4L difficulties

[ian]

Just bought 94', no F/R lockers. ~100K miles. Stock.

Took it out on gravel road today to test center diff. Put in park, dropped into 4L w/out any problem. Put in drive and let her crawl along.. ABS and CDL lights came on as expected. I brought the vehicle to a stop and put it in park. This didn't go very smoothly. There was a short grinding sound..WTF!?. Anyway.. now rig is in park. I applied moderate force to tcase shifter and I couldn't get the rig back into N/4H. I pulled forward and tried again. I reversed and tried again. I cranked wheels and tried again. Frustrated I applied quite a bit more force and it finally dropped back into 4H (busted my nuckles on dash in the process ) .

Maybe I'm an idiot for trying all of this with no user's manual (ordered one).. maybe I missed some secret step? Or is something fubar?

Thanks in advance!

Ian

 

[strap]

I think when I use the 4lo I shift it back to 4Hi with the tranny in neutral, I havnt used it much so I dont know for sure .


strap

 

[ian]

Neutral

Should have mentioned.. I tried that too.

 

[Beowulf]

Ian,
Shifting the Xfer from L-->N-->H and H-->N-->L is very easy. The transmission needs to be in Neutral; you indicated you tried N so that doesn't explain it. Unless you're embellishing the process, this behaviour is not normal.

I would start looking for some type of mechanical blockage. Remove the center console and see if something fell down in the shift mechanism. I don't think you can see much of the transfer shifting mechanism from underneath but give it a look anyway.

-B-

 

[ian]

Unless there's something under the rubber boot (not the decorative boot), that's not the problem. Vehicle parked, not running - Drops from 4H into N and back without probem. It drops into 4L easily.. but getting it out is a bare. I tried this several times to see if it was just gunked up and sticking from non-use but there's no improvement. Seems mechanical.. i.e. inside the xfer case.

 

[Beowulf]

>> Seems mechanical.. i.e. inside the xfer case. <<

Unlikely but not impossible. Is your driveline in a bind when you're doing this testing? You should use 4L (locking the center diff) only on low traction surfaces e.g. gravel parking lot.

-B-

 

[ian]

Thx for replies Beo..

Per original post, initial tests were on gravel. Last test was w/ vehicle stationary, not running on flat driveway. H -> N -> L -> N -> H w/out moving vehicle (several times.. binds every time). I'd expect it to shift back and forth w/out binding.. the vehicle hasn't moved, so no added load.

If this were my old FJ40 I had in highschool, I'd drop the xfer and study the insides.. bit more work on this beast .

Ian

 

[landtoy80]

Crawl under and unhook the linkage from the shifter to the t-case and try moving the linkage with your hand.
See if the linkage can move freely.

 

[IdahoDoug]

Don't be too quick to assume a problem here. I find the easiest way to shift in and out of low range is to be on a flat and level surface in neutral. That means no brakes required to hold the vehicle in place. If you've just completed a turn, then straighten the vehicle out before attempting the shift. This is a big center diff assembly and with disuse can indeed get a bit of grundge. If you try shifting with a foot on the brake or the vehicle in park you could have some tension in the drivetrain, so try it my way before despairing of a problem.

You might also consider draining and refilling the center diff as a way of ensuring it's full and fresh.

DougM