Stuck in Low range (1 Viewer)

[bigsal]

Driving home tonight, I decided to see if I could pinpoint the rattle I have in my shifter at high rpms. So I put the tranny in neutral and shifted the TC out of high range and revved the motor... just to see if the rattle was there. It wasn't so I slowed down, pulled over and shifted by TC back into high but it wouldn't go back in. It went into low and now it won't come out of low and I can't get the TC into neutral either. I had to drive home in low range. I got it home and went through running it in reverse, locked the hubs, unlocked the hubs etc. I can feel the TC shifter move and shift but there is no effect. I can literally drive down my dirt driveway and shift all over the place in the TC, feeling it clunk into and out of gear seemingly but there is no change, no grinding, nothing. Stuck in low range. I'm not sure if I'm in 4WD and I'll have to see if I can figure that out tomorrow.

The linkage is all attached and everything looks normal.
I have a mid 80's H42 and a split case TC. I guess I'll have to pull the Transfer Case and see what the fxxx is going on. The split case is very nice and tight with no issues like this previously.

 

[LAMBCRUSHER]

try slowly shifting to 2 wheel hi gear with the trans in 1st or reverse while feathering the clutch, gently trying to rock back and fourth.....if the clutch teeth get caught, some rotational movement while manipulating the shifter helps to get thing lined up again.....maybe check the linkages, if the hi lo arm points too far back when in lo, it could be binding...

 

[bigsal]

Ok Figured it out. I could not sleep over this issue, so I've been up since 4 am farting around with the shifter. Basically it comes down to the shifter arm that selects between low and high range on the top of the TC. The shaft that drops into the TC is actuated by the shift linkage, but inside, it also has a tab that moves the shifter fork between the two ranges. ( I know most of you already know this). The problem was the shaft that drops into the TC must need a spacer to keep it high enough to actuate that shifter fork, because I found that when I hold it up, I can shift between low, high and neutral, but if I let go of it, it falls about a mil down and does not engage. I had figured this out previously ( and forgot about the issue) and had installed a cut washer between the shifter llnkage that bolts to this shaft and the top of the TC. This was what keeps it high enough to engage. The rattle I have heard was because I had lost that spacer and the linkage was rattling against the top of the TC. Ah ha! so, I have made a new spacer our of a zip tie (for now) and all is good.

The question is, what is supposed to be there? Is there a factory spacer that I am missing? I can't get a decent picture but those of you who know what I am talking about will see what I mean. and no, my rig is not held together with zip ties and duct tape... ok most of it is not.

 

[bigsal]

try slowly shifting to 2 wheel hi gear with the trans in 1st or reverse while feathering the clutch, gently trying to rock back and fourth.....if the clutch teeth get caught, some rotational movement while manipulating the shifter helps to get thing lined up again.....maybe check the linkages, if the hi lo arm points too far back when in lo, it could be binding...

Thanks for that advice. I was frustrated as all get out last night and tried all kinds of things, including your suggestions. Even locked the hubs and rolled it up onto a log and back off while shifting.

 

[scrapdaddy]

Sal,

I have a washer under mine, but it is a twin stick setup. Be careful as that shift fork can drop down in the case, requiring disassembly of the case.

Good luck with it!

 

[bigsal]

Sal,

I have a washer under mine, but it is a twin stick setup. Be careful as that shift fork can drop down in the case, requiring disassembly of the case.

Good luck with it!

Thanks for checking Ron. I figured that was the case. When I built this, I cut a slot out of a washer and stuck it under there, and promptly forgot about the issue. Has worked great for the last year. I figured out the issue after it was all installed, hense the half ass fix. I did not want to disassemble it this AM and have that bastard shaft fall in there... also, our parking area is a mere 15 feet from our bedroom window and at 4 AM I had to work handicapped becuase profanity is part of my tool kit.

Do you know how hard it is to work on a pig and not be able to lube the job with a regular flow of obscenities ?? s***!!

I'm going to see what I can do to install a spacer without pulling the tranny.

Cheers!

 

[nuclearlemon]

Do you know how hard it is to work on a pig and not be able to lube the job with a regular flow of obscenities ?? s***!!
!

my lube job is often followed by an airborne display of power as my wrench takes out its frustrations on the drywall. then i get to get up close and personal with the drywall when i take it off to retrieve said wrench.

 

[LAMBCRUSHER]

my lube job is often followed by an airborne display of power as my wrench takes out its frustrations on the drywall. then i get to get up close and personal with the drywall when i take it off to retrieve said wrench.

where's the video link

could you cut out a notch in a washer just shy of the shaft diameter and snap it on? kinda like a home made snap ring?

 

[Pighead]

Learn some cuss words in Japanese, the Pig understands them better and the neighbors don't...

 

[scrapdaddy]

Learn some cuss words in Japanese, the Pig understands them better and the neighbors don't...

Now that's funny!

 

[Pete Selosse]

Driving home tonight, I decided to see if I could pinpoint the rattle I have in my shifter at high rpms. So I put the tranny in neutral and shifted the TC out of high range and revved the motor... just to see if the rattle was there. It wasn't so I slowed down, pulled over and shifted by TC back into high but it wouldn't go back in. It went into low and now it won't come out of low and I can't get the TC into neutral either. I had to drive home in low range. I got it home and went through running it in reverse, locked the hubs, unlocked the hubs etc. I can feel the TC shifter move and shift but there is no effect. I can literally drive down my dirt driveway and shift all over the place in the TC, feeling it clunk into and out of gear seemingly but there is no change, no grinding, nothing. Stuck in low range. I'm not sure if I'm in 4WD and I'll have to see if I can figure that out tomorrow.

The linkage is all attached and everything looks normal.
I have a mid 80's H42 and a split case TC. I guess I'll have to pull the Transfer Case and see what the **** is going on. The split case is very nice and tight with no issues like this previously.

Thank you very much for taking the trouble to share your problem and solution. Not everybody who needs your information knows everything about mechanics. I for one was relieved to read that simple solution and repair my 60 series so easily. I cant begin to tell you what my 21 y.o. son wanted to do to fix the problem, but none of it related to looking at forums and using your mind first. Giterdunpete

 

[KwaTeebs]

I have made a new spacer our of a zip tie (for now) and all is good.

ah excellent... I will try the zip tie as a temporary solution, as I am having the exact same issue!

I ended up stripping the whole HL and the 2-4 shifting mechanisms on the side of a river in the middle of rural Transkei in South Africa. I discovered I could shift the lever upwards by hand to engage the ball bearing and shift sidewards out of Low range by hand from under the vehicle... but its a pain in the ass and sometimes it needs help from a second person in the vehicle to jiggle the shifter around to line up the ballbearing while I try push it upwards to reseat it from under the car (sometimes a challenging task with a hot exhaust pipe in the way burning your forearms) So I have just been fixing it manually, but it makes me second guess if I need low range every time I use it.

Need to make this fix myself. So any tips are helpful .

what was your final resolution / permanent fix..? Did you disassemble and put a washer / spacer in? or just leave the zip tie?

Pics of where you added a washer would be helpful, and any tips to avoid the pin falling into the box? Thanks in advance

 

[RUSH55]

what was your final resolution / permanent fix..? Did you disassemble and put a washer / spacer in? or just leave the zip tie?

Pics of where you added a washer would be helpful, and any tips to avoid the pin falling into the box? Thanks in advance

Took some pics for you since my split case is sitting on a cart with the rest of the drivetrain.
My shift arm is probably different than yours but you can see the extra thick washer that is placed between the arm and the case housing.
The only way to get the washer/spacer on is to remove the shift arm. You’ll have to take care to not let the shaft drop while doing so, or you’ll have to open the case to retrieve it. Maybe the zip-tie if squeezed tight enough around the shaft could help hold it temporarily while the arm is removed.

 

[KwaTeebs]

Awesome! Thanks so much... I will play with this when I get a chance. I am going to see if I can get some e-clip washers that will allow me slot them on without removing the arm and risking the pin falling into the transfer case, but will certainly follow your instructions if that does not work.

I am very glad to see its just a fairly simple solution. I actually searched a number of times on Ih8mud before finding this... Adding the term Split Case seemed to help loads as I was searching transfer case and not getting results