I have a 1996 Dodge Ram pickup 4 X 4. When I stop to pull the floor mounted 4 wheel drive shifter to engage either 4Hi or 4 Lo it is very, very stiff. I can engage it but I need the arms of Hercules. Any thoughts on why so hard. I drove a Ford super duty today (20,000 miles) and couldn't get over how easy it was to pull on the Ford 4WD shifter, could use two fingers. Thanks in advance. Stanley [img]/forums/images/icons/confused.gif[/img]
You want hard? Try my old Powerwagon. Takes two men, and a small boy to shift that into 4wd. Shift on the fly? HA! Lots of castiron under that badboy.
Now on to you problem. Have you used it sence last winter? If not the linkage may just be a little gummed up. If if does not free up with use, you may have to get under there and check it out. Good luck
Those linkages are usually the culprit, seen it happen many times and if it is that bad, you may want to check the whole thing including under the shifter boot if you can't get to it from the bottom. I spray all linkages and cables with WD or penetrant every time I change oil, prevents these struggles. Also helps to work that shifter every so often even if you don't need it. An old mechanic once told me you should engage the FWD occasionally just to lube the gears [img]/forums/images/icons/smirk.gif[/img] .
Yeah, ditto Bayrat's suggestions. It's probably not the driveline as you are having trouble getting into 4 by. Windup usually prevents getting out. Poke around underneath and you'll find all sorts of linkage exposed to the elements. Spray it and work it [img]/forums/images/icons/smile.gif[/img]
By coincidence I had the same problem with mine when it was new. There was some work require on the transfer case. Exactly what I'm not sure. Fortunetly it was a warranty item.
If you are not doing the work yourself it may be time for a mechanic.
Egon
Culprits for a hard shift can range from misadjusted or binding linkages (already suggested) to the gears not being synchronized (e.g. can sometimes be helped with the previously suggested "roll back" a little when changing) to misalignment of shifting forks within the transfer case itself. Beyond this, there isn't much else it can be.
Obviously the binding of linkages is something that is pretty easy to examine for the DIY type, along with the whole lubrication thing for them. That’d be the simplest and easiest “fix†to try first.
If it’s a fork issue, sometimes you can tweak your linkages so that the forks are aligned better, but that assumes that nothing is broken in side the t-case. That'd probably be my second "fix" before I took it any place to have the t-case looked at.
Some vehicles were designed in such a way that they are "naturally" sensitive to any binding caused by the drive line when going into/out of 4wd. Basically the rule of thumb is to make sure that your drive line is not under any type of strain when changing between 2 & 4 wheel (e.g. don’t be on any incline (if stopped), don’t be accelerating/decelerating, turning, etc.)
There isn't anything you can do about the synch of gears as that is a design issue. Some owners manuals say to be in “park†while others say “neutral.†Personally, I have always used neutral (when they aren't the "shift on the fly" types or going to "low") since you are basically isolating the transmission from the engine completely along with allowing the innards to be “free†instead of locking them into a stationary gear (as with park).
If if this is a "new" scenario, then something has broken or fallen out of specs for adjustment. Again, all depends on how much DIY time you want to spend to fix it (again, assuming it is a recently occurring thing.)
Thanks to everyone for their response. When the truck was new the salesman was asked about the tough shifting to engage the 4WD. He said it would "loosen" up with a little wear. NOT. Anyway the system does work and I guess I'll just have to live with it. I do engage it a few times over the summer just to make sure it works, but I'll make sure to really spray it good with WD40 and to also check the linkage. Again, thank you. New Ford SuperDuty diesel with electronic shift on the fly looks SWEET, now to convince the boss. [img]/forums/images/icons/grin.gif[/img] [img]/forums/images/icons/grin.gif[/img]
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