Manual 4x4 to pushbutton 4x4 swap.

Disclaimer: Links on this page pointing to Amazon, eBay and other sites may include affiliate code. If you click them and make a purchase, we may earn a small commission.

CRF450R

Truckin'
Joined
Oct 25, 2016
Messages
373
Reaction score
265
Location
Plenty Saskatchewan Canada
I dont see what you're getting at @CRF450R, I'm defending the pushbutton 4x4 units, and you're bashing me for 'liking carbureted 3 speed auto gas guzzlers?' I just dont understand the rant there bud.

If you want to replicate your glory days with a pushbutton 4x4 then I personally would wait for a pushbutton 4x4 to come on the market. The labor, cost, and headache it would be to make a manual to electric swap would be a nightmare, and I personally wouldnt deal with it. Now, this is my opinion, and if you want to perform the swap, that's more power to you, and if needed, I will even provide what information I have/know from my 96' pushbutton system.

That being said, you did post to ask for advice and opinions on performing the swap, in which I did give both my advice and opinion.
I didn't want anyone's opinion on the the swap cause I know there's tomany inbread hillbillies that still live in stone age manual crap shift 4x4. I wanted to know exactly what needs to be done to swap out the manual stone age 4x4 to a more modern pushbutton 4x4. I decided to pass on the truck but I like the 5.7 TBI over the 5.7 vortec but the problem is the TBI 5.7s never came with pushbutton 4x4 I hate manual shift 4x4s absolutely hate them. But I would like a 90-95 5.7 tbi Z71 but I want to swap it to pushbutton 4x4.
 

b454rat

I'm Awesome
Joined
Jul 25, 2019
Messages
1,705
Reaction score
1,413
Location
Windsor NY
There have been more problems with push button 4wds since they came out than stone aged manual cases in the last 60+ years, but push button is better. It can be done, but I'd think it would be a wiring ****** nitemare. I know on manual cases think there is only a wire to tell ECM that it's in low, but wanna say there is more in the Autocrap version. So would possibly have to have a custom chip made for a TBI truck.
 

AlohaOBS

Newbie
Joined
Nov 4, 2016
Messages
23
Reaction score
31
Location
Kāne’ohe, Hawai’i
To this day I still have problems with my pushbutton 4WD on my 96’ Z71. The buttons are brand new, front diff actuator is new. Half the time them buttons decide they don't wanna light up and wont allow me to select 4wd. Other times they do light up & allow me to select 4HI/4LO. If I pull the #2 fuse inside the interior fuse box and put it back in, the buttons light up momentarily then shut back off not allowing me to select any range. When it works, It works great. But when it decides to lock me out of 4wd, its a problem because I use 4wd often. My suspected culprit is the TCCM module on the steering shaft under the dash, several people have told me it’s possibly failing.
 

Brendan

Newbie
Joined
Jun 27, 2018
Messages
5
Reaction score
0
Location
Oxford Alabama
I would but did some research and from what I understand only 4hi will work and I wouldn't be able to use 4lo or put it in neutral cause it doesn't have a serial to tell it to go into low or neutral. I think I'm just going to pass on the truck at this point I might just even say the hell with finishing my 98 Z71 send it to the scrap yard all together and just get something newer like a LLY or LBZ duramax something that actually gets MPG not gallons to the mile like my 5.7 vortec.
if you just spend the time you can make a harness i made one for my 1998 gmc 2wd that i converted to 4wd with the 241c and the 4lo works because of the pin in the computer and i also only run of the transfercase switch for the front chunk and it just took some reading and some of my own time to figure things out. also you said that you have never had a problem but i still like the 241c not the 243 but thats your choice.
 

Brendan

Newbie
Joined
Jun 27, 2018
Messages
5
Reaction score
0
Location
Oxford Alabama
My pushbutton 4WD is great when it works. Right now it doesn't, and I can't find the problem. Wish so bad now that I just had the lever on the floor. Gonna look into the swap. Tired of f***ing with it. What good is having a 4wd truck if the 4wd isn't reliable when you need it? Just hauling around a few hundred lbs of dead weight.
its not that hard to do the swap and ive done a similar swap on two 1999 gmt400 Tahoe's from the 246 with auto 4wd to the 241 its not that hard you just have to know what you are doing. ive been thinking about show some photos and making a way to get this out so more people can have the better 241c in there truck/Tahoe. yes the 4lo works with the trans and the 4wd actuator works in the front with both my 2wd/4wd conversion and 246 to 241 swap as well but i dont know about the 243 to 241 swap havent done one but might look into trying one.
 

Brendan

Newbie
Joined
Jun 27, 2018
Messages
5
Reaction score
0
Location
Oxford Alabama
Sounds like you dont understand how the OBS 4x4 system works... yes the shifter on the floor allows you to shift the Tcase without issues, but you also have to remember the front axle still has all of those stupid electronics that fail far more often than the pushbutton electronics.
But what the hell do I know???
i know what you are taking about and thats why im going to do a dana 44 swap out of a 1976 ford f250 under mine to get rid of the electronic 4wd
 

Brendan

Newbie
Joined
Jun 27, 2018
Messages
5
Reaction score
0
Location
Oxford Alabama
There have been more problems with push button 4wds since they came out than stone aged manual cases in the last 60+ years, but push button is better. It can be done, but I'd think it would be a wiring ****** nitemare. I know on manual cases think there is only a wire to tell ECM that it's in low, but wanna say there is more in the Autocrap version. So would possibly have to have a custom chip made for a TBI truck.
thats why the the Tahoes that had the auto 4wd had a separate computer that i did away with when i did a swap on my two Tahoe's and went to the 241 and had to jump some wires to get the ifs 4wd to work.
 
Top