transmission is stuck in 4wd

[sittingsilent]

I was trying to put my 92 Pajero into 4wd low to get through some deep snow, and it wouldn't go in, which I've never had troubles with before. Then I noticed it wouldn't go back into 2wd either. I'm aware I shouldn't keep driving in 4wd... any suggestions? Help!

[patty]

This happened to me in the dlei aways back, i just put her threw 4 low and then back( i was stuck in 4wh)but you said you cant get it in low so i dont know

[TardisDeli]

Hi SS, We havent had the problem. But wondering if any of these ideas might help...

Do you have both the green lights showing on the dash - one in centre shows 4wheel diagram, other says wheels locked. There are posts here (Marsgal42 et al) saying OK to drive for a period with just the "wheels locked" lit when in and out of actual 4 wheel drive (ie poor road conditions, but for the next mile it is decent road so pop the lever out of 4wheel drive but do not reverse (reverse is how to get out of "wheels locked" ).

But various things to try to maybe jiggle it loose: reversing a few yards, then go forward a few yards, then repeat the reverse and forward if still not shifting. Try shifting with your foot firmly on the brake pedal -- don't normally need to do it to shift into 4WD, but do need it for shifting from park into gear in normal range, so might help. Try shifting with the parking brake on, then try with the parking brake off (mum's subaru needed parking brake on). Try on flat road, versus hill, then try uphill, then try downhill. Hmmm, you've probably tried all these. Someone else will answer the post soon I am sure.

Good Luck, Christine.

[Green1]

when trying to get in to 4 low make sure that you are in neutral, any other gear, including park, will prevent the vehicle from switching in to or out of 4 low.

Beyond that, my normal advice for anyone who thinks they aren't getting the 4wd equipment to do what they want, try cycling it completely: with the transmission in neutral move the selector all the way to 4 low, shift to drive and drive forward for about 20m or so, put the vehicle back in neutral and shift back to 2 high, put the vehicle in reverse and drive backwards for about 20m or so. Do all of this in a straight line.

At this point you should be back in 2wd with the hubs unlocked.

[Mystery Machine]

Mine has sometimes got stuck in 4H and will not get back into 2H.....not often, but a few times over the last year.

The best solution I found at the time (considering my low tolerance level) was to treat it like you hate it! Ram that lever into 2H - show it who's boss and don't give in until you come out top dog!

Since then, when it has happened, I have always tried shifting into 2H from 4H while on the move and it works perfectly every time!

[sittingsilent]

Thanks all for your tips- there's a few I haven't tried yet (like showing it who's boss). I'll give em all a try and get back to you. Thanks again!

[Green1]

While working on the Delica today I fixed the dash indicator for 4wd (broken yellow wire on the transfer case... (a big thanks to Delica.ca for knowing what to look for!)).
After doing the repair I tested it out, and as luck would have it (having just finished writing in this thread), it got stuck in 4wd, first time I've actually had it happen to me... the lever simply would not move back to 2wd at all, followed my own advice (a couple posts back) and everything sorted itself nicely.

[sittingsilent]

Problem with that is that I can't even get it into 4 low- it won't go anywhere but where it is. My wife is out in it now, looking forward to her getting back so I can try some of these things. This forum is awesome- you people are great!
Michael

[sittingsilent]

Well, just took it out once again, and still no luck. Tried all suggestions, but she won't budge. Anyone have a good tranny mechanic in the Kamloops area?

[torchard]

So is it in the transfer case i.e. are you able to move the transfer case shifter into other positions?

--T

[sittingsilent]

No, I'm not able to move the shifter into any other positions. I've tried it in neutural, reverse, tried cranking on it, and all above suggestions but no luck...

[EricN]

Crawl underneath, disconnect the cables from the T-case and try to manually shift into 2wd (will take a fair bit of effort). If the shift rods wont move, it is in the Tcase, if they move but the shifter is still stuck, you probably have some bad cables.

[Erebus]

Problem with that is that I can't even get it into 4 low- it won't go anywhere but where it is.

Remember, to shift from 4H to 4L, you MUST be in neutral. I recommend (experience in many other vehicles with this type of transfer case) that you:
stop,
keep foot on brake
move gear shift from drive to neutral,
move gear shift from neutral to reverse
move gear shift from reverse to neutral
(this helps remove tension from the gear train)
move 4WD lever slightly right then forward into 4L
take foot off brake and drive.

Switching out of 4L is the reverse.

[john n]

Are all your tires and rims the same size and profile?
If not the transfer box will bind up. The quick fix solution to get it out of 4 x 4 is to jack up one wheel and let the the wheel spin, this will remove the torque from the drive line. Then change the tires/rims to the same size.
Even if that is not the problem, trying what I mentioned will sometimes relieve the torque in the driveline and allow you to get it out of 4x4.
John

[Erebus]

Are all your tires and rims the same size and profile?
If not the transfer box will bind up. The quick fix solution to get it out of 4 x 4 is to jack up one wheel and let the the wheel spin, this will remove the torque from the drive line.

An even quicker way is to stop, put it in reverse, and back up a couple of inches. You have to find the sweet spot where you have removed the bind up from going forward without binding up in reverse. Avoids the whole jacking up thing.

BTW, I know my earlier post about shifting into 4L wasn't directly relevant to sittingsilent's problem, but figured that "while we're on the topic"...