So i just replaced all the U-Joints for my front drive shaft, that night i stuck it in 4x4, it took a second but it went and locked. Now a week later its starting to snow and get real slippery and it i dont know what its doing. When i put it in 4Hi the light will pop on for a little bit the flicker on and off, if it comes on at all. Sometimes it feels as im in 4hi but my lights not on and it wont slip and sometimes it will. And i get even get it to lock into 4Lo

Whats the correctly way to shift into 4x4, when it locked the first time i had the engine running, sitting dead stop and put in it neutral and through it in. It took a minute but it locked.

 

for 4hi you want to leave it in gear and just yank it back. if you're on the gas when you need 4x4 then let off, shift, wait a second or two so the cad can slap the shift collar over, then get back on the gas.

for 4lo, you're supposed to get rolling around 3mph, put the column shifter in neutral, then firmly push the floor shifter from 2hi to 4lo, without pausing in neutral on the floor shifter.

the couple times i tried 4lo like that i had pretty bad gear clash that got my nerves a little rattled. what i do is put the column shifter in neutral, shut the truck off, shift into 4lo, then start it up while the column shifter is still in neutral and go.
also, if 4lo doesn't want to engage then i just take my foot off the brake to let it roll back a little bit and then it goes.

keep in mind that the manual says not to go faster than 20mph in 4lo and no more than 55mph in 4hi.

 

Ok ive been messing with it and this is what ive come up with.

I can shift it into 4hi with no problems, but it wont lock. And the front drive shaft DOES spin. I got it to lock once in 4hi, i did that by being in D and throttling it, then putting it in reverse and throttling it, i did that a couple times and it locked. But i only got it to do that once.

Now 4lo if the truck is off or in neutral i can put it in 4lo but as soon as i put it in any gear besides park and neutral it grinds.

Any ideas?

 

sounds like your transfer case may be jacked up.... you didnt bother to test it when you bought the truck?....I cant say much because I ran into similiar failures after buying mine...I dont think their is any linkage to adjust for this.... maybe the vacum activated 4wd actuator is frozen in your front axle..I believe they are easy to disassemble and free up..

 

there actually is linkage that you can adjust. i'm not sure how to set it correctly though.

the bar that's hanging down is connected to the shifter and it has an adjustment bolt.

 

good to know...

 

No ive owned the truck for a while now, and over the summer had no problems with the 4x4. I did plenty of mudding with it and never had a problem. Then my front u-joint was bad so i took off the drive shaft and found out the u-joint centering yoke was blown up so i replaced that along with all the u-joint on the front drive shaft. And like i said that night i pulled it out of the garage and it lock into 4hi, and since then i got it to lock into 4hi 1 other time and that was it.

 

since you said th light flashes i believe its a vacuum line.

 

i think you should work the shifter until it feels like its firmly in 2 wheel then take the bolt loose, get the shifter pointing straight up then tighten the bolt back up.
or get it firmly in 4hi then get the bolt loose and make sure the shifter is pulled almost all the way back then tighten the bolt back up.

don't hold me to that guess on how to adjust it though.

 

my mistake I thought you just purchased yours on craigslist reciently...