2wd / 4wd shift broken?

[levelbest]

Ok, so I went out of town the last few days and got a call about 5 hours before I got home from my son asking me how to get the 2wd/4wd selector/shift to lay flat. I'm like... huh???

He said he was driving yesterday and engaged the part time 4wd because the roads were slippery. The right phrase might be attempted to...

Then he said he might have tried to force it back into position.

I have no idea if he read the manual before or after he did this - or if he tried to do it at a stop rather than moving or what... but I got home tonite and had a second to take a look at things and drive it.

The 03 special edition is in 2wd mode. It's running fine. The 2wd/4pt/4l shifter is up at an angle. When I tried to shift into 4PT, the shifter moved back without any hesistation... feels like it's broke. As if a cable that would give resistance had snapped. Can't engage 4PT, can't move to neutral or engage 4L.

So, what did he break - and how much is it going to cost to fix. :mad3:

Oh, and is it ok to drive till I can get it into the shop?

 

[jewfromdahood]

Do you flip straight into 4WD on the transfer case without flipping to neutral first on your shifter?

 

[levelbest]

I didn't do anything. My son did something. That's what I'm trying to figure out. And you are talking about shifting to 4 Low which I don't think he did. I think he was shifting from 2wd to part time 4.

Regardless, its in 2wd and won't shift into 4PT while moving or into 4L in neutral.

The selector does nothing. Feels like its not linked to anything.

 

[jewfromdahood]

No you flip into neutral for both! Flip into 4WD High at max 45 mph I believe it is. Low you flip in at max of 3MPH but I tell everyone best to come to a complete stop to flip to that. You can cause some damage possibly if you don't do it right! Trust me I flip in and out of 2WD, 4WD Hi, and on occasion 4WD low routinely because of where I travel sometimes.
Not heard of not connecting because I believe that's pretty hard wired...

 

[levelbest]

The way I have done it per the owners manual:

When you switch from 2H to 4H it's done either stopped or in motion up to 55mph. No neutral and releasing the accelerator to allow the engage/disengage to happen faster.

4L is a 2-3mph roll (in neutral)

His has 2H / 4H / N / 4L
Mine has 2H / 4H / 4FT / N / 4L (selectrac)

Regardless - the point is - I'm trying to figure out what has happened, what needs to be fixed, how much it will cost, and if it's ok to drive until we do. I just think he might have forced it which snappped or broke something that links that lever to the transfer case.

Anyway, we can't shift anything and the lever just flops back and forth. You can't engage it.

 

[hectikart]

The way I have done it per the owners manual:

When you switch from 2H to 4H it's done either stopped or in motion up to 55mph. No neutral and releasing the accelerator to allow the engage/disengage to happen faster.

4L is a 2-3mph roll (in neutral)

His has 2H / 4H / N / 4L
Mine has 2H / 4H / 4FT / N / 4L (selectrac)

Regardless - the point is - I'm trying to figure out what has happened, what needs to be fixed, how much it will cost, and if it's ok to drive until we do. I just think he might have forced it which snappped or broke something that links that lever to the transfer case.

Anyway, we can't shift anything and the lever just flops back and forth. You can't engage it.

Correct, you don't need to put the trans. in neutral to switch to 4hi...only when going into 4lo.

As far as your question...Best place to start would be to see if you are able to switch into 4wd. Get the jeep on a lift if possible, or jackstands...all 4 wheels need to be off the ground. in 2wd turn the rear driveshaft by hand and only the rear driveshaft should turn....put it in 4hi and do the same thing...turning the rear driveshaft should also turn the front. If this works you should be ok.

More than likely if something broke it is probably the cable between the lever and the t-case, or the chain inside the t-case. The cable is a pretty easy fix. You can check the chain in the t-case by opening the fill hole and putting your finger in there...should be able to feel the chain and it should have tension. Replacing the chain is a little more involved, but still a lot cheaper than a whole new t-case which would probably be your worst case scenario.

 

[levelbest]

Thanks for the suggestions hectikart!

 

[levelbest]

Ok, so got it to the jeep dealer today. The cable that connects the selector to the transfer box is indeed broken.

Here's the kicker. They say the cable has be ordered with the selector shaft. It comes as one. As a result - we are looking at a $650 repair.

Seems preposterous that you can't just buy a replacement cable.

Suggestions? They have ordered it but it won't be put in till tomorrow so I have a little bit of time...

Thanks in advance.

 

[dude1116]

See what another shop says! I haven't had to replace the cable but I always get multiple shop opinions on repairs, including the dealership often times.

 

[hectikart]

no way! I haven't had to do it myself, but I know there is a "how to" on here somewhere for a much easier cheaper fix than buying the entire assembly...search and you shall find.

 

[levelbest]

I saw cheap repairs where it was the clip that attached it that broke (like a 5-10 dollar part), but they said it was the actual wire that snapped...

 

[TwoBobsKJ]

I saw cheap repairs where it was the clip that attached it that broke (like a 5-10 dollar part), but they said it was the actual wire that snapped...

Check RockAuto.com, a sponsor here. They often have the individual parts that the dealer sells as part of a bundled kit.

Bob

 

[levelbest]

Checked Rock Auto and didn't see the seperate part last nite. Ended up getting it fixed. Part was around $240 labor about the same. Fixed. Working much better now.