How to shift np203 transfer case properly.

[FlatBlack77]

so i talked to my buddy that i bought the truck from and turns out he was the one that installed the lockout hubs and before that it was full time awd so it does not have the part time kit as i had thought.

also i had the gauge cluster apart and noticed there is the 4wd lock lamp there. but i know it does not work. its a 79

[rich weyand]

OK, so that is why you can't figure out the shifting.  If you have it in HI, the open differential in the transfer case will try to run power to front and back, but with the hubs in FREE, the truck is going nowhere.  All the power will go to spinning the front axle and you will think you are in neutral.  HI LOC will lock the differential so the rear wheels will get power.

[FlatBlack77]

that sounds pretty much right cause i went all the way up to low and tried to count down to HI and when i got there it wouldnt go anywhere(after i unlocked the hubs) so i had to drop it down one more to get it to move i assumed that was actually HI not HI LOC due to slop in the shifter

sooo i have to keep it in HI LOC all the time in order to drive with the hubs in FREE? and to actually engage 4x4 I gotta get out and lockt he hubs

[rich weyand]

that sounds pretty much right cause i went all the way up to low and tried to count down to HI and when i got there it wouldnt go anywhere(after i unlocked the hubs) so i had to drop it down one more to get it to move i assumed that was actually HI not HI LOC due to slop in the shifter

sooo i have to keep it in HI LOC all the time in order to drive with the hubs in FREE? and to actually engage 4x4 I gotta get out and lockt he hubs

Exactly correct.  And once the hubs are locked, you have the option of open differential (HI) or locked differential (HI LOC).  Note that you can drive with the hubs locked on dry pavement as long as the transfer case is in HI.  So this is a good choice for winter, when you have a mix of conditions.  Lock the hubs, then drive in HI on dry/clear pavement, and go to HI LOC when you need it (but only on loose surfaces!).

And that isn't slop in the shifter itself.  The bolts in the shifter lever (under the boot) are loose.  15 minute job to tighten those up.

[FlatBlack77]

understood!

what i meant by slop in the shifter was that i thought the shifter was sloppy because i couldnt get it to move in hi with the hubs unlocked so i was assuming it was sloppy between N and HI but really the hubs were unlockd and it wouldnt move in hi as you said

[Chadwick717]

So I finally got the chance to mess with the truck again today.  My oil pressure gauge scared me to death and dropped to zero. I put on a mechanical tester and it was showing 35 psi at idle, so I replaced the sending unit (thanks to what I learned on this forum) and it now works fine.

After I got that taken care of I climbed under the truck to adjust the rods linking the shifter to the np203.  When I placed the shifter in neutral it looked pretty good already. This is what I got.



I did have a drill bit in the gauge pin hole, and it looks like it is pretty well adjusted?  I still did not get the light fixed, but I am unable to discern 2 different positions after neutral. It feels like only one.

[Chadwick717]

Here is a video of me trying to shift the transfer case.  The video is not great, so I'll try to explain what I am doing. I shift the automatic transmission into neutral, then I'm able to place the transfer case into what I think is neutral.  I then place the truck into reverse, and give it some gas.  It doesn't go anywhere, confirming that I am in neutral on the transfer case.  I then put the transmission back into neutral and try to shift the transfer case back into hi, and you can hear the grinding, it won't go.  I then place the transmission into park and you can hear the weird ratcheting sounds coming from the transfer case.  I am then able to place the transfer case into hi. I think.

http://youtu.be/9hu80vhJ--c

Is it supposed to sound like that weird ratcheting noise?  Why can't I shift out of neutral into hi when the transmission is in neutral?  Thanks for all the help! I am trying to figure out this transfer case.

[rich weyand]

This is completely normal operation.  There is drag through the transmission in neutral that will spin the innards of the transfer case.  You have to have the transmission in PARK to shift out of NEUTRAL on the transfer case in either direction.  Putting it in PARK keeps the output shaft of the transmission from turning so that the transfer case internals are stopped: then you can shift from NEUTRAL into HI or LO.  The "weird ratcheting sounds" you here when you put it in PARK with the engine running are not from the transfer case, they are from the transmission trying to catch the parking pawl.  If you do find yourself in NEUTRAL of the transfer case without the tranny in PARK, you should shut the engine down to bring all the innards to a stop so you can shift the transfer case out of neutral without breaking anything.

[Chadwick717]

Ok. That makes sense.  Thanks for all the help Rich.  I'll get this figured out eventually. 

[Chadwick717]

Will the front driveshaft keep spinning with the part time kit and the transfer case in hi? 

[Dan75k20]

I just ended up installing a 205 the 203 was fine my shifter was all fubar i had the drive shafts and hubs from a previous truck i like the 205 much better than the 203 i had a 1x6 jammed between the shifter to hold it in hi for about a month it didn't want to stay locked in at all

[rich weyand]

Will the front driveshaft keep spinning with the part time kit and the transfer case in hi? 

Not if the hubs are in FREE.  If the hubs are in LOCK, it will spin, because it will be driven by the wheels.  But mine does not spin at all in HI with the hubs in FREE. 

There's an issue if the hubs are in FREE because of the way the NP203 oils the rear output bearing, so the first time I drive it every day (if the hubs are FREE), I put it in HI LOC for two miles to fill the oil reservoir for the rear output shaft bearing, then just pop it into HI on the fly.

[Chadwick717]

Was just messing around in the truck trying to find hi and I knocked it into neutral. I went to shut the truck down, but I can't unless the shifter is in park. So basically don't get into neutral unless the truck is turned off? 

[Chadwick717]

Or in park

[Chadwick717]

Ok I got my dash 4 lock light to work. I pushed it into lo loc and it came on.  Still have not been able to get it into hi loc.  here is a video of me driving in what I think is hi.  You can see the front driveshaft spins a bit at first but then stops spinning even when I give it a bit of gas.  I then try and shift into hi loc, but am unable to.  Could there be binding in my transfer case or shifter?  Also when I got it down into lo loc and drove with the hubs unlocked, the front driveshaft was not spinning.  I thought in lo loc it would spin all the time, even with the hubs unlocked. 

http://youtu.be/oVzp1xie3R4