NP203 shifter question

[dudeatlarge]

So my transfer case  shifter doesn't work properly due to it being all gunked up. So to clean it do I take it off and pressure wash it and then into the parts washer? Once cleaned what do I need to lube it with?

Thanks, Doug

[Jason S]

For both of my trucks:  I took the shifter off the truck, scrubbed down the outside with a wire brush and soapy water.  Then I disassembled the shifter and thoroughly scrubbed down the internal parts. Then I just reassembled using wheel bearing grease for the pivot and wear surfaces.  It's been almost a decade so I can't remember exactly what variety of grease, but it was likely just the garden variety multi-purpose wheel bearing grease.

[dudeatlarge]

Thanks for your reply. I will get it out next weekend and give it a good going over.

[rich weyand]

I'm going to piggy-back here rather than start a new thread.

Anybody know why a NP203 shifter would rattle?  It rattles when driving in HI, but not in HI-LOC.  NP203 is modded with manual hubs.

Is there supposed to be a rubber bushing in there somewhere?

[Jason S]

Is there a specific speed or rpm or gear that the shifter will rattle or is it rattling across the entire operating range?

[rich weyand]

Across the entire operating range.  It just rattles like it's loose or a bushing is missing or something.  In LOC it doesn't, but then it is pushing harder against the boot, and I think that is damping it.

[Jason S]

It just rattles like it's loose or a bushing is missing or something. 

Looking at the the two arms coming out of the shifter, there should be plastic bushings in the linkage holes on the shifter arms. If those bushings are missing or excessively worn you could get some rattles.   

[rich weyand]

Thanks!

[rich weyand]

From the parts book, looks like there is a grommet on the NP205 shifter rod, but not on the NP203 shifter rods.

[Irish_Alley]

there should be one. dont know a part number but google np203 shifter bushing many people with same problem. some say you can use a plastic bushing from the "help" section at parts stores

[rich weyand]

Nobody says anything about sizes.  Anybody know (or have an NP203 in the garage you can measure) what the I.D., O.D., and thickness of those bushings should be?  Do they have a shoulder, and, if so, how thick?

[Irish_Alley]

yeah rich i was running into the same problem about size when i was searching for them. still no answer

[rich weyand]

Got under the truck and all the bushings are fine, rods are tight, etc.  But I still have shifter rattle and about 2"-3" of fore-and-aft slop in the shifter handle.

Which means that the shifter handle is loose in the shifter assembly.

Looks like an ORD twin-stick in my future.

[rich weyand]

Oops.  The other thing it could be is loose bolts connecting the upper half of the shift lever to the lower half.  Saw that setup in the drawings, so pulled the boot and checked it.  Took 15 minutes -- no more rattle, no more slop.

They really should be shoulder bolts....

[Jason S]

Quick and easy fixes are always a good thing.