Please school me on my transfer case (1 Viewer)

[snailwagon]

This weekend I was going to go wheeling. Up in the mountains I discovered that I could not get my cruiser into low range. I still have all of the dash mounted 4x4 controls, but the linkage moved fine when I disconnected it. I've had it be difficult to shift before, but normally a press or two of the clutch repositions everything so it slides right into low. What can cause this? Is the only possiblity the clutch sleeve and splines are damaged? If this is this case and only the sleeve is damaged, do both parts have to be replaced to match properly? It is a 1968 vintage case stuck to a 4spd, so I really don't want to throw much money at it. I am going to continue driving it until I have time to pull out the transfer case around thanksgiving.

 

[andrewfarmer]

The actuating rod that goes into the t/case can seize up - when I got mine I had to use a big crowbar to get it moving, then sand all the rust off and grease it.
Fine ever since.

 

[HawkDriver]

The actuating rod that goes into the t/case can seize up - when I got mine I had to use a big crowbar to get it moving, then sand all the rust off and grease it.
Fine ever since.

Then you could put the boot on it for prevention.

 

[snailwagon]

I guess the actuating rod could be it, especially since this is the first time I tried 4wd since running around pismo and cramming sand in every nook and cranny. I was thinking of that little clutch sleeve just because the lowrange lever will pull out about 80% of the way. With great force I was able to get it to the point where a small amount of grinding occured, but no engaging.. I guess I'll find out soon.

 

[snailwagon]

Oops, lapse of judgement on my last post. Doesn't the actuating rod only control 2 and 4wd? While high/low is controlled by the shift fork and clutch sleeve? My 4wd works fine and dandy still, I just cannot get it into 2 or 4 low.

 

[honk]

Both T/C shifters operate a fork and dog clutch inside the case- I mean, there are two forks and sliders, but it sounds like you've got a linkage problem. Sand usually can't get to the shifting mechanism inside, and they don't rust much if used and oily.

Do you have a lever on the dashboard, or a floor shifter? (I think a year or two had a knob to pull but haven't seen one).

If you have a lever on the dash, usually with a large rollpin to operate the push-pull 2wd/4wd control, then there is a fairly complex system of rods and bellcranks leading down to the low range/high range shifter on top of the T/C. If that's what you have it has a half dozen ways to get screwed up by binding, bending, or breaking and you'll need to track it down from the firewall down. That system has usually been fixed in various 'shadetree' ways over all the years, and might be very diferrent now then it was originally.

Things are much simpler if you have a floor shifter to do the low/high range change. There's just one rod that connects to a bar that swivels on a large bolt in the side of the trans. The lever on top of the T/C can get ALL clogged up with mud, sand, and general muck.

Either way you have two shifters - one vacuum operated 2wd/4wd push-pull and another shifter that changes the range mechanically, without vacuum assist.

 

[IDave]

I'll bet he has the floor shift, given the date of his truck.

The Hi/Low shift fork has a ball/spring setup in the fork to keep it in place when it slides back and forth on it's rod. I think it can get gummed up in there and stuck. It has no active way of oiling, just passive. I agree though, that a bit of gravel could get stuck under the lever arm on the outside of the t/c (it is at the top of the case) and hang things up pretty easily.

 

[honk]

I'll bet he has the floor shift, given the date of his truck.

The Hi/Low shift fork has a ball/spring setup in the fork to keep it in place when it slides back and forth on it's rod. I think it can get gummed up in there and stuck. It has no active way of oiling, just passive. I agree though, that a bit of gravel could get stuck under the lever arm on the outside of the t/c (it is at the top of the case) and hang things up pretty easily.

He said "I still have all of the dash mounted 4x4 controls" and said he disconnected them, but didn't say WHERE they were disconnected. So if that meant disconnected at the dashboard I wanted to try to describe where problems could still arise. Agree that the fork could get gummed if not used much, but he said he'd been using it and it worked fine. Those gears spinning probably make for pretty active oiling if there's any oil to splash.

Probably a piece of gravel or some other crap under that small lever outside the case.

Done deal, let's go home.

 

[IDave]

Well, it IS confusing because he has a 74 (assuming we're talking about the FJ40), and the dash mounted controls went away in 9/71. He has a 4 speed tranny with a 3 speed transfer case. And he said he disconnected the dash linkage, which then moved freely.

I only brought up the ball/spring mechanism because I've had mine seize up after it had been working, and I wanted to bring up the possibility.

We're agreed on the rock on top of the transfer case being more likely, but if it turns out not to be the case, then the other part issues come into play.

 

[snailwagon]

Sorry for lack of clarification, it is on my early fj55. The only shifter on the floor is for the tranny. Transfer case is the vac pull knob and the high/low lever on the dash, which I would like to get rid of, but I cannot see spending $100 on a floor shift when the transfer isn't really worth more than that. Set up so 2 low can be used. All of the linkage is cool, I disconected it at the lever on top of the transfer case to check the linkage. Whatever is jammed is in the inside of the case, and it is jammed up good. I didn't feel like pulling the transfer if I didn't have to, since I no longer have an impact wrench (was necessary in the past for the, but may not be anymore) and the conversion bearing sticks to the shaft, making pulling it an absolute pain with the tranny still in the truck. I should be able to see in there through the trans hump.

 

[IDave]

So, you checked on top and the lever is clear?

The floor shift won't help. The fsm says the collar can wear and jam these, too, like you asked earlier.

 

[Pin_Head]

Whatever is jammed is in the inside of the case, and it is jammed up good. .

I doubt that anything inside the case is a problem or it would really be messed up. Check that the lever arm on the top is firmly clamped to the shaft that goes through the top cover and isn't merely rotating while the shaft doesn't move. If the arm is attached and doesn't rotate, then just get manly with it and make it move to overcome the detent ball spring resistance that holds it in position. Try a wrench or beat on it, but put the tranny in N to make it easier.