'91 4WD Pickup -- transfer case shifter won't budge

[wallaceb]

Just inherited a pretty nice '91 4WD pickup. Today, for the 1st time, I attempted to put the truck in four wheel drive (we're having a bit of an ice storm), but no luck. The transfer case shifter won't shift. It'll move a few degrees in all directions, but won't come near engaging. The previous owner had a clutch installed somewhat recently, but was told that 4WD had worked since then. Any comments greatly appreciated!

[lawnboy1200]

try putting the actual transmission in neutral and pressing in the clutch, then try to move the T-case lever. Also, does the truck have manual or automatic hubs?

[wallaceb]

I tried that and every other combination I could think of. The truck has manual hubs, which I locked before trying to use the transfer case shifter.

[reb]

I don't remember the details, but there was a post a month or two ago about a similar problem. Someone had just had his apart and had the same problem. The cure was in the assembly of a couple of parts related to the transfer shifter. Assuming that whoever told you that the 4WD worked after the clutch work was mistaken, I would recommend you do a search over the last 2-3 months threads.

[wallaceb]

Yeah, I read that thread when I first discovered this forum. The truck's previous owner is, unfortunately, no longer with us, but a close relative swears he had the clutch done long before the last time he used 4WD. She could be wrong, though. I'll check it out.

[toyota_s_runner]

I would climb under and disconnect the shifter from the linkage. Once you do this you will be able to isolate the problem to the shifter or that transfer case...good luck