T case shifter won't move at all, either direction. It's in 2H now. Used 4wd last winter no problem. First snow this winter, and I can't get it out of 2H. I'm trying to get the linkage rod off now, to see if it's the shifter side or the case side that's stuck. But looking at it from underneath, right where the shifter lever comes out of the floor, there is a small bracket that looks like it would hold a pin. There is a matching hole in the shifter lever. Did I lose a pivot pin? Is there supposed to be something there? I'm not talking about the rod and grommet hole at the bottom, this is right at the floorboard.
Any other ideas why the shifter would freeze up? It is pretty rusty under there.
Thank you for any help.

Update: found it in service manual, that's just for alignment at install. No missing parts, just a lot of rust. Still haven't gotten the linkage rod out, and afraid to break the rusty bolts to drop the shifter mechanism. It moves about an inch now from wrestling it. Headed out for a can of pb blaster.

 

Try shifting into 4 at a low speed. Mine is always hard to engage when sitting still.

The system is shift on the fly and mine goes in a lot easier at speeds up to 35 mph.

If the pb blaster loosens it up, chase it with a protective lubricant like Corrosion-X or Boeshield....

 

It sounds like something may just be bound up inside the transfer case. Especially because the linkage isnt that strong and you have more leverage than it does over the gear selection of the TC. So depending on if you have the CAD or non-CAD front axle would determine how I'd go about messing with it.

But.....if you have a CAD front axle then I'd highly suggest NOT trying to engage at speeds above around 5 mph. This is because even though they call it a "shift on the fly" 4wd system, the CAD 4wd trucks are a part-time 4wd which means that the front driveshaft is NOT spinning in 2wd. So therefore to engage all components of 4wd the transfer case has a clutch type component which grabs a hold of the front driveshaft (like a clutch) and spins it up to the same speed as the rear driveshaft. When the front driveshaft is spinning and fully in gear then the vacuum switch reverses the vacuum signal and the CAD collar engages the two piece front axle. Thats when the transfer case and front axle can lock together and you're in 4wd.

So the key variable there is how much stress the transfer case clutch must endure in order to speed up the front driveshaft. If you're attempting to do this at speeds above 5 mph then it will eventually wear it out and you'll have problems trying to shift into 4wd.

But, all that said, if the truck is a non-CAD 4wd then its a full-time 4wd and the front driveshaft is always spinning at road speeds. Therefore the only component which needs to engage is the transfer case and that can be done at relatively any speed as long as the front and rear driveshafts are spinning at the same speeds. Meaning, going straight and not spinning the rear tires on loose surfaces.

 

Good point^^

Mine is a non-CAD.

 

Thank you for the help. It is a non-CAD. PB blaster and some light hammer taps have got me 4H back. Shifts normal again between 2H and 4H. Still doesn't want to go forward to neutral or 4L. It's been years since I tried to engage those. Lesson learned, exercise all the gears more often. I'd still like to drop the shift mechanism for a major cleaning, but not with more snow coming this week.
Thanks again.

 

Glad you got it worked out and it was an easy fix. But seriously.....you guys who live in such corrosive areas need to invest in five gallon pails of PB blaster.

 

And a small tub of marine grease?