Transfer Case Shifter Not Working Correctly

[Down the Tubes]

This morning, on the way to work (very steep dirt road), I tried to put my truck into 4 High.
I pulled on the Transfer Case Shifter and it did not move.
I was doing 5 mph and the wheels were not spinning out.
I stopped the truck and tried again, the shifter did not move.
The 4x4 High light did come on, and the turning radius changed a little.
I'm pretty sure the truck is in 4 High now.

I can't get it out of 4 High.
The shifter will only move if I push so hard that my hand bangs into the dashboard.
I can force the truck into 4 Low, and Neutral, but when I put the shifter in 2 High, it stays in 4 High.
There is no movement past 2 High (toward 4 High) on the shifter.

I'm guessing that the shop did not adjust the shifter when they lifted the truck.
Has anyone else had this problem?
Is it something that can be adjusted by a semi-intelligent human, or does it need to go to the shop?

 

[Rated R]

I'd try the old put in reverse and drive it back 10-20 ft trick.

 

[Down the Tubes]

Thanks!
I was able to get it out of 4 High but it's a battle.
I had to call the dealer and get him to walk me through because the manual is practically useless.

It's still really hard to get in and out of 4 High/2High.
Hopefully it's just because I bought a new truck that has been on the lot for a year or so.......

I'll try the reverse trick if it gets stuck again!

 

[olyelr]

Unless you had a body lift installed, there is no adjustment needed for suspension lifts.

The lever should easily move back and forth through all ranges. And I mean easily. As in my wife has no problem with it at all. Sounds like yours has an issue for sure...

 

[ALRedneck]

Another trick is to put the transmission in neutral, turn the engine off and then try to put the transfer case in 2H. Had to do that with my old 2003 2500 Cummins Dodge a couple of times.That instruction was in the manual that came with the truck as a second option to get back in 2H. Makes sure the engine is off or gears will grind doing it that way.

 

[crazy jerry]

is this the first time you used 4x4? a shop would have no reason at all to mess with the tcase linkage. if they did, theyre morons. theres only one lock bolt for adjustment. rather than recklessly jamming it back and forth ,i would crawl under there and fix it or take it to the dealer for adjustment. hopefully you didnt damage anything

 

[Down the Tubes]

is this the first time you used 4x4? a shop would have no reason at all to mess with the tcase linkage. if they did, theyre morons. theres only one lock bolt for adjustment. rather than recklessly jamming it back and forth ,i would crawl under there and fix it or take it to the dealer for adjustment. hopefully you didnt damage anything

It is the first time I've used 4x4 on this truck. This is probably the 20th 4x4 truck that I have owned.
I would not say that I was "Recklessly jamming it back and forth."
I couldn't get it to work properly, so I called the dealer and started this thread.
I did push on the shifter fairly hard, but not hard enough to break anything.

Thanks for the info on the bolt, I'll check it out later today if the rain goes away.
I think it is definitely not aligned properly.
There is a noticeable distance between 2H, Neutral, and 4L.
There is only about a 1/8" distance between 2H and 4H.
I'm thinking that it will pop out of 4H and into 2H when in use because the shifter isn't back far enough.

 

[crazy jerry]

just loosen the lockbolt and shift the tcase rod to 2hi with your hand or pliers. put the cab lever in 2hi. and tighten the lockbolt. thats all there is to it. the book shows a small hole in the lever linkage that should line up with a groove in the lever assembly if you put a wire or something in there. go to the dealer if your unsure

 

[Meister]

I say rev the engine to about 5500 rpm and slam it in gear. Keep pushing the gas, its called a neutral drop it will fix any problems, you may have to do it three times tops for it to self correct.

 

[Down the Tubes]

I say rev the engine to about 5500 rpm and slam it in gear. Keep pushing the gas, its called a neutral drop it will fix any problems, you may have to do it three times tops for it to self correct.

Right on! That sounds WAY easier than climbing under the truck!

I'll have the shop look at the shifter linkage today.
I was going to do it yesterday, but I have to take it in for a re-torque on the lift kit this morning.

 

[RamCares]

Thanks!
I was able to get it out of 4 High but it's a battle.
I had to call the dealer and get him to walk me through because the manual is practically useless.

It's still really hard to get in and out of 4 High/2High.
Hopefully it's just because I bought a new truck that has been on the lot for a year or so.......

I'll try the reverse trick if it gets stuck again!

Hi Down the Tubes,

If this gets worse and you decide to address it with your dealer, please be sure to let us know via PM. We would be happy to have your concerns documented and connect you with a case specialist for an extra layer of support through that process.

Mark
RamCares

 

[Down the Tubes]

Thank you guys for your help.
My truck was in the shop today for a re-torque on the lift kit.
I asked them to adjust the linkage for the transfer case.
They adjusted it as much as possible, but it is still not enough.
There is now a definite movement in the shifter when shifting into 2H and 4H.
It is still really hard to shift. I am guessing that the angle is wrong, creating tension.

I shifted the truck into neutral, and then 4L, and then back to 2H.
The "Neutral" light went off, making me think that the truck was in 2H. I put it in Park and killed the engine......the truck started rolling!
I had to shift really hard to get it back into 2H, even though the transfer case thought it already was there......


The BDS lift kit repositions the transfer case. Here is the info from their website:
At 4" of lift the transfer case is indexed to allow the front driveshaft to function properly. BDS supplies a high strength indexing ring with ARP studs along with a replacement high clearance transmission crossmember and billet driveshaft extension to allow the factory driveshafts to be reinstalled with the kit.

I have emailed BDS to see if they make an adapter for the linkage.
Does anyone know of such an adapter?

I think I should have been more patient and found a truck on the Mainland that wasn't lifted. I love the clearance, but this is a pain!

 

[olyelr]

So, they reposition the tcase, but dont include directions or adapters to reposition the shifter linkage?! Hmmmmmmm....

 

[olyelr]

There is a blurp about it in installation directions...


***Push the transfer case shifter linkage towards the back of the truck, making sure it is still in the correct position (2wd). Next push the shifter linkage going into the cab all the way forward while still making sure it is reading the correct position in the cab (2wd). Tighten the shifter linkage bolt to tighten down the shifter linkage to the rod connecting to the transfer case shifter linkage (Fig 9B). Additional adjustment may be necessary to get proper engagement in all gear ranges.***

 

[Down the Tubes]

Thank you! I didn't have time to read the install manual completely yet......guess I should have started there!
I'll take a look at it this morning and let you know what I find.

 

[Down the Tubes]

I tried to adjust my linkage yesterday.
The shop here bent the end of the rod upward in an attempt to make it work a little bit better.....it actually made things worse.....

This is the linkage rod that my truck has. It is very short on the transfer case side of the weight.


Mopar's website shows a longer control rod with a longer distance on the transfer case side of the weight.......I'm going to call the local dealer today and see if they have one in stock: https://www.mymoparparts.com/oem-pa...yMDE4JnQ9cG93ZXItd2Fnb24mZT02LTRsLXY4LWdhcw==

Also on Mopar's website, the diagram shows 2 different control rods. Hopefully the longer one is available......hopefully it fixes my problem!
https://www.moparmidwestparts.com/oem-parts/mopar-gear-shift-control-rod-68105052ab

Item 10 looks to be longer than item 9 in the diagram.
The control rod on my truck looks like item 9.

 

[olyelr]

I tried to adjust my linkage yesterday.
The shop here bent the end of the rod upward in an attempt to make it work a little bit better.....it actually made things worse.....

This is the linkage rod that my truck has. It is very short on the transfer case side of the weight.
View attachment 190304

Mopar's website shows a longer control rod with a longer distance on the transfer case side of the weight.......I'm going to call the local dealer today and see if they have one in stock: https://www.mymoparparts.com/oem-parts/mopar-gear-shift-control-rod-68105049ab?c=Zz1idy00NC00Ny10cmFuc2Zlci1jYXNlJnM9Z2VhcnNoaWZ0LWNvbnRyb2xzLWFuZC1yZWxhdGVkLXBhcnRzJmw9OSZuPUFzc2VtYmxpZXMgUGFnZSZhPXJhbSZvPTI1MDAmeT0yMDE4JnQ9cG93ZXItd2Fnb24mZT02LTRsLXY4LWdhcw==

Also on Mopar's website, the diagram shows 2 different control rods. Hopefully the longer one is available......hopefully it fixes my problem!
https://www.moparmidwestparts.com/oem-parts/mopar-gear-shift-control-rod-68105052ab

Item 10 looks to be longer than item 9 in the diagram.
The control rod on my truck looks like item 9.

ah, they bent it.... when the directions clearly state what to do... niiiiiiice. No wonder why the damn thing doesnt shift very well.

not really a good comparison, but I put a 3” body lift on my 2000 dodge. Never had to do anything to the tcase shift linkage except adjust it. It was still plenty long enough.

 

[crazy jerry]

The BDS lift kit repositions the transfer case. !

now the full story comes out. if you would of disclosed that right from the beginning

 

[Down the Tubes]

now the full story comes out. if you would of disclosed that right from the beginning

I didn't install the lift. I didn't know at the time I started the thread.
The shop that installed it is in Washington, I'm in Hawaii. They swore that there was no adjustment needed.

 

[olyelr]

now the full story comes out. if you would of disclosed that right from the beginning

i think he bought the truck brand new from a dealer... One would just assume she’s ready to go...