can't get in 2 hi, drivin in 4 hi w/ hubs unlocked

[tompdog7]

i just bought a 73 EB, for some reason my bronco won't go into 2 hi. i can get it in 4 hi and 4 lo, but for some reason it wont go into 2 hi. correct me if i'm wrong, 4 lo is forward and to the left. 4 hi is all the way back and to the left. and 2 hi is up and to the far right. i can almost feel 2 hi but it wont engage. It does have a James Duff aftermarket shifter. Does it hurt to drive in 4 hi with the hubs unlocked? Thanks for any help

 

[trailpsycho]

I am guessing you have a manual tranny. I would recomment backing up slightly or going from 1st to reverse and back a couple of times. Sometimes they just bind a little. I have read that you can run it in 4 hi with your hubs unlocked, but I dont think its a good idea. It will come out of 4 Hi, you will just need to rock it a bit...mine does it from time to time. Good luck.

 

[airman]

I am not totally familiar with the T-handle D20 which you likely have but if you can get the front drive to change from lo to hi then you should be able to get the front to nuetral. There must be something goofy in the shifter.

I recommend not doing the front engaged with the hubs unlocked for too long. I thinks it un-neccesary "stuff turning". I don't think it would hurt anything but it goes against what I would do. Temparary ok. If you want more info do a search on twin sticks and you should see more illustrations of how the t-case works or I can help you get some more details if you like.

Jeff in AZ

 

[wildbill]

;D ;D ;D Not nowing your bronco all I can say try all and then you will need to do some hard looking if all else fails. I did this once was talking when should been looking and I put the gear on the end of the input shaft that go's into the t/case. Well I put it on backwards everthing worked but 2 wheel drive. Had to pull the case and turn the gear around and everthing was good to go. Good luck with your's. Bill %)

 

[JWMcCrary]

I also have a 73. When I bought it it would come out of 2Hi fine but getting back into 2Hi after using 4WD was a beach. I mean a real beach. Sometimes I had to leave it in 4Hi and just keep working at it and eventually I could get it back in 2Hi. Mine is a "J" shift. I bought a twin stick from James Duff and after installing it all of the problems went away.

 

[6bronco6]

Is your shifter hitting the floor, not allowing it to engage all the way. I had the same problem. Cut my floor back a little seemed to help. I eventually went to a twin stick. Now it is no longer an issue.

 

[mountainlivin]

I had the same hitting the floor problem too. 73 should be a J shift right? check the floor thing and also check to make sure all the t-case shift linkedge is tight.

 

[Blue71]

Should be a "J" shifter in '73. Up and left 4- Lo......Back Left 4-Hi then if you go from 4 Hi over to the right and up it should be in 2H. Mine only goes up a little and it is in 2H. If you are going up a little and then over to the right and up all the way...You usually end up in the "Mystery Spot" or front wheel high that some Bronco's seem to have with the "J" shifter. Make sure the when you are in 4H that you go directly to the right and up a little. Hope that makes since. If you are unsure if you are in 2H or 4H then check to see if the front driveshaft spins when the hubs are locked. If it doesn't spin then you should be in 2H. Let us know if you find it.

Blue71

 

[tompdog7]

the bronco is an automatic. if i go straight up then it is in 4 low, maybe it is a little to the right. is it possible that it just wont be able to find 2 hi b/c of the aftermarket shifter. thanks for your help.

 

[trailpsycho]

No, you should be able to get into 2-hi fairly easily. Sometimes, as I mentioned before, there is some bind in the TC, which makes it difficult to shift back into 2-hi. If you roll it backwards a little, then go into neutral (on tranny) it tends to free up the TC and you can shift it into 2-hi. If not try doing like I said roll it forward a bit, then try shifting, if not then back up again. This usually works for me and I have seen others give the same advice. Also, everytime you unlock the hubs (coming out of 4wd) it is a good idea to back up the truck 20-30 ft to allow the hubs to completely unlock. I hope that you get this straightened out. Let us know what finally works for you. I typically always switch gears in my TC while I am in neutral, if I get any bind, I put it in gear, nudge it, then it tends to shift nicely. They are a bit tempermental....and at 30+ yrs old, they have a bit of a right to be. I know its getting close to rebuild time for mine. Good luck.

 

[airman]

I just thought of something. Being that the only 2 73's I have ever seen have T shifters and you can get 4 lo (all the way to the dash) and 4hi (all the way back I think).

How do you know that the front is engaged? Could the front be disengaged and your hubs locked and still turning your driveshaft?

Jeff in AZ

 

[tompdog7]

i'm confused. i'm new to the EB world so be patient. when you say t shifter do you mean that the "map" for the gears is a T. the "map" on the shifter i have has 4 lo in the upper left 4 hi in the lower left and 2 hi over from 4 hi and up to the right. i'm not sure if this explains my problem. does it hurt the tc to drive in 4 hi with the hubs unlocked. i don't know how else to drive. thanks.

 

[evil69]

If you have a T shift, the pattern would be--- forward all the way=4 low, one notch back=neutral, back one more=2 high, all the way back=4 high. The T shift is a straight line shift pattern.

Sound like you have the J shift. The pattern on your shifter ball sounds that way at least. You should not hurt the TC by driving in 4 high with hubs unlocked, but would not be a great long term solution.

Just an idea, but could the shifter ball be wrong and a T shift was swaped in?

 

[trailpsycho]

Does your shifter pattern look like this...? http://broncograveyard.com/products/cat/13/25/11575

If so then you have a J-shift Dana 20...due to the fact that it looks like a reverse J. I would not recommend driving around in 4-Hi. Have you tried to shift the transfer case while the transmission is in each Park, Neutral, reverse and Drive, especially after moving it a few feet forward and or backward (backward preferably as it can reduce the bind that can develop in the TC)?

Make sure that when you come out of 4-hi that you pull back all the way and then right over into the dead zone (flat area between 4-hi and 2-hi). Can you get it there? Try describing in as much detail where you think the TC shifter is...that might help. Where are you located? Maybe someone with some experience could help you out.

 

[tompdog7]

i'm in fayetteville arkansas. it is not binding up in 2hi it is just not finding it anywhere. like i said it feels like something far up to the right but i cant get it to engage. it wont even bind up. from what you said it should not be that far up. oh well. i'll try these different things after work and let you know what happens. is it possible that the shifter just wont reach 2hi???

 

[JWMcCrary]

If you can get the boot off to where you can see down to the shift rails it might help you see what is happening. When you put it in 2Hi you are actually just disingaging the front end. The problem I was having is the slots weren't lined up when I was trying to go to 2hi and it wouldn't let the shifter move over to just the front rail. Hopefully that is clear as mud but maybe will make sense if you are looking at it. (and this is true only if it is a J shift)

 

[airman]

i'm in fayetteville arkansas. it is not binding up in 2hi it is just not finding it anywhere. like i said it feels like something far up to the right but i cant get it to engage. it wont even bind up. from what you said it should not be that far up. oh well. i'll try these different things after work and let you know what happens. is it possible that the shifter just wont reach 2hi???

You have the J pattern shifter and it sounds like its worn out or loosely mounted. I had the same type of thing happen to me but it sounds like yours is worse than mine was. You are right and there is one more spot up to the right. What happens there is the rear shift rail stays engaged in Hi and the front shifts to N. If you haven't seen a picture yet, go to my gallery (I don't have resize software at work) and I have some pictures of the shift rails with my t-case on the ground and one with the twin stick installed w/o the cover plate on. You may be able to remove the boot and cover from yours and see it work.

The parts you can almost emgaing is actuall the front almost "disengaging".

Jeff in AZ