T case can't shift out of N after going into 4 low

I took my truck (J shift transfer case and automatic transmission) to a shop to get the flex plate and rear main seal replaced. They took 2 weeks for what was quoted for a 2 day job, so imagine things did not go smoothly on their end. (not directly related, but they left the passenger wheel well splash guard off and a bolt off on the flex plate inspection plate).

When I got it back they said it was sticking in four wheel drive. I thought they were talking about the sticky ADD. Turns out there are new transfer case issues.

I can drive normally in 2WD. And can shift to 4 High. However, the transfer case shifter is very loose/wiggly when in 4 High.

I can shift into 4 Low, however, if I do I then can't shift back to 4 High (gears grind). When "stuck" in T case neutral I also cannot shift the transmission into park. If I shut the engine off I can then put the transmission in park and shift the transfer case to 2WD.

ADD is now fixed and working properly (replaced actuator).

Any idea if this could be a simple fix with a misaligned or missing part. Or do I need to be looking for a new transfer case?

Here is a video of trying to shift: https://youtu.be/CAeYJo2zpEE

 

Did it go into the shop with that symptom?

other than that issue, truck drives fine?

snap some pictures of the transmission tunnel for us to see

 

The 4WD was working normally before going in other than and ADD actuator not engaging sometimes. But the transfer case and transmission were working normally.

Truck drives fine in 2WD and other than the loose shift knob seems to work in 4 High. I haven't driven much in 4 High though worried I may cause damage.

I'll add pictures when I get off work.

 

Sounds like they fucked something up. Also sounds like they may not be the best choice for work moving forward, since this job didn't go smoothly. Is there a manager or owner you can speak to about this?

If you trust them, I'd try and get at least a free diagnostic, then bargain for a repair. If you don't trust them, I'd try and get some money back, or reimbursed for the cost of another shop to figure it out (if you are unable to fix it yourself).

Did they have to drop the transfer case or otherwise disconnect the linkage? It sounds like any number of things could cause an issue, but you also said the J shifter is loose. Maybe something got bent or reinstalled incorrectly.

 

If you had a manual trans, the symptoms would sound to me like your clutch wasn't fully disengaging, leading to the gear grinding on the Lo->Hi transition.

If they were (obviously) messing with the flex plate, perhaps it was installed in some way that the torque converter on your AT is no longer fully disengaging the drive line when you're in N and trying to shift Lo->H?

Another thing to check - when they did the work, if they dropped the TCase out of the truck, they had to remove the shifter levers, etc. from inside the cab. When reinstalling, they may have gotten the J-shift installed "a little off" in the shift rails. Seems a little unlikely to me, since usually mis-installation leads to not being able to shift at all, but I suppose it could in some cases also lead to the looseness, and strange behavior.

 

Idk why they released it to you like that. Their job is not done, it needs to be redone.

 

Thanks for the replies. I'll head back over to the mechanic and see what they say and if they will back their work.

The only thing that makes much sense to me is messing something up when reinstalling the shifter with the sloppy indexing. Or dropping the whole transmission/transfer case when the pulled it out.

Hopefully it is not an issue with a bad install of the flex plate messing with the torque converter.

 

Check the shifter seat. A worn seat will cause sloppy shifting. Replacement can be found at Marlin Crawler.

https://www.marlincrawler.com/product/heavy-duty-seats

 

So the shifting issue resolved its self after driving a bumpy road. Maybe something was just not completely seated in the shift linkage.

CA-Taco, thanks for the link. I have ordered one and hopefully that will fix the sloppy shifter issue.

 

I admit I didn’t watch your video in the initial post until now. My bad. I see you were in neutral when trying to shift from 4Lo to 4Hi. While that is the proper operation per the 4WD placard, many (including me) have found that we must be in Park to make this shift. In my case, I also need to be in park to shift H2 and H4 and vis versa. I only have experience with a junk yard TC and never experienced TC operation of a new or near new TC to know how it supposed to function.

If in Park and you can’t make the full shift and get stuck in TC neutral, just shut the engine off, or you get the grinding which sounds like the Park pall. Sometimes when trying to shift when in Park the shifter binds. In that case Injust put it in Reverse and back to Park. That usually frees it up to shift.

https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/grinding-when-shifting-from-4l-back-to-4h.291451/

 

Thanks for the info. Previously it worked just like outlined in the placard instructions. Maybe it is just getting old. I was a able to make the shifts out of N and into park with the engine off.