73 4x4 will not move?

[56hotrodred]

So I was just doing an engine flush as I now have my engine running and thought I would put it in gear and see how the clutch felt. Well it did not move although I thought I could hear the clutch engage!

MY QUESTION IS: With the NP 203 full time transfer case and no front drive shaft bolted up should it still move when put in gear?

Where else should I look if it should move without front driveshaft?

56hotrodred (Barry)

[willett]

you need to shift to 4 hi loc or 4 lo loc.

there is an interaxle differential in there that walks if your not in one of the loc positions and a driveshaft is out, UNLESS you have a milemaker kit installed.

shifting to the "loc" positions locks the interaxle diff up and your get equal power to the front and rear d shafts. when your not in loc it acts like an open diff

[56hotrodred]

Thanks for the reply. Maybe it is just me!!!

I am looking at the Milemarker Kit with hubs.

I was trying to shift the transfer case around but it seemed to make no difference. I did not have time to check out the linkage.

I bought the truck from a mechanic in town who said he put in a new clutch and a used motor for a customer many years ago and the guy never came back or did not want to pay or something...

56hotrodred (Barry)

[willett]

did you get transfer papers signed for that truck??

i know out here in BC when that happens there is a huge pile of red tape in order to take over ownership of a vehicle when that happens.

also, the linkage on those 203's gets bunged up really easily. try and get around the case and hit it with some penetrating oil. I don't know about the 73's but my '78 has a bolt in tranny hump that is very convenient for accessing the linkage,

[56hotrodred]

I actually just talked to the mechanic about that about a month ago. I have had the truck now for several years and actually forgot about it for a while. He says not a big deal at all as he has done this many times before with similar acquisitions and other vehicles he has sold.

He says he can simply write me a bill of sale to take to the insurance company to get it insured. After that I take the proof of insurance to the vehicle registration and get plates. They don't even ask for ownership papers.

I may have to get a safety check as it has been off the road for many years.

Things are way different here in Alberta than in BC.

56hotrodred (Barry)

[motornut]

if it's a 203 the 4 wheel lock light should come on
i had mine a while before i figured it wasn't going into 4X4
I then got it stuck in 4X4,but have manual hubs,and a"kit" in the tcase
mine had to be cleaned up under it to get it to move out of lock
lubed and someone up top moving while used a tire iron gently underneath at the switch
PO told me the light didn't work,it does

and here i need an afidavid(spelling)to get an ownership done .
my 79 is not in the system.....said it goes back 15 years.but i'm in Ont

[willett]

i always wondered what that unhooked wire coming from my t case was.

where is the receptacle that it plugs into?

[motornut]

it should be right there....but quite exposed to may have caught something or rusted...

[Mr Pops]

Originally Posted by 56hotrodred

So I was just doing an engine flush as I now have my engine running and thought I would put it in gear and see how the clutch felt. Well it did not move although I thought I could hear the clutch engage!

MY QUESTION IS: With the NP 203 full time transfer case and no front drive shaft bolted up should it still move when put in gear?

Where else should I look if it should move without front driveshaft?

56hotrodred (Barry)

I skimmed over the whole thread, and I don't think I'm repeating what anybody said, sorry if I am..
I also have a 203 T case (but with an auto tranny) and I put the truck in drive one day and felt the transmission go into gear and it also didn't move. One of the manual hubs (installed by PO) was unlocked, and the T case was spinning the front driveshaft, but not the rear shaft. A different time, I tried moving the truck with the rear driveshaft disconnected, and it wouldn't spin the FRONT shaft when I put it in drive!
I was told the 203 acts like an open differential and will spin whichever shaft has the least resistance and only works when BOTH driveshafts are installed and the front hubs must be locked.

[Jonboy]

From the factory, both front hubs are constantly locked. I think if the case is put into the "Loc" position, it will move. Admittedly, it has been almost 15 years since I have had a 4WD with a 203 case, though.

[Mr Pops]

Originally Posted by Jonboy

From the factory, both front hubs are constantly locked...

Yeah, I'm guessing that the previous owner of my truck didn't know that installing manual hubs wasn't a good combination with this T-case

[willett]

Originally Posted by Jonboy

From the factory, both front hubs are constantly locked. I think if the case is put into the "Loc" position, it will move. Admittedly, it has been almost 15 years since I have had a 4WD with a 203 case, though.

you are correct.

the 203 was designed to be a full time case.

installing the mile marker (maker?) kit disables the interaxle differential in the transfer case and allows you to drive in 2wd.

http://www.4wheeloffroad.com/howto/47538/index.html

[motornut]

the front would look like this
also when the front drive shaft ia being drivin(not just moving), its lubing the front, no drive, no oil

[russgt]

not exactly, full time hubs make the ring gear spin, which lubes the bearings. Install lock outs and the the ring gear does not spin, which doesn't require lube. The hubs use taper bearings that are packed with grease.

[motornut]

so with Lock outs(manual hubs turned off) you don't have to worry about engageing the front once and a while.....it dosn't need the lubeing?

I don't know how mine was done but,
i've been told min once a month use it, to lube it or lose it
wondering cause the PO said the lock light didn't work......but it does in the right place
as stiff as it was i don't think he ever had it in

and that was sort of the standard i went with even on the 208's in the 87 and 88

[russgt]

Depends on your definition of once in a while. Once every 6 months? sure, but if you are getting moisture in the dif that is causing rust, then you have a seal/ breather problem. Even with lockouts, the diff will slowly spin sometimes due to drag, but remember that if the axle is filled up to the plug, the carrier bearings are at least 50% submerged at all times and the pinion bearing is almost completely submerged at all times.

[56hotrodred]

Thanks all. I don't feel so bad now. I am going to get my front drive shaft bolted in so next time I fire the truck up I can feel it out a bit more - specifically the clutch.

I never even noticed the shift light stuff underneath or a light on/in the dash and have not yet looked closely at the transfer case linkage. I think I will pull out the bolt in trany hump floor cover and have a little look while shifting things. I know there is a ton of built up grease and mud in the area still and if I could have got it moving I might have moved it out and got the high pressure wash going but that will have to wait till spring now.

Anyway it is back in its winter hole in the shop and it likely won't get out for a while. I have almost everything to finish it now including new interior panels, aluminum dash, new dash pad, new seat and floor covers and the list goes on so this winter will go a long way to kicking that bad boy out come spring.

I have some etch primer and am going to experiment with shooting epoxy primer this winter on the body pieces I welded in over the last little while. High hopes for spring on that project!!!

Again thanks and I am, as always, learning lots from this forum.

56hotrodred (Barry)

[Your41Plague12]

I've never seen a 4 speed truck with a 203 T-case. That's different! Anyway, I'm pretty sure what people were referring to (when talking about keeping things lubed) is inside the transfer case itself. If you convert the 203 to part time with the Mile Marker kit, throw it in 4x4 every once in a while to lube the rest of the transfer case.

EDIT: Here is a link that explains it better.
http://www.fullsizechevy.com/forum/g...onversion.html

[motornut]

for me it's about once a month with the 208s(of course more in winter)
but getting this 78 203,
somebody here advised me bout the "kit" not lubing the insides
but i said i had run it in 4X4 like before or so i thought

was told could run with free hubs,
start once week in 4X4 with the light on ,to lube
push out of 4X4 into 4X2.....

then one big snow storm i engaged the hubs ,
i pulled it into 4X4 and the drive kicked in(with light)
I laughed so hard all the way to work,and home after.....till it wouldn't come out lol