'96 K1500, 4WD manual shift Xfer case: Need shifting behavior feedback....

[DennisT]

Just now getting last Fall's pickup purchase back on the road after being inside fixing little things all winter. I've only shifted it into 4WD once; can't remember how it felt to shift it. When I purchased the truck, my mechanic drove it and checked everything out. Said 4WD shift and operation was fine. But his shifting was a little noisy. Yesterday I was driving it and decided to try it. Slowed to near crawl and tried shifting into 4WD Hi. Now me being me, I'm always over cautious. So I was kind of gentle moving the manual lever on the floorboards and hesitated in neutral. I got some bothersome gear clash after passing the neutral position, so I didn't, "force," anything. I played with being a little quicker, (I saw my mechanic do that), but became uncomfortable. I'm used to shifting our '99 Jeep Cherokee, and with it I encounter some Xfer case gear, "bumping," but a softer sound and not an alarming clash of gears. However, my pickup is a lot more noisy. Or.........I need to be taught how to shift this one. (PS: I do have the owner's manual, and it says shift when moving - maybe I'm too nervous to do that fearing I'll hurt something)
How do some of your manual 4WD shifts act?
Thanks. I need to feel better about all this.

 

[DerekTheGreat]

I've had my '89 K1500, manual transmission with manual transfer case for about four years now. I use 4x4 regularly, although I only shift out of 4x4 when moving. I've never tried shifting into 4Hi while moving, despite what the owner's manual says. It doesn't account for 265K miles or thirty three years of age. I also tend to rock the truck back and forth to ensure the front diff is as engaged as it can be. I haven't ever had a problem.

 

[Schurkey]

My '88 K1500 with floor-stick transfer case shifting gets crammed into 4HI from 2HI at any speed I happen to be going. 20mph...50mph...70mph. I do let off the throttle, so that it's not shifting under power, it's shifting while "floating" between power on and power off.

Same deal coming out of 4HI back to 2HI.

The lever pushes easier going into 2HI from 4HI than going into 4HI from 2HI. In fact, for awhile the transfer case lever was downright difficult to get into 4HI from 2HI; but that seems to be resolved with some lube on the linkage.

Ideally, the front axle disconnect is also extending without being under power; but that's harder to arrange since I still have the thermal actuator in the '88. They take longer to engage in winter. They take forever to engage as they get old. When the engagement takes too long, better to upgrade to the non-thermal (stepper-motor?) actuator.

I didn't know about the upgraded actuator when mine died the first time; and now it's a lifetime-warranty deal that I'm reluctant to get rid of.

The '97 also has a manual-shift transfer case, but the upgraded electronic axle actuator. The actuator is way faster than the '88's thermal unit. And for some reason, the transfer case shifts easier. OTOH, it tends to be crammed into 4HI at first snowfall, and not taken out of 4HI until spring.

 

[DennisT]

Thank you.
Derek: It sounds like you only go in and out of 4WD when standing still. Doing it that way, do you get any gear bumping or teeth clashing at all?
Schurkey, the linkage lube is a good tip. Thanks.
I'll be curious if any others chime in on this.......

 

[DerekTheGreat]

No clashing or grinding. Then again, since I've got a stick I just put it in neutral before I shift or use the clutch. I've been tempted to be bold like Schurkey and shift at speed, but wimp out as I am concerned about that thermo-actuator deal.