Converting the Electric Transfer Case Shift Motor to Manual

[Coonash]

Ok, got a idea. What if instead of something you had to turn to switch it you had a level.... work with me on this.
Lets say on the front of the center console you had a lever that pointed up. that would be neutral. if you pushed the lever left(down) it would be 4Hi. or if you pushed it toward the right(and down) it would be 4Low.
Or a lever for each gear?
I thought about something like linkage used on the forward controls on my old harley.
Well, when we get a clear day down here I look underneath. But keep us posted on the cable your gettting

 

[glfredrick]

Ok, got a idea. What if instead of something you had to turn to switch it you had a level.... work with me on this.
Lets say on the front of the center console you had a lever that pointed up. that would be neutral. if you pushed the lever left(down) it would be 4Hi. or if you pushed it toward the right(and down) it would be 4Low.
Or a lever for each gear?
I thought about something like linkage used on the forward controls on my old harley.
Well, when we get a clear day down here I look underneath. But keep us posted on the cable your gettting

That would be a great idea, but it doesn't work out very well with the way that the t-case actually shifts. The t-case has a stub sticking out the back that has to rotate in one direction - first through 4 hi and continuing on to 4 low at the end of its travel. Because of that, some sort of crank type mechanism is required to turn, not a lever to push. Now, it would be possible to make a push pull setup that turned the knob on the t-case, and I've even thought of a way that would work - but again, the amount of travel is too far for any sort of push-pull arangement (the stub on the back of the t-case has to rotate almost all the way around (about 300*) so any sort of lever to make it turn would be out of the question.

Keep on thinking though - who knows what may turn up?

 

[99stocksport]

jsut an idea..waht about a pully (sp) or somethin i dono though might be kinda awkward...jsut a crazy idea

 

[glfredrick]

I'm sorry that I havn't gotten back to this project. I've been at my busiest time of the year, job wise, and just havn't had much shop time. I should have some working system for you all to check out within 2 weeks.

 

[99stocksport]

any updates on the conversion?

 

[glfredrick]

Sorry, no updates right now... I have two issues standing in the way of getting that conversion working perfectly; a blown A4Ld in that truck and more work to do than time to do it. I've recently taken on a Snap On tool route to make some extra money to pay bills and fix up the trucks, and that supposed 3 day a week job is now taking over my life...

I will have everything done and running in 2 weeks though. Have to - we have a trail run at Livingston, KY over Memorial Day weekend and I have to spend a week in Newfoundland the week before... That means NEXT WEEK IS DO OR DIE!

Thanks for asking!

http://ucora.org/v-web/bulletin/bb/viewtopic.php?t=532

 

[gijoecam]

The problem with the shaft drive out of a weed wacker is that they are only designed to transmit torque in one direction.

You need something that can transmit torque in BOTH directions, like these:

http://us.f814.mail.yahoo.com/ym/login?.rand=bdk7l6o9tvu96

You could also use something like the brake balance bar adjuster from AP Racing:
(No pic, but the pic I saw a while back was perfect)
http://www.apracing.com/car/pedalbox/pboxp6.htm

To keep the clearance down, you could connect it through a simple bevel gear to get it to come out the side and straight up through the center console.tranny hump:

http://us.f814.mail.yahoo.com/ym/login?.rand=bdk7l6o9tvu96

Just some idears....

-Joe

 

[merc2dogs]

Quick question on this, if you shift by hand, do you have a neutral position, and are there detents for 2h/4h/n/4l ?

Just curious, as I am trying to get rid of all the electric stuff on the truck.

ken.

 

[glfredrick]

I've never actually tried to find neutral, but it's there. There are not actually detents per se, but it is easy to find a gear and it will stay there. The actual guts of the t-case are identical once you get past the shifting mechanism, so anything that the regular manual t-case can do the electric one can do -- from a strength position to shifting. The only difference is the case half with the different shifting mechanism, designed to be turned by a shaft instead of pulled by a rod. I'd say that a person could build in a detent in the actual shift mechanism if that is desired, either by making some sort of spring loaded plate and ball mechanism (drill a hole where you wanted it to stop for a gear) or by simply making a way to tighten the rotating mechanism at the desired point so that it stops and stays there.

BTW, I'm modifying my own application to a much more simple idea. Instead of the cable driving the motor gear, I'm going to simply drive the actual shaft that pokes out of the t-case directly. That way I can make a plate and mark the shift points inside the cab, and turn to them directly without having to rotate the whole mechanism so many times.

Right now, I'm working with a flexible shaft from a 1/4" socket set to make the bend into the cab. I'll likely continue on with the whole 1/4" drive idea and use regular extensions and a ratchet wrench, breaker bar, or something as the final lever. It doesn't take much force to turn the actual shifting shaft, and the 1/4" stuff is easy to get and cheap enough. I'll likely tack weld all the pieces together and hold them in place with some sort of bracket. I'm aiming for a rubber plug that goes up through the tranny tunnel right behind the t-case.

I should make some progress this week, seeing as how a lot of my other projects are now out of the way. I've barely had time to put gas in the truck, not to mention doing modifications to if for off-roading... Lots of projects on the drawing board, though... After a wheeling trip over Memorial Day weekend, I have a design in my mind for modifying the rear suspension completely. I'll likely post that in a separate forum thread, so stay tuned. Know that it involves springing over, then sinking the front spring hangers into the frame rails to stop the dragging when working rock... Don't want the extra height -- but I do want some radical articulation.

 

[99stocksport]

on my t-case i have neutral 4hi and 4lo. but then again i have control track so i dont know if my t-case is different.

 

[glfredrick]

The t-case on 95 and later Explorers with control-trac and/or V-8 motors are different than the ones in the earlier Ex's with either manual or electic t-cases. You have no 2 wheel drive option, and also have a viscouos coupling that drives all 4 wheels in varying proportions depending on wheel speed sensors and available traction. The mods I'm describing here are mostly for 1st Gen Ex's and Rangers below 95.

There is, however, a "brown wire mod" that you can do to gain 2WD transfer case operation with the 95 and later t-cases. Do a search for that modification. It's been covered tons of times here on the board.

 

[RangerX]

Guy, when you get it figured, please post some closeup pics for the rest of us to follow. I still plan to do this same mod.

 

[EMG7895]

I was thinking along the same lines, for a trail rig you could just cut a hole in the floor by the rear seat and have a lever that moves back and forth and drops into cutouts for the different positions.

 

[RockRanger]

Quick question on this, if you shift by hand, do you have a neutral position, and are there detents for 2h/4h/n/4l ?

Just curious, as I am trying to get rid of all the electric stuff on the truck.

ken.

There are detents for 2 hi and 4 low. As it turns there is no detent for 4 hi. There is also a way to get nuetral in it as well. It is hard to find though. I have a crude idea/way of making it shift from 2 hi down to 4 low but still havent figured out a way to get it to go back from 4 low to 2 hi.

 

[mynameisaric]

i'm reviving an old thread.... i know. but i REALLY want to know what you finally came up with and some picture would be awesome. i can get a auto1354 for $150 and the manual1354 for $450. its not hard to find the better deal here. but i need to know if i can turn the auto into a manual. i have access to a machine shop and welding lab come second semester(jan 10) so making stuff up isnt too much of a problem.

If i buy the case and remove the motor, is there a shaft that sticks out that i can turn? if there is something there for me to work with I can probably craft something up myself. or will the shaft come out without the motor?

 

[glfredrick]

The autos and the manual T cases are identical in strength and function except for the mechanism that engages the gears inside the case.

Making an electric into a manual shift is just a way to simplify things when the electric fails. It's simply much cheaper to figure out a way to shift it manually, and it's not rocket science.

By way of update, I've simply purchased one of those flexible drill driveshafts that you can get at almost any hardware store. I'm going direct drive, and routing the knob to the inside of my console.

BTW, I've been shifting my T-case manually now for about 2 years with no problems. The quick easy fix is to just remove the motor and use a small pair of vise grips on the triangle-shaped post that sticks out of the T-case. It only takes a couple seconds to engage that way, and it works every time...

The downfalls are that you have to climb under the truck each time to do it, which makes shifting in and out of 4 rather tedious, especially when you want to change ranges while on the trail.

FYI, it doesn't take anything to make it stay in gear once you rotate the shifting shaft. Just twist it until its in the gear you want (its even marked on the case housing!) and it will stay there by itself. I'm definitely going to have mine finished within the week now that I've got a place to work on it and the drill shaft purchased. I'll do pictures...

 

[mynameisaric]

awesome. i just wanted to make sure that there was a shaft that stuck out for me to mess with. looks like i'll finally be getting my 1354 thanks.

 

[mynameisaric]

well i need to stop being lazy and start doing some work on the truck. right now, i just have the stripped out gear thing that attaches directly to the t-case. i can turn it by hand(not hard at all) and the gear teeth give me plenty of grip. it stays in 2wd just fine, and i can put it in 4lo and it will stay all day, but 4hi is a different story. it will go into 4hi, but it will pop out eventually. it needs something to make it retain its position. i like the 4hi option when it snows, because i can still get up to speed and have good traction in the snow. 4 lo is great for trails, but not for when your traveling in only an inch or 2 of snow and trying to get somewhere. 25mph takes all day to get somewhere. my dad found a drill adapter that makes a 90 degree angle(free), and i will probably incorporate that into my design sometime this spring or early summer. i will post back when i complete my design.

one of my other concerns is that even in neutral it wont shift, but if i rock the truck maybe half an inch the knob turns with ease. and once i have something that turns in the truck, i might stil have to open the door and drop my leg down to rock the truck.

 

[410Fortune]

hahahaha I just rebuild shift motors, they work fine for years and years.

I met a guy at the boat ramp last summer that had built a manual shifter for his T case, similar to what your are trying in this thread. It worked really well! It was dark however and I had no camera but I could draw some pictures.

the Mcneil Explorer also has a knob mounted behind the front seat that shifts the T case.

 

[glfredrick]

I've been somewhat lax in getting my latest version of the manual shifted electric t-case write up done.

Here's a teaser shot.