So many times I have heard people say "Man my t-case is stuck. It's broke. Now what do I do?" Well it happens to every Samurai eventually. It happened to me while at the Beach. Luckily my buddy R/T lived nearby and was able to rescue me. MY HERO!! I still owe him a new shifter sheet!
Here is the problem There is a round bushing inside the transfer case called a "Shifter sheet." Stock from the factory it is rubber. Over the years it gets worn and degrades from being in constant contact with gear oil. This is probably the most common problem with the Samurai. Don't sweat it. It is quite easy to fix!
For ease of understanding and a better view, I did this article with the t-case out of the vehicle. There is no need to pull the t-case out of the vehicle to do this.
Items neededHammer
long skinny flat tip screw driver
pliers (maybe)
rags
NEW shifter sheet
Let's start out sitting inside the vehicle.
1. Remove the transfer case shifter knob. (it just unscrews)
2. Remove the 4 bolts holding the rubber t-case shifter boot to the body.
3. Slide the rubber boot off of the shift lever and set it aside.
4. Now, Look down inside the hole, you will see another smaller rubber boot. You will need to remove this. It has a metal wire clamp holding it on but can be removed by hand or pliers. You may have to crawl under the vehicle to reach the ring but I never have needed to. See the pics below.
5. Once you remove the wire clip you can peel the rubber boot up and remove it from the shifter lever.
6. Now look at the silver ring around the bottom of the shift lever. It has a slot notched on each side.
7. You will need a long skinny flat tip screw driver and a hammer here. Place the screw driver half in and half on top of one of the slots. Push down. It should go inward just a little. You may need to push down on both sides of the silver ring.
8. Tap the screw driver and turn the silver ring "COUNTER CLOCKWISE" just like a screw loosens. It will turn maybe 1/4 inch and pop upward.
9. Pull out the silver ring and the spring under it.
10. Pull out the shift lever and set it aside.
11. Clean out all the rubber and gunk inside the t-case shifter neck (sometimes there is nothing left at all!) There is usually a small flat rubber washer still in good condition that sits on the bottom of the hole. Remove this too.
12. Now get a flashlight and look down inside the t-case. There are two rods in the very bottom with a notch in each one. They are side by side running from front to rear. Most likely the notches are not lined up. Use that long screw driver and gently move them in line with each other. The notches should form a square open box when in line. If you find that you can't get the rods to budge, try having someone rock your vehicle fore and aft. Sometimes the drivetrain will be so bound up that it takes a while to get the rods into position. Just don't give up!
13. Insert your NEW SHIFTER SHEET (buy a new one from any zuk vendor before you start this process. They cost about 7.00 for a rubber one and 15 for a polyurethane one) I chose to use a polyurethane one as they last forever!
14. Replace your shifter back into the t-case. It should fit right in.
15. replace the silver ring and spring and use the same method as taking it out to re-install it. Just make sure to turn the silver ring the other way!
16. Replace the rubber boot over the shifter lever.
17. Replace the metal wire clip
18. Replace shift boot and shift knob.
19. GO WHEELIN!!!
EASY AS PIE!! Takes about 20 minutes!
