my transfer case is stuck in 4wd what do i do

[cdemmons]

i have a 1969 chevy k20 pickup and the transfer case won't come out of 4wd no matter what setting that i put the shifter in it is still spnning the front drive shaft so i don't know what wrong any ideas?

[70rs/ss]

Is the linkage still hooked up? If the shifter moves from 4X to 2wd (you should feel the click from one position to the next)then the transfer case is out of 4X, the front shaft will spin but isn't under power.

[cdemmons]

yeah the linkage is hooked up and i got under the truck and moved it in and out but it seems like it only has 4wd lo n 4wd hi

[cdemmons]

and where i thought 2wd was the front drive shft is still under power

[70rs/ss]

Foward (near dash)

4lo *

Nuetral

2HI

4HI

Rear (towards Seat)


With the engine off you should be able to turn DS with your hand in 2wd

[cdemmons]

see thats the problem 4lo is near the seat and 4 hi is near the dash it goes

4hi near dash

n

2hi

4lo near seat
but it seems like when you go from n to 2hi it is missing it and it is going directly from n to 4lo skipping over 2hi

[bouncytruck]

Which transfer case do you have? Is it a Rockwell or a NP205?

[cdemmons]

thats a good question i am not sure i got it off a lady that used it for a plow truck and i don't know when the last time it was even in 2wd because she just used it to plow and left it in 4wd all the time

[Yukon Jack]

Here is the Rockwell shift pattern.



Are you sure about the shift pattern that you described above.

Here is what a Rockwell T221 looks like



That is the transfer case a 69 truck (not a K5) should have, unless it has been replaced.

If that is the transfer case you have, then you aren't getting the shifter far enough forward to get into 2wd.

Maybe pull the tranny hump and see if you can manually move the linkage a bit more when going to the 2wd position. There are some stop nuts that allow you to adjust the shifter rails. The problem even happens when you have the t/c in neutral? Pretty odd.

[70rs/ss]

Yeah, looks like the rockwell is just the reverse of a 205 which is what I put up above, 2hi and 4hi are always near each other and 4lo is opposite of nuetral. It is a pain to get the 205 into a gear as well since they snap into the next gear and if you push or pull too hard it is aesy to skip one! Do the gear change in nuetral (trans) and the motor off if at all possible?) then once you "find it" it'll be easier to find with the motor on etc.

[bouncytruck]

If you don't have the stock rockwell, is it possible that it has a full-time case like the NP203?

[70rs/ss]

Originally Posted by bouncytruck

If you don't have the stock rockwell, is it possible that it has a full-time case like the NP203?

I wondered about that exact scenario!? Wonder if it is a full time 4X case, but they don't have a selector do they (full time 4X?) or does it switch from 4hi to 4lo.

[cdemmons]

well my case looks like exalty like the one in the picture i dont know if it is all time 4wd or not all i know is that no matter where i set it there is [power going to the front wheels even if i go under the truck and shift it with my hand so i dont know

[bouncytruck]

Are your hubs locked? If so, your front drive shaft may turn even though there isn't power going to the front.

[cdemmons]

well i tried that but there is power going to the front drive shaft because i put it where thought 2wd was and then locked the hube to see if there was power and there was so i have no clue. but now i am confused the case looks just like the one in the picture but the shift pattern is differnt i think because where 2wd is it still in 4wd unless the shft that comes out of the case that shifts it is not going in all the way to put it in 2wd i will have to find out because i can shift it by hand from underneath maybe thats the problem i don't know maybe

[cdemmons]

how much fluid needs to be in the case and the four speed that i have i am not sure and what kind?

[Yukon Jack]

They both have a square headed fill plug - you put 80W90 until level with the bottom of the fill hole.

If you have the transfer case pictured above - your problem is that when you put the transfer case shifter all the way forward, it still isn't moving the shift rails enough to access 2wd. Something is broken or your shift rail needs to be adjusted.

Just to help you make sure you have the Rockwell T221, here is a pic of the NP205 that is in a boardmember's truck.

[Yukon Jack]

In this pic of the Rockwell T221 you can see the silver/chrome looking cylinders that go into the front of the case - these are what I'm calling the shift rails - may not be the right term. But anyway, you can see the nut at the end of each of the cylinders - this is what you are able to adjust. It changes how the bar that links the two cylinder is positioned, letting you fine tune the shifter mechanism.

Also, if the bracket seen in this next pic that secures the shifter to the adapter is loose it may not be allowing the shifter to move the linkage to properly.

[cdemmons]

the bottom shift head is broken off on mine i didn't know that it was a shift rail it is stuck that why it broke off i think the top one works fine so i think that is my problem the bottem shift rail isn't moving in and out i think it is stuck

[Bentblazer]

As long as you are talking about trans cases, it looks from the above pics that I have the NP205, I had the problem of tranny fluid leaking into the trans case and full to the top. I would assume from that I must have a seal bad. Is it located in the part that mounts between the tranny and the t-case and also mounts to cross member? And can I find the seal and other gaskets at a local parts house?

[70rs/ss]

Yes and yes, the seal is located in the adapter, and a local parts house should have it.


To the OP, the broken part is the issue, it should not be stuck, but if it is, then the t-case may be needing rebuilt/fixed.

[cdemmons]

yeah i don't know yet i have to screw somthing in to the end of it and see if it moves in and out i am also wondering how much fluid to put in my tranny because it is winning a little bit so i am going to change the fluid and i just wanted to know how much to put back in and where?

[BLUE THUNDER]

Not to hijack your thread, but where is the fill plug on the 205? Pics please. Thanks, Mario

[Jtrux]

Originally Posted by BLUE THUNDER

Not to hijack your thread, but where is the fill plug on the 205? Pics please. Thanks, Mario

Step 1 Go to www.google.com

Step 2 Type "NP205" in the search bar

Step 3 Look through links provided by search and find pics of NP205

See the little deal that looks like the end of a 3/8" ratchet, there is two of them, one of left is fill, one on right is drain.

[Critter]

Originally Posted by Jtrux

See the little deal that looks like the end of a 3/8" ratchet,

It's more like 5/8 inch...not 3/8s