4Low to 2Low? (1 Viewer)

[sandcruiser]

2 low is pretty good stuff. On a tight trail it can be useful to have the good turning radius of 2wd with the low gearing of low... only 2 ways to do that- you can unlock the hubs, which is a hassle, or you can shift to 2lo- which is really really easy.

From what I can tell, the shift gate is just there to help the majority of users avoid getting stuck in 2lo instead of 4hi because they don't understand how the different option affect their driving. If you know what you are doing, the extra option might sometimes be handy.

Also- for those who drive around with their hubs locked a lot, it is occasionally nice to be able to use low without engaging 4wd. Not often, but sometimes.

 

[Mace]

driving around in 4wd without the hubs being locked does not hurt anything. The only part that does not spin is the hubs. It is no big deal. The diff still see proper lubrication...

1. If you look under the truck at the axle you will see a driveshaft that connects the trandfer case to the axle. where the DS connects to the axle is a flange. That flange is bolted to the pinion. The pinion has a set of teeth on it. Those teeth engage the ring gear in the diff and then (through axle shafts) spin the tires..

2. The plate is a mechanical piece that bolts to the tranny that prevents the shifter from finding that 2low spot. Rodd feels that it is a safety measure to keep the truck in 4 low. That is fine. But if your tcase is functioning properly it is not needed. I have done at least 10 of these mods and none of them have ever had a problem. But it is up to you to decide. Like is said, pull the 4wd shifter boot off and you can see the plate we are talking about.

3. It is possible that the shift linkage is getting worn on your truck. if you can tighten up the shifter linkage you might be able to solve your problems. Again, pull the tcase shifter boot off and look to see how much slop is in the system.


Do this and then come back and tell us what you find

 

[DaveWest5150]

5$ says his old rubber boot under the shifter is koncking it out of 4 wheel drive ...
I thought everyone knew thats shift gates do NOT hold gears in place, they are simply guides of which way to pull the lever.(proly the reason we dont get real shifter levers any more)
Dave

 

[Mark W]

As mentioned already the gate is there to prevent the driver from purposely engageing 2 low. The factory didn't trust drivers to engage it appropriately. From some of the things I've seen people do I can understand their position.
It is NOT there to keep the T/C in 4 low. If you think that depending on this bracket is an acceptable way to solve the symptom of a bad T/C than you are deluding yourself. Believe what you wish, it's your repair bill.

Sometimes the problem is due to a stiffened lower slector lever boot. If so, then removing the boot or replacing it with a new one solves the problem. More often it is caused by worn output shaft bearings. Either the caged ball bearing behind the front output flange, or the taper roller bearings on the rear shaft. Either way if ignored the bearings will not get better, and will eventually damage the needle bearing which keeps the shafts aligned and then damage the shafts themselves.


Mark...

 

[lowtideride]

Somtimes I dork up and will wheel the begining of a trail in 2-lo until I get stuck on a rock ledge and wonder why I am not just walking right up it. Same thing has happened to me a few times in deep water....

 

[karlec]

I think one reason the factory didn't allow 2wd low is the chance of breaking the rear end from too much torque. I did that once on an IH Scout.

I modified my '84 FJ60 about 15 years ago to allow 2wd low and have never looked back. I use it nearly every day, any time I want to go slow. There's no synchro but I've gotten used to double-clutching to shift 2wd low to high and back at any speed under about 30. I get 6 usuable gears forward and 2 reverse. It has never popped out of 4wd low. Great for backing a trailer, starting out on a steep hill while towing, maneuvering it around the yard.

 

[Tinker]

PolarP -
Check out the other thread: https://forum.ih8mud.com/showthread.php?t=42880. Your 2/4wd detent spring is collapsed - it's under the 19mm cap on the front right bottom of the tcase, closest to the 2/4wd control shaft with the "bellows" boot on it. Couple people suggest shimming the spring with washers under the cap to make it exert enough pressure on the ball to engage the detent on the shaft to prevent it from moving on its own.

 

[Polar_Pile]

I appreciate everybody's interest and responses. I will try to post what fixes it when I have time to look at it in a few days. Thanks.