Everything on the 4X4 works great, except the damn thing won't even think about going into 4x4 low. Feels like there's a brick wall between -N- and 4 Low on the shifter (1999 4.6L manual trans).

Any thoughts?

4 high works amazingly well, and the transfer case will go into -N- just fine. It feels like a brand new truck in that regard. PO said that when he bought the truck it was 10 years old, the old man that owned it before him lived in FL in the winter, and literally never engaged the 4x4. Said that he had to take it in to get a shop to "free up" 4x4 high, and they did so fairly easily, with no parts and a low labor cost. I don't really need the 4x4 low, but I'd like to know the issue and take care of it if it's not too expensive/difficult.

 

Mines the same way like sometimes I have to bang it into 4low then other times it will click right in no problem so I guess it's normal.

 

I have never been able to get mine into 4-Low, ever. I literally ripped the shifter **** off trying to get it into gear. I'm considering putting a couple of nuts on the thing, adding a deep well socket as a slip sleeve over the two nuts to hold it upright, and trying a long(ish) extension. I'm not talking about a breaker bar here, but something with 10-12" of extra length (the shifter is all of about 8-10", you can't get a lot on it), but I don't want to hurt anything.

Ideas?

 

Your not in gear and foot on the brake when trying this correct? Did you spray the linkage with wd-40? Are you going around the "nub" when trying to go into 4l?

 

I haven't tried spraying the linkage yet, but I definitely had my foot on the brake, not in gear. Maybe I'll try soaking the linkage with a good penetrating oil and see if that helps. Definitely going around the first nub. I can get the T-case into -N- and pull it back further than what feels like N, just can't get it to slide back over toward the passenger side of the truck to get it into 4L.

PO said that's how they freed up 4H (cleaned linkage, probably sprayed it and worked it into 4H for 20 minutes and billed him for 2 hours labor).

 

If I remember correctly once you get past the nub you have to go bsck to the driver's side an down. I could be wrong tho.

 

Right. The shifter comes from 2H straight down to 4H, out of 4H toward the drivers side, down to N, straight down past N, then toward the Passenger Side to get into 4L.

I can do everything except slide the thing over toward the passenger side into 4L.

 

You try pulling straight down? Instead of trying to getback over the the pass side? Its been a year since I used a manual tcase...