connection hardware for 4wd transfer case/shifter knob connecting rod

[rl_tn]

So when i bought my truck, it had many small issues. one such issue was that while the 4wd worked (tested and verified before I agreed to buy it), it has to be set manually from beneath the truck.

This is because the shifter in the cab isn't connected to the transfer case below. I have the connector rod that does that job, but can't find the hardware to attach it on both ends. I also have read that the connection to the shifter assembly can be dicey.

I've tried area auto parts stores, the local 4x4 shops they in turn recommended, and the specialty transmission shop THEY recommended. No dice.

I haven't tried junk yards yet, and that's my next stop unless I hear differently on the diesel boards. I'm new to junk yards, so I'm not sure exactly what to expect / ask for etc.

Anyone have spare parts on here?

 

[tbrumm]

I "think" you are talking about the polyurethane "grommet" at each end of the linkage bar. I am no help on where to get these (probably no longer available from Ford) but I would also like to know if someone has found a source for these grommets.

 

[79jasper]

Here ya go. http://shop.broncograveyard.com/mobile/Transfer-Case-Shift-Linkage-Bushing/productinfo/31612/

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[FarmerFrank]

They can really really suck to put on and get off. I use a piece of air line for the "bushing" and a small ish Harris pin in the groove to hold it on. Seems to work pretty good so far on 2 of my trucks now

 

[crash-harris]

Which t-case do you have? I'm guessing a B&W 1356 if it's for the truck in your sig. I hate those shifters. The entire assembly can easily be pulled off a truck in the junkyard.

 

[rl_tn]

It's all stock for the truck in my sig, yup. If that hate is widespread, are there best practice alternatives you can swap in for the assembly? Why the hate?

 

[tbrumm]

It's all stock for the truck in my sig, yup. If that hate is widespread, are there best practice alternatives you can swap in for the assembly? Why the hate?

Very often the shifter gets corrosion between the outer body and the inner shaft and then you can't "push" down on the lever to shift past the detent pin. Many install a zerk in the body so as to be able to shoot grease in there from time to time. I cleaned mine up about 5 years ago and lubed it with synthetic grease and it has been good thus far.

 

[crash-harris]

I run a B&W 1345 in my 4x4 and the shifting operation is a lot smoother. Your not required to press down on the shifter to select between 4x2 and 4x4. The fiance's '93 Bronco has a 1356 and the indicator lights on the dash are burnt out so I could never tell what was what our if I even succeeded in switching ranges when moving it around (still not very mobile with no floor/door/driver's fender). The winters here have been getting worse and we get storms that negate the roads being able to get cleaned. I get off work at 1am and would have to switch between 2wd and 4x4 with the hubs locked out on the highway (when running into thicker runs of snow/ice). Since the diesel truck is only 2wd for now, I'm hoping the sheer wieght, and LS diff with only half of the called for friction modifier, will be able to get me to work and home this winter, since the 4x4 is out of commission now.

I'm not sure about modifying it as I haven't spent a lot of time with it, but I'm sure the press-release lock can be done away with. As I recall though, the linkage itself is secured differently than that of the B&W 1354.

 

[rl_tn]

Thanks, Jasper!!

You guys rock.

 

[crash-harris]

I just realized I had some lys-dex-ia on the t-case designations. Borg & Warner cases Ford used in our trucks were the 1345 and later 1356 pre-'97.

The 1354 was a Ranger/Explorer transfer case.

Edited my posts to reflect

 

[LCAM-01XA]

I run a B&W 1345 in my 4x4 and the shifting operation is a lot smoother. Your not required to press down on the shifter to select between 4x2 and 4x4. The fiance's '93 Bronco has a 1356 and the indicator lights on the dash are burnt out so I could never tell what was what our if I even succeeded in switching ranges when moving it around (still not very mobile with no floor/door/driver's fender). The winters here have been getting worse and we get storms that negate the roads being able to get cleaned. I get off work at 1am and would have to switch between 2wd and 4x4 with the hubs locked out on the highway (when running into thicker runs of snow/ice). Since the diesel truck is only 2wd for now, I'm hoping the sheer wieght, and LS diff with only half of the called for friction modifier, will be able to get me to work and home this winter, since the 4x4 is out of commission now.

I'm not sure about modifying it as I haven't spent a lot of time with it, but I'm sure the press-release lock can be done away with. As I recall though, the linkage itself is secured differently than that of the B&W 1354.

The way the shifter operates has little to do with which t-case you have. Up until '86 you just pull it straight back towards the seat, there are no safety detents in the mechanism so you can easily overshift it and instead of 4hi end up with gears grinding while it attempts a 4lo - this applies to the BW1345, the NP208 that preceded it, all the way back to the '70s NP205.

From '87 to '91 you have to push the shifter to the left when you want to exit 4hi and go into N, once past N when it hits 4lo the shifter will snap back to the right. Works the same way also when exiting 4lo, passing thru N, and ending into 4hi. This is regardless of whether the shifter comes out the side of the transmission tunnel ('89-'91 models) or out the top next to the transmission shifter ('87-'88 and some '89s). T-case can be either BW1345 or BW1356, makes no difference.

Then with the '92 cab redesign came the funky shifter that you have to push down to go between 4hi and 4lo. Stick still comes out the side of the tunnel like the '89-'91 models, but now tucks even further in under the dash in 2wd mode, and has like almost no travel between 2wd and 4hi - if you shift a lot between 2wd and 4x4 on snowy roads that thing will be your worst enemy. This thing is used with both BW1356 and BW4407 t-cases.

The side-swinging lever bolts directly in place of the push-down one, and the side-exit style takes way less work to make work properly than top-exit. You will also gain lots more shifter travel. May need to alter the length of the link connecting shifter to t-case tho. No wiring mods needed, unless of course you decide to add electrical switches to the shifter itself.

 

[Koch13351]

I just built a pretty sweet linkage using 5/16" heims. I'll post a pic up once I have my laptop in front of me

 

[crash-harris]

The way the shifter operates has little to do with which t-case you have. Up until '86 you just pull it straight back towards the seat, there are no safety detents in the mechanism so you can easily overshift it and instead of 4hi end up with gears grinding while it attempts a 4lo - this applies to the BW1345, the NP208 that preceded it, all the way back to the '70s NP205.

From '87 to '91 you have to push the shifter to the left when you want to exit 4hi and go into N, once past N when it hits 4lo the shifter will snap back to the right. Works the same way also when exiting 4lo, passing thru N, and ending into 4hi. This is regardless of whether the shifter comes out the side of the transmission tunnel ('89-'91 models) or out the top next to the transmission shifter ('87-'88 and some '89s). T-case can be either BW1345 or BW1356, makes no difference.

Then with the '92 cab redesign came the funky shifter that you have to push down to go between 4hi and 4lo. Stick still comes out the side of the tunnel like the '89-'91 models, but now tucks even further in under the dash in 2wd mode, and has like almost no travel between 2wd and 4hi - if you shift a lot between 2wd and 4x4 on snowy roads that thing will be your worst enemy. This thing is used with both BW1356 and BW4407 t-cases.

The side-swinging lever bolts directly in place of the push-down one, and the side-exit style takes way less work to make work properly than top-exit. You will also gain lots more shifter travel. May need to alter the length of the link connecting shifter to t-case tho. No wiring mods needed, unless of course you decide to add electrical switches to the shifter itself.

I believe you are correct sir. Is been awhile since I've exercised my 4x4 Ford knowledge. In really looking forward to being able to get back into it. Yes, the linkage that they started using in '92 bugs me. The linkage on my 1345 has been just perfectly loose enough to pull straight back to go from 2wd to 4lo, but I still have very positive engagement and never hit the wrong range. I checked it once knowing that I should've had to move it sideways to get into N and lo. Is just a tad sloppy, but the nut has never loosened up anymore.

 

[LCAM-01XA]

It's not a nut that's loose on your 1345 shifter, the problem lies withing this small rubber bushing that is supposed to act like a spring and keep the shifter to the right so it hits the neutral gates properly - after so many years said bushing is well compressed, if it's even still there to begin with, so the spring action is lost and the shifter is allowed to more or less free-float left to right. When that happens if you pull on it just right it will slide right past the neutral gates and thus behaves like a '86-down shifter. The firm and positive mode/range engagement you feel comes from the detents on the shift forks inside the t-case, very much like a '86-down truck. You can still overshift it tho, for example a 2-4hi shift on the fly while simultaneously hitting a big bump or hole in the road is quite likely to end you up in neutral.

Oh, and on the original question where you get the plastic bushings for the Z-bar linkage, Dorman makes an assortment pack that most auto parts stores seem to have in stock in their "help" section.

 

[79jasper]

Mine mostly goes straight through. Maybe I automatically push down without realizing it. I'll eventually add a grease zerk though.

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