[P38HSE]

Hello everyone

I've just registered but have been reading the forum for a while now, so I'll take this opportunity to say thanks for all the help/tips I've picked up along the way.

I've a problem with my 1996 4.6 auto being unable to select Low. It is at the H gate which I cannot seem to cross the centre towards the Low gears. The high box works as it should, but when I stop, select neutral (dash indicating N) then try to slide the lever across (while lifting the button all the way up) I can only get to about half way.
I've put fuse 11 (I think it was 11) in and the dash indicated the transfer box was in neutral, then it goes back to high box when I remove the fuse so I'd guess the transfer box motor was operational. Is there anything in the gear selector part which can prevent this? I have never selected Low before.

Thank you.

 

[bandit86]

mine was disconnected at the transfercase, the whole wiring harness

 

[viperover]

2 possibilty's.
1 obstruction in the gear lever housing, you get to it from inside the vehicle.
2 the top trim cover was not correctly aligned to gear lever housing, its a cage arrangement

 

[P38HSE]

Thank you

mine was disconnected at the transfercase, the whole wiring harness

Something I'll check, but would this not prevent the transfer box selecting neutral when fuse 11 is put in?

2 possibilty's.
1 obstruction in the gear lever housing, you get to it from inside the vehicle.
2 the top trim cover was not correctly aligned to gear lever housing, its a cage arrangement

Point 1 - this is what I was imagining happening, but is it safe to start dismantling the gear lever housing i.e. are there many springs to fly out under tension when the case get s opened (usually heading straight for one's eyes!).

Point 2 - do you mean the trim with H slot, and numbers on? I'll check this, but I have been conscious of ensuring I find the right spot to slide it across - it will start to go, but seems to hit upon a blockage at half way.

 

[JeremyD]

Removing the H gate is pretty simple there are no springs that will jump out at you

Have a look at this post to get some idea on how to remove the covers
viewtopic.php?f=3&t=21865

The gear selector is secured with one screw and will pull off once the screw is removed

The there are four screws holding the H gate down remove those and the H gate will come out

 

[digita]

I had this problem when I bought my RR. The silver lever on the gearshift operates a type of mechanical interlock that prevents you from moving between certain gear positions. By pulling the lever, you 'bypass' the interlock, thereby allowing free movement between gears. In my case, a part of this mechanism broke off and got jammed between the gearshift and the low range side of the gate. I simply opened the trim over the H-gate and fished the offending part out with long-nose pliers. Very easy (I did it on the day I bought the car). The only negative effect (although it doesn't bother me) is that I can now shift between High neutral and transfer case neutral without pulling the lever.

 

[P38HSE]

Thanks once again

I'll only be able to get to the P38 later next week, but I'm happier searching in the selector for a possible fault now. I'll report back (hopefully with picture) once I get to it, and hopefully find and fix something.

Something just sprang to mind in that when I replaced my gear selector 'handle' due to it being excessively scuffed, I noticed that the pin was half out of the lift button which meant it didn't actuate on the mechanism very well. I wonder if when trying to select the low gears that this has caused the 'mechanical interlock' to be damaged since it may not operate the mechanism properly to bypass the interlock?

I will have to wait and see........................

 

[P38HSE]

Thats me happy now. Once I'd waded past all the cigarette ash I found a piece of plastic preventing the lever going over to Low. With it removed, all appears to be working as I think it should. I wonder why they put a 'spare' piece of plastic in there? :lol:

As for the dirt, well I'll be cleaning that next time I'm in there.............................

Thanks again for your help

Here's the photo's

 

[viperover]

Ouch, nice and dirty

 

[TomL]

Thanks to this old thread, and others here on the transfer box, the H-gate, and hi-lo shifting problems - I was able to solve and fix a problem that prevented my 2001 P38/4.6 from being able to get back out of Lo range. Thanks for this forum.

I'd been offroad up in Lost Lake/Piney Lake, CO this past weekend, and once back onto pavement, pulled over to shift back into Hi, and discovered than I couldn't move the gear selector back across the H. It was physically stopped from moving all the way to the other side of the H-gate. It would move enough, and select Hi Neutral, but it wasn't properly past the middle of the H - so I was in Hi Neutral but I couldn't move the gear selector shaft forward/backward to select any other High range gears. I could move back to Lo Neutral and still use all the Low side gears.

I tried to eliminate various possible explanations, and confirmed none of those basic possibilities were the source of the fault, and all the main parts of my gearshift, transfer box/motor, etc. seemed OK. I ended up driving it back home via side roads several miles in Lo 4, and parked it for the night.

Next AM, after searching on here and checking RAVE, I knew I had to get a closer look at the gear selector rod and H-gate. I removed the window switch plate (2 screws), the gear selector fascia (1 screw) and the H-gate cover (3 screws). Lo and behold I can see there's some chunk of plastic bound up in the gate, preventing full travel movement of the gear selector rod. I also notice a second plastic chunk in the well below the metal H-gate. I fished both bits out with a needle nose, and realized they were originally supposed to be a single part, some kind of plastic collar/bushing for the gear selector rod and the H-gate. Sure enough, I can now move the gear selector fully across the gate and get into all the Hi range gears. I button it all back up, a happy camper...

I've enclosed a picture showing the "plastic collar/bushing" part. (pic not of my truck, but one I found on here that I marked up.) What's this part called? Anyone know a part # for it? How crucial might it be to replace it ASAP? (it shifts just fine with it out ;-)
Mine obviously must have worn through, breaking in half from 14 years of gear shifting/rubbing...



Anyway, I wanted to post/share this back here in case it can help anyone else running into this problem, where they can't move the gear selector fully across the H-gate to access either Hi or Lo range. If this part breaks, it can cause a mechanical blockage preventing full travel of the gear selector in the H-gate.

Regards,
Tom L.

 

[TomL]

Hey all - so I'm still curious...

In the above post, I enclosed a picture showing the "plastic collar/bushing" part that failed on my P38. If anyone knows what's that plastic busing part name/#, I'd really appreciate it.

Regards again,
Tom L.

 

[RogerB.]

I might be overlooking, but as far as I see, in microcat this bush is not separately mentioned, looks like the whole gearselectorhandle-assembly is one item

 

[TomL]

Thanks, Roger! Not what I was hoping to hear, but at least I now know. I'll try to be a bit gentler when selecting gears, and hope there's no severe implications to not replacing it for awhile ;-p

Regards,
Tom