1354 worth the time to change over to a manual shift

[sajnaj]

right now have a the 1354 electric shift is acting up i tried multiple time to rebuild the motor is it worth the time and money to swap to a manual t case or just bite the the bullet and buy a new shift motor

thanks

jason

 

[HahnsB2]

Very worth it, throw that electric crap in the garbage and be done with it, I don't understand how anyone puts up with it.

 

[Mickelsons]

Swap it out. I found a manual unit at a u-pull-it yard, but have not been back to get it yet, I hope it is still there. I am planning on getting the T-case, floor pan, and controls all at the same time.

 

[410Fortune]

I have rebuilt my shift motor twice in 300K miles on the BII, it works perfect every time I push the button.

When it did stop working the one time I was on a 4x4 trip. took me 4 minutes to remove it, throw it in the back of the truck, and shift the truck into 4x4 low vice vice grips and wheel the rest of the trip, then another 8 seconds with vice grips to put it back into 2hi for the drive home.

my 88 BII has the "touch drive" push button 4x4, the hi range and low range buttons are in an overhead console thing. I could have converted to a manual t case about 8 times by now (had the chance to get a manual 1354 alot) and passed it up. I figure when I have 4 shift motors sitting in storage (long story, I have t cases, axles, engines, etc)and I can re-build /clean one so it works like new in about an hour... why spend the $$$$< cut the holes, run/find the linkage, etc?
I love my push button 4x4, but I like to be different

I coverted my 96 explorer 5.0L to a manual 4406 transfer case, complete with linkage, shifter, and a geo tracker boot. I love that thing, in fact I drove it to work this AM, in the snow, and I used 4hi almost the whole way (icy) just reach down, pull the lever back and shift into hi...works *****en and feels solid.

The only thing that typically goes wrong with the e shift t case is the shift motor, there is a bushing in there that falls apart and the motor brushes get dirty. It is simple to rebuild the apature and clean the motor and brushes IMO, alot easier then installing a manual t case.

I say its up to you
If you have the chance to grab one at the junk yard or somewhere and it comes with EVERYTHING you need for a good price (under $300 to me is fair) then its worth considering. If your push bittom 4x4 works great, then spend the $$$ on something else

my 02
300K miles, 4x4 push button has only not worked on my 88 one time, there are 3-4 trucks driving around with shift motors I rebuilt, as far as I know they all work perfectly......still today

my son in law has a 97 XLT 4.0L auto with the crappy AWD t case, the t case is history..... over x mas break we are converting that truck to use a 1354 E shift t case so no more AWD, but still 2wd, 4hi, 4low NO AWD, that should be am imteresting conversion 1354 e shift t case complete with motor and low miles = $100 on craigslist

 

[91exploreron37]

X2 If you can find one at the junkyard I'd definately grab it. Mine was only 75bucks at U-Pull-It and it looked as if its been rebuilt already.

 

[beckhm1991]

Jason-
It is definitely worth the time/money to swap out the auto for a manual 1354. When I bought my X from a junkyard the 4x4 wasn't working. Turns out the shift motor bump stop had worn out, happens to all of them, and after trying to rebuild the thing 3 times I could never get it to work properly and therefore opted for the manual transfer case.

The transfer case swap was the first significant work I had ever done on any explorer and it took me roughly 7 hours, depending on your experience/equpimpent/working conditions and whether or not the bolts are rusted tight...mine were, this may be a good estimate on how long it could take you...I could probably do it in 3 to 4 hours now (2 years and alot of tinkering later).

I paid $150 for a mint conidition case with 33k on it...had been sitting on the shelf for years. I had a really hard time finding the shift lever, linkage and boot. I have a 5 speed manual, and if you do too, you are going to want to find a donor from a 5 speed which will have the boot and all other parts you will need. I spent several weekends scouring junkyards around Seattle looking for an X, Navajo or Ranger with a 5 speed trans and manual case, I finally came across one and it was a 91' Explorer XL.

The swap was very straight forward, out with the old in with the new, I had to cut the carpet to get the new shift lever and boot mounted properly. Other than cutting the carpet there was no modifying required.

I am very happpy with how it turned out and it gives me peace of mind to know that the 4x4 should work when drving through 2 feet of snow. Its not alot of fun to get out and pull the electric motor to turn the case manually when the truck is barried in snow or mud (I did this in 2 feet of compact snow...was not cool at all...no pun intended). If you don't mind the thought of doing this you should see if 410Fortune will sell you one of his rebuilt shift motors. Personally, I enjoy the peace of mind. Any questions feel free to ask.

 

[machinest]

I bought my 94 exp. cheap! the eshift had quit around 100k mi. it hade 140k on it I made my own man. shifter and it works great 3 winters now and I wheel it on lots of off road trips and i love it . BO ESHIFT

 

[Blackmajik]

Not trying to hijack this thread but what does one look for vehicle wise and or markings to verify that they are acquiring that correct transfer case? I would like to do a manual 1354 myself but don't want to get the wrong one for my 95 Ex

 

[Burns]

I have to say that with 340 thousand miles i have swapped the shift motor once to my knowlege. Hit it with a hammer a few times but if you will shift into 4wd every now and then and back out a few times you will keep everything in a good working order. If you dont use it for a long time it is more likely to fail you when you need it.


I have a manual 1354 laying in my garage. I have not had the time to swap it. Im going to wait till i have to. I have everything that is needed. Just dont see the need when my electric works everytime i need it.

 

[beckhm1991]

Blackmajik...Wrong thread, search under 2nd generation explorers and I am sure you will find what you are looking for. If the transfer case is still in the vehicle than it should be pretty obvious to tell if it is a manual transfer case, the boot and shift lever will be present. If the case has been pulled from the vehicle, there will not be a motor attached to the rear and there will be a shift linkage located on the side, which is the case with my BW1354.