. Dragging CJ's off the trail because of this was a constant thing. Moser Engineering sold 1 piece replacement axles to eliminate that issue.
 
I Fully understand the drawback of having a lock right in the front and I am OK with that. My build is getting very expensive as it is and have decided not to spend $1200 plus for e-locker or air locker. I also don't want to drill a hole in the differential for the wires or airline. I don't want a limited slip because I don't what to deal with clutch packs that need to be replaced a friend had them in his Scout and yes, he did not get stuck like I did with open differentials and was pulling me out and laughing at me. I realize that limited slips have come a long way. I understand that when the front differential is locked you cannot steer. I have researched this problem for well over 30 years and looked at Eton worm wheel and worm screws and at the time they did not know that the front axle of a Land Cruiser did not have C-clips in the front.

I have a work truck that is a 1/2 ton and a 1 ton with factory limited slips in the rear only and neither one likes to be turned tight in 4wd so I have to go to 2wd for tight maneuvering.

I have built and FJ60 full floating axle with drive flanges and a lock right that has disc brakes. The front will get upgraded Toyota disc brakes also and upgrade the Master Cylinder and booster. I have FJ60 knuckles that I will use high steer steering arms with 24mm bearings. FJ80 power steering with FJ70 tie and relay rods and TREs. FJ40 manual steering is very poorly designed and a couple of days ago I disconnected everything from the drag link and removed them. Next will be the manual steering box.
 
POPO AGIE said:
I have a work truck that is a 1/2 ton and a 1 ton with factory limited slips in the rear only and neither one likes to be turned tight in 4wd so I have to go to 2wd for tight maneuvering.
Click to expand...

That is common on 4WD when the transfer case it locked. My 68 is no different. Once I added the Lock Right it became much worse. Wheels only want to go straight. Manual steering you get real feed back how much harder it is.

POPO AGIE said:
I Fully understand the drawback of having a lock right in the front and I am OK with that. My build is getting very expensive as it is and have decided not to spend $1200 plus for e-locker or air locker.
Click to expand...


Guess I'm just a bargain shopper. Have $1250 in a E locker and pair of cable locker diffs. Couple hundred more for the long spline inner axles. Rear full floater from what I believe was a BJ42 was $300.

POPO AGIE said:
I have researched this problem for well over 30 years and looked at Eton worm wheel and worm screws and at the time they did not know that the front axle of a Land Cruiser did not have C-clips in the front.
Click to expand...


Didn't realize Eaton made a 9 1/2" worm gear diff. Alway known the front axle on Land Cruisers were all full floating. With the exception of the BJ/FJ25 the front cover on the diff is not removable which would have to be to insert the C clips. I have a set of Torsen diffs which is what the Eaton is based on. Mine are coarse spline which Toyota changed to fine spline around 1969. Toyota started using a Torsen in the Land Cruiser and 4Runner teansfer case in the 2003 model. Not sure it they still do. Compared to the Lock Right the Torsen is seamless, do not even notice there are in there. Does require some skill to use them just like limited slip to get the full benefit. Easier to do with an automatic transmission.
 
Living in the Past said:
That is common on 4WD when the transfer case it locked. My 68 is no different. Once I added the Lock Right it became much worse. Wheels only want to go straight. Manual steering you get real feed back how much harder it is.




Guess I'm just a bargain shopper. Have $1250 in a E locker and pair of cable locker diffs. Couple hundred more for the long spline inner axles. Rear full floater from what I believe was a BJ42 was $300.




Didn't realize Eaton made a 9 1/2" worm gear diff. Alway known the front axle on Land Cruisers were all full floating. With the exception of the BJ/FJ25 the front cover on the diff is not removable which would have to be to insert the C clips. I have a set of Torsen diffs which is what the Eaton is based on. Mine are coarse spline which Toyota changed to fine spline around 1969. Toyota started using a Torsen in the Land Cruiser and 4Runner teansfer case in the 2003 model. Not sure it they still do. Compared to the Lock Right the Torsen is seamless, do not even notice there are in there. Does require some skill to use them just like limited slip to get the full benefit. Easier to do with an automatic transmission.
Click to expand...
When I talked to the engineer about the Torsen differential they did not make any differential for the Toyota 9.5". They were not compatible with the semi float axle because of the C-clips in the rear. The engineer on the phone assumed that the front axle was also a semi float and it had C-clips also so they did not have a differential for the front either. That conversation was back in the early 80s an things may have changed. I could not afford changing the differentials back then anyway.
 
My two trucks do not have full time 4 wheel drive just chain driven part time transfer cases and a factory limited slip in the rear.

My 78 FJ40 was a daily driver and it did care if it was in 2wd or 4wd on the pavement with the factory open differentials. One time it had snowed so when I parked it was in 4 high, but the snow had melted and the Ex drove it to work on dry roads about 30 miles to work on I-80. She called me to ask why it was making so much noise.

The 71 Bronco I had, you had to back up to unlock the hubs and backup some more to get the transfer case back to 2wd. Probably because the differentials were not matched.
 
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