Ever had your Transfer case "Stuck?" Here is how to fix a stuck t-case

[NC Zuk]

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 needed
Hammer
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!

[Jigsaw]

I would just like to add a side note to this. On alot of suzuki transmissions ( 5 speed models). That same piece in the transfer case he is talking about will go bad resulting in what you can say is best described as over shifting. Basically for example when you shift into second it goes in fine but it wont engage the gear b/c you have actually shifted past it b/c of the piece being bad.

[R/T]

actually Josh, that is a different piece, the shifter sheet is in the transfer case that shifts from 2wd to 4wd hi and 4wd lo.
 The piece that causes the over shifting or loose shifter is a shifter alignment bolt in the neck of the transmission shifter which keeps the shift lever tight.
R/T

[Jigsaw]

Interesting to know. I was shown the piece you are describing ( round piece) and was told that was the culprit in the trannys as well b/c it kinda lets the shifter drop. Had that problem go wrong in my Jeep as well. Total cost to fix was around 5 bones.

[R/T]

it could be now that I think of it, never had the problem. I'll look into it later this week and get a full report! thatnks for the correction!
R/T

[NC Zuk]

it could be now that I think of it, never had the problem. I'll look into it later this week and get a full report! thatnks for the correction!
R/T

Ya know, I had one of those go kAPOW as well. Luckily I had a spare tranny to rob. It looks different and mounts ontop of the shift ball but it was nasty all the same. They have replacement poly ones for about 20 $.

[Robzuk]

 If y'all want to make broken shifter bolts a thing of the past send your tower out to Sarge at Midwest Performance. He adds a second locator bolt eliminating the broken bolts and stiffening up the shifter. I got a 1994 that was stuck in neutral CHEAP!
ROB

[the4x4xgirl]

Hey, if you're really in a bind and need to get your rig back on the road again, head down to Lowe's or Home Depot to their Plumbing departments.  They sell rubber/vinyl slip washers that with some slight trimming around the edges will replace the old worn shifter sheet.  

[the4x4xgirl]

Oh yeah, its like a $1 for a bag of 2.

[yoothgeye]

Thanks 4x4 girl!

[beachrebel429]

Thanks, never know where you'll be when it goes out>>

[NC Zuk]

Well, I can't believe this. I just got the following e-mail form a guy in Australia. Makes it worth the time to write this how-to out!!

I also did a google search on the net for "Stuck t-case" and this article came up first 

Deep gratitude

I want to give you a big thank you for your article on
getting the t-case (un) stuck.

I just bought my Suzuki on Friday night, and the
family and I drove around in it all weekend. But late
on the Sunday night I got the t-case stuck and I had
no car to get to work (3 hours each way by bus/train)

I searched on the internet for some clue on how to fix
it when I found your article. I followed it
step-by-step from a printout under the (dull) interior
light at 11 pm last night . While I did not have a new
shifter sheet to put back in the car, I did manage to
get it unstuck and get to work today.

Your article saved me an enormous amount of hassle and
probably expense!

Thank you so much

Your new friend in Sydney

Craig Pollard

[Biggerhammer]

Way to go!

[SPAMurai]

I hope you replied and invited him to join us here!  Sounds like an interesting guy.
Steve O'
Art - Will be in Fay later this week for work at a site off Morganton Road.  What's your schedule this week?  Time for lunch one day?

[NC Zuk]

Oh, I never miss an oportunity ti invite someone tpo the bbs. Heck, I search out other bbs's, join them,  and then post about this one 

[Lizooki]

Had mine go out on the road a couple of weeks ago. 2 miles from home and 5 inches of snow and 2 more of sleet. I knew of the fix, but never done it, so it was AAA time. I didn't just fix it the next day, I studied the problem. The sheet dies, allowing the shift lever to fall down and wedge against the bottom of the case. Moves the pivot point to far to stay in place.
 I tried the screwdriver fix, but found it easier to just wiggle things in place with the shift lever.

[NC Zuk]

Got another e-mail today. It's great to see this stuff get used 

[mofugly13]

Anyone got any pics?  At first I thought it was a bushing that fits over the little 'ball' on the end of the shift lever, similar to what is on my 'yotas manual tranny.  After reading this post, it sounds like its a larger flat washer of some sort?

[dschwab9]

http://bbs.zuwharrie.com/content/topic,5243.msg41948#msg41948

[NC Zuk]

Anyone got any pics?  At first I thought it was a bushing that fits over the little 'ball' on the end of the shift lever, similar to what is on my 'yotas manual tranny.  After reading this post, it sounds like its a larger flat washer of some sort?

On a Samurai t-case the bushing actually goes under the ball at the bottom of the shifter . On a sammi trans the bushing goes on top of the shift ball like your Toyota. Weird stuff huh?

[dschwab9]

On a Samurai t-case the bushing actually goes under the ball at the bottom of the shifter .

That's how it goes on a dana 300 too.

[NC Zuk]

Seem to have had a few of these lately. Just bringing it back to the first page

[twowheelin]

just to make sure im on the same page, this is when the sammi t-case wont shift into any slot. sometimes it could be in neutral. it happened to me a few times with an old one i used to tool around with. it was what i learned how to drive a stick on when i was 12.

[NC Zuk]

It can get stuck in any gear but it usually is neutral. Rawlings got his stuck in 2 hi this weekend. Now he knows how to fix it

[Carolina_Zuk]

If I would have just read the tech a week earlier I wouldnt have had to have the crash course!!!!!

[sleepingturtle]

Totally cool!  Thanks for the info!!!  Any recommendations on where to get a poly aftermarket part?  Online?  Portland Oregon not much of a zuki town!  Thanks again!

[X-jeeper]

alot of the online vendors sell them...trail tough, RRO, north coast offroad...just pick one!

[NC Zuk]

www.trailtough.com is in Washington state and www.roadlessgear is in Oregon Both sell them

[NC Zuk]

Seems this is becoming a frequent question again. 

[NC Zuk]

New and improved! Updated with pics and more detail

[Biggerhammer]

Bump For anyone needing it.

[wflaw45]

thanks allot for this post, i got the part and just dont have the time to put it in. i have a body lift tho so this might be a bit harder

[zukmike]

Nah..  the body lift wont make it any harder. I got a 3" lift on mine..and I replaced mine in about the same amount of time. 

[NC Zuk]

I received another e-mail about this article, this time from Romania

[muskyslayr]

Great write up on the stuck transfer case.  I ran into this situation once when towing my zuk.  Once I got to where I was going I went to put the tranfer case back in gear...fergit about it...wouldn't move.  So what'd I do?  I signed onto Zuwharri and bingo bango.  You guys are great...I just wished you were closer to the great white north.

[sammi_davis]

  You guys are great...I just wished you were closer to the great white north.

No offense but we dont ...too durn cold up there 

[muskyslayr]

aw c'mon...it aint that cold up here.  I'll send in some pics of winter wheelin this winter.
I might even put the top on...ha ha

[ka4yqi]

aw c'mon...it aint that cold up here.  I'll send in some pics of winter wheelin this winter.
I might even put the top on...ha ha

I too old and blood dont flow as well for that.

[KEITH13]

I just picked up an 88 samurai for 250$ and it had this problem, after I pulled the shifter out the only remains of the sheet were a black goo around the edges.  And I also wanted to ask about the transmission problem??? Will those worn out parts prevent me from even putting it into gear?

Thanks
Keith

[supazuk]

www.trailtough.com is in Washington state and www.roadlessgear is in Oregon Both sell them

not to nit pick but trail tough is in medford Oregon and roadless is in Montanta

[NC Zuk]

Got another e-mail on this today so I thought I would bring it back to life

[dirkj]

Hey Guys!

I recently had a similar problem but with a different cause and solution.  I think it might be worth posting here incase it ever happens to someone else.

As with the Australian guy, the problem struck me late on a Sunday evening.  I had the Zuk in 4wd and when returning to the road and 2wd mode the t-case suddenly got stuck in "neutral".  It wasn't going anywhere.  As it was way too dark to look for the problem, I had to get a towtruck to take us (my wife and two dogs included) home.

Fortunately I was able to use my wife's car the next day to get to work and back.  That evening it was time for a little digging under the car.  I got in there flat on my back and removed the shifter etc from the t-case.  I felt and looked around but couldn't find anything wrong for quite a while.  Then it suddenly dawned on me that the silver ring part (removed in step 9 of the original post) was not looking so well.

The two little "bayonette"-type pieces were bent downward causing the shifter assembly to slip out of the t-case just enough to keep it from operating properly.  The shifter would go in where it should, but the minute you try to shift it slips out.

I used a simple pair of pliers to bend it back (close enough) into place.  The metal doesn't seem to crack or break easily, but it is quite hard and strong so the repair should last (although I do plan to rather replace the part sometime soon).

Voila!  This time it clicked in properly and holds down the shifter where it should be.  In fact, in all the time I've had my Zuk, my t-case has never shifted so well so this problem might have been a long time coming!

Hope this helps someone out there!

Regards,

DJ

[lance981]

Another big Thank YOU for this post!
We were leaving our CG Hosting stint in a remote campground in New Mexico. My wife drove the Zuki out and I drove out our truck camper. When we got to pavement we stopped so that I could hook up the Zuki to tow it. She move the t-case to neutral. I connected the tow then got back in the Zuki to check everything. Damned - I couldn't get the t-case out of neutral!
Fortunately it was OK to tow, so I took off for the nearest civilization (Bloomfield, NM). I figured that the t-case was toast. After we got settled in a Campground with Internet access I decided to check this board for the heck of it to find out if anyone else ever had the t-case stuck. Low and behold a search found this thread.
I called Petroworks, ordered that part sent UPS 2nd day to one of our next stops (Dubois, WY), followed the instructions on the post and I'm back in business.  YEEHEE!!

[lacrosse10604]

Does this work on Track/Kicks? I can only shift into neutral, 2nd and 4th. I'll post my question else where if need be...

[Ballenxj]

Another great write up!  I've heard of this problem before, and now I know what to do if/when it happens to me.
Nice to know Your article is helping folks all over the world. 
-Bruce

[aaholland]

get post fixed my shift sheet 

[RedWolf]

I'd heard of this problem recently.

Nice write up and pics... Why wait till it happens, I'll be replacing mine on Saturday

Thanks
 

[Ballenxj]

I thought this info was so useful that it deserves a "bump" so that others may find it easier when in need. 
-Bruce

[zukduk]

Might not work for everyone but works for me.....I leave my shifter loose on my trans case so when it gets stuck i just pull it up not out then move it around untill it goes back in place then shift it into gear seems to work every time for me you might try this to see if it works for you.....Cheap fix!!!!!?

[Polie]

before I forget, I have a little tool I will post pics of. It make working on a t-case or tranny 1000x's easier!!!

[aucyrano]

Chalk another one up to finding a great write up.

I haven't put it in, but have heard about the problem when I had my stock Sami. My buggies x-case was stuck in no man's land and now I need to go and get working on it. Appreciate the help and keep up the good work.

[Cy-Zuki]

Where is the specila tool Polie? 

Bump!

[Polie]

Its in my tool box.

[Cy-Zuki]

Fair comment

[Polie]

Do you want a pic of it?

[Cy-Zuki]

Thanks Polie, YES PLEASE - it may be a good idea for this thread and I would be very interested if you didn't mind. Have just spotted a grinder tool on another thread.

Cheers,
Geoff

[Polie]

ok, i should have it up later tonight

[Cy-Zuki]

Think Polie musta been talking about sex:

ok, i should have it up later tonight

BTW, I bet Art (RIP) would have got a kick to know that his original post is still helping people.
Thanks Art.

[zukedude]

OK I haven't read the whole post but if the sammi runs fine but will not come out of 2 wheel drive could that be the problem?

[sickboy57]

This one might have been an oddball. mine got stuck in 2 high i noticed after driving three hours to a trail to camp for the weekend. It wasnt the common problem. what happened was that on the side of each shift rod there are detent balls with springs.in the middle of the two is a roller ball. the one in the middle had become out of round (probably never rotated since it was new just let the rods rub it down)and wedged the rods to where they wouldnt move. so after pulling the case and splitting it on my trailer i just put it back together without the middle roller ball in it.that also lets you shift to 2low. i actually forgot about it till i saw this post. i wouldnt reccomend leaving it out because it will eventually wear the aluminum down to where the rods are really close together and the detent balls lock it up or fall out. it took me a while to get around to getting a new one. it was fine for a year or so. i wish i could remember what size ball replaces it since i couldnt use the old one for a good reference i had to experiment a bit.

[buckshot]

I got my new shifter sheet today from ZOR and am trying to install but no matter how much rocking I do I cant get the rods to budge. What next? I sure hope I dont have to take the transfer case out. Thanks MIke

[aggiebowhunter]

I really appreciate this post.  I was out feeding our deer tonight when my tcase locked up.  Drug it home and was able to atleast get it into gear again.  Thanks a million

[toddwr]

This article saved me alot of money.  I almost got talked into replacing the transfer case.

[ZukiJon]

This article saved me alot of money.  I almost got talked into replacing the transfer case.

I bought my first Zuk for $200 because the t-case needed this fix and the owner thought it had serious issues, he had no idea......nor did I. An almost perfect, stock, rust free Sami.            (this was before I knew anything about Zuks, so I don't feel I ripped him off)