1981 How to shift into 4 wheel drive after I turn the front lockers to 4
I can't shift my 1981 Jeep into four wheel drive?
Manual transmission (old school 4 speed)
What are the proper steps?
Stop, put the clutch in or put the trans in neutral and shift the transfer case into 4 high or 4 low. If it won't go, move the Jeep a couple of feet and try again. Slipping the clutch a little can also help. It helps to have a strong right arm!
Correct. Exactly what Full of Regrets says. Obviously you don't want to force the gears too hard and bend anything or jam gears, just take it easy. If it won't go into gear, you (might) have a linkage problem or worse, a synchro ring gone bad. Have fun!
Mine will drop in smoother when i'm rolling at less than walking speed. Also don't lock hubs until 4whl is engaged .
Hubs can be locked in at all times. Gas mileage can be affected, but the moment you want 4wd, it's there, just shift transfer into 4wd. To shift into low will require vehicle to be stopped.
What direction do you turn to lock hubs
Thanks for everyone for their help! Ok .. do I have this sequence correct? Lock hubs, tran in netrual, and shift from 2 wheel to 4 wheel high ... Do I turn the hubs with engine running or does that matter?
Thanks again ... you folks are great!
Thanks for your help!
Good afternoon, I've been driving and using 4wd in vehicles since I was 9 years old. First truck I drove was my Dad's which had 44"s almost the height of me at the time. You can run your hubs in 4wd all day if you'd like. It will cause extra wear on hubs plus give you lower fuel mileage. That's how most vehicles are made today anyway. That's why majority of 4wd vehicles of today don't have locking hubs. They're already locked. As for shifting the transfer case into 4wd high, you can be at cruising speed or sitting still when shifting from 2wd. Shifting out of 4wd high to 2wd is the same deal, cruising speed, sitting still or any speed in between. Gear ratio is same at 2wd and 4wd high, assuming you only have one 2wd location for your transfer case, which would be 2wd high even if it's not labeled as 2wd high, just 2wd. Some, not many transfer cases have a 2wd low and 2wd high. When shifting to 4wd low, your vehicle should be stopped. Do not shift from 2wd (high) or 4wd high into 4wd low with vehicle in motion. Low is a total different gear ratio than high, that's the reason for vehicle to be stopped. A slight movement of the vehicle is necessary from time to time when shifting to and from low. That's normal. Good luck and enjoy 4wd.
