DIY “Shiftster” Idea

[RangerReviver1990]

So, I’ve been sketching out some ideas for a replacement for my shift motor without actually ripping it out. And i was thinking of making a “key” of sorts that has a hole in the shape of the triangular peg for the transfer case. Or would it be easier to weld something to that little gear thing that slides over the little peg?

 

[rusty ol ranger]

So, I’ve been sketching out some ideas for a replacement for my shift motor without actually ripping it out. And i was thinking of making a “key” of sorts that has a hole in the shape of the triangular peg for the transfer case. Or would it be easier to weld something to that little gear thing that slides over the little peg?

Not to be a killjoy....but the eaisest thing to do is change the shift motor.

The shifster originally was just meant as a "oh shit im stuck in 4wd and i cant use my truck till i fix it" solution...not a manual conversion

 

[JoshT]

What Rusty said, or hunt down the transfer case and parts for a manual shift conversion.

 

[sgtsandman]

If this is wanted for an "oh crap" my shift motor died kind of situation, I supposed one could fabricate a spacer that allows room for a manual handle to fit in between. The catch is what is the angle of sweep the handle has to make to make each selection? We have valves on the aircraft I work on that have handles/indicators to do that but the sweep from open to close is only about 30 degrees. So, the sweep fits inside where the screws mount the motor to the valve.

The other thing to think about, if handle sweep allows the modification to be possible, is will having an opening like that open the mechanism to mud, water, and dirt contamination that could cause other problems? I've never had the motor off. So, I don't know how sealed the motor and the actuator input is on the transfer case. One issue we have with the before mentioned valves is water getting in between the motor and the valve that freezes at altitude causing valve actuation to fail. The fix is to fill the gap with silicone grease but one trip to a hot location, like the Middle East, causes the grease to melt and run out of the gap. A ground vehicle will have much more of a risk than an aircraft to stuff getting in that gap.

 

[RangerReviver1990]

If this is wanted for an "oh crap" my shift motor died kind of situation, I supposed one could fabricate a spacer that allows room for a manual handle to fit in between. The catch is what is the angle of sweep the handle has to make to make each selection? We have valves on the aircraft I work on that have handles/indicators to do that but the sweep from open to close is only about 30 degrees. So, the sweep fits inside where the screws mount the motor to the valve.

The other thing to think about, if handle sweep allows the modification to be possible, is will having an opening like that open the mechanism to mud, water, and dirt contamination that could cause other problems? I've never had the motor off. So, I don't know how sealed the motor and the actuator input is on the transfer case. One issue we have with the before mentioned valves is water getting in between the motor and the valve that freezes at altitude causing valve actuation to fail. The fix is to fill the gap with silicone grease but one trip to a hot location, like the Middle East, causes the grease to melt and run out of the gap. A ground vehicle will have much more of a risk than an aircraft to stuff getting in that gap.

Well a month or two ago, i took the motor off and took the little cap off of the housing for the gear that attaches to the transfer case shift peg (whatever it’s called) and i thought about having a spare gear so i could weld a crank to it so i could pop the little cap off, shift into 4th and screw the cap back on, or something like that. It won’t be prettiest way to shift in 4wd but, if it works, it works