Can you shift an electronically controlled transfer case manually?

[02 ranger]

My 2002 ranger has something wrong with the electronics that control the t-case motor. I need to shift the transfer case because i am going to go mudding later today so i obviously dont have the time to go buy a new one. Can you shift the transfer case manually like with a pair of pliars or something? If so, how far do you have to turn and what direction to get into 4 hi and lo? Thanks.

 

[Guilius]

i had a similar bad experience with my transfre case. and it was stuck in 4 low, at work...in our parking lot as i needed to drive home, i manually popped it in........right there in the parking lot at workin my suit and tie on my lunch break. it was a great sight!

prior to this, we had the motor off and tested everything electrical. the shifter motor, the 4 wheel control unit, the GEM Module....everything! and we were stumped! a real good friend is into car electronics and he came over and retested everything with a wiring diagram of my truck...and he couldnt figure it out, but we did find out how to shift it manually that day!

you need to pull the shifter motor off the transfer case. the next thing to do is disconnect the plug, and mine had a brown wire coming out of the transfer case that i had to snip off also. If you do not want to do this, i guess you can bolt the motor back on ince your done. Once the motor is off, you will notice a circular area with a triangular wedge looking nub that the motor fits onto right in the case. looking at the motor you can see the white gear and the area it would fit onto. Using some pliers, you can turn this from 2 wheel to 4 hi, to neutral to 4 low. 4 low was, if memory serves all the way up and counter clockwise, and 2 hi was at about 9:00 turning clockwise. it is labelled on the case also, but hard to make out.

hope this helps.

 

[02 ranger]

i had a similar bad experience with my transfre case. and it was stuck in 4 low, at work...in our parking lot as i needed to drive home, i manually popped it in........right there in the parking lot at workin my suit and tie on my lunch break. it was a great sight!

prior to this, we had the motor off and tested everything electrical. the shifter motor, the 4 wheel control unit, the GEM Module....everything! and we were stumped! a real good friend is into car electronics and he came over and retested everything with a wiring diagram of my truck...and he couldnt figure it out, but we did find out how to shift it manually that day!

you need to pull the shifter motor off the transfer case. the next thing to do is disconnect the plug, and mine had a brown wire coming out of the transfer case that i had to snip off also. If you do not want to do this, i guess you can bolt the motor back on ince your done. Once the motor is off, you will notice a circular area with a triangular wedge looking nub that the motor fits onto right in the case. looking at the motor you can see the white gear and the area it would fit onto. Using some pliers, you can turn this from 2 wheel to 4 hi, to neutral to 4 low. 4 low was, if memory serves all the way up and counter clockwise, and 2 hi was at about 9:00 turning clockwise. it is labelled on the case also, but hard to make out.

hope this helps.

Sure did help man. I am going to go mudding on like two hours, if you still had your t-case motor off can you take a picture of the diagram so that when i do it im not stumped! You can send it to me at abelrjtx@gmail.com
thanks!!!

 

[dp88]

Just fyi could just be my luck but did this the other day to get up muddy embankment about halfway up my truck just acted like it was in neutral until i went back under and twisted knob back to 2wd. I hope i didnt break anything, maybe just got jared in between 4wd and 2wd?

 

[cargs]

yes, it can pop into neutral if there isn't anything to hold it (i.e. the shift motor).

i had the same thing happen when my shift motor wasn't working. i removed the motor and used pliers or vice grips to shift into 4wd.

 

[nate09]

so in theory its possible to convert an electronic tcase to manual? linkage would have to be made but that doesnt sound too difficult.

 

[scotts90ranger]

yeah, I've been thinking of doing just that using the gear and housing from the motor, chucking the gear in my lathe and making a trough for a push/pull type cable and using the gear housing to keep the cable in place around the gear then just removing the motor and plugging it's holes. if it really does need positive stops to stay in gear, make the cable or gear spring loaded and put a loop at the cab end and have pegs at different heights on the back of the center console...

 

[nate09]

if someone has a picture of an electric tcase not installed, with or without the motor installed id like to see it.

 

[feellnfroggy]

A pushpull cable wont be as effective, it takes alot to turn the t case, You would have to mount an actually handle to it and it would run left to right, not front to back. the electric t case only has 2wd in the middle 4hi on the top and 4 low on the bottom, Im not sure how neutral works, but the whole thing seems like a lot of work to me.


Ill just keep my button working.

 

[bary0802]

I have an issue that I cant seem to find any answers to related to this discussion. I am replacing my transfer case shift motor and cant get the triangle shaft to line up with the new motor. Iv tried manually shifting it with pliers/ channel locks and it seems to be very stuck. I have already put some teeth marks on the shaft and don't want to damage it. No idea what to do because it is stuck in 4wL

Also, i plugged the new motor in to try and change its positioning to match that of the T-case shaft and it wouldn't move... very frustrating.

 

[ElectraRider]

bary0802, first are the front hubs turned out? Then get the rear wheels off the ground and
or front if auto hubs to get any tension off the drive train,see if that helps.

 

[adsm08]

Agreed. Get the front end unlocked if possible, or get some wheels off the ground if the front doesn't unlock.

The t-case should not be hard to operated manually. I have never put teeth marks in the shaft of one that was not bound up.

 

[Andy D]

The 1354 on the Rat shifts easily with a small pair of vise grips clamped to it. the various modes are stamped into the area where the shift motor goes. I highlighted the marks and the point of the triangular shaft. I have wired the pliers to the speedo cable so they wont go missing.