Transfer case stuck in LL - Manual trans - help

[WomblingFree Lurker Find all posts View Profile Close WomblingFree]

Hi
Just had a weekend in the Brindaballas. Nothing hard , just doing a recce.
Drove around in LL, camped the night, drove out still in LL, hit the tar and tried to put it into HL but the stubby lever will not move out of LL.

There's no crunching or any symptoms of trouble other than the stuck lever. No hard driving at all, just slipped into low one day and stayed there.

Anyone have any clues whats gone wrong? Had a long slow drive in the poring rain stuck in low range.

cheers

[mjrandom Out of control poster! Find all posts View Profile Close mjrandom]

If nothing is physically broken it will be transmission windup holding it in gear. Usually leaving the gearbox in neutral for a while lets the drivetrain relax and the transfer case will move from LL to HL.

[Shangus Find all posts View Profile Close Shangus]

Or you could try jacking a wheel of the ground with the car in neutral and see if any tension is released. Hope that's all the problem is, good luck with it...

[Anth120playdo Banned Find all posts View Profile Close Anth120playdo]

Sort of common problem.

I have not experienced it, but have heard of it. I BELEIVE it may be a problem with one of the detent balls/springs in the selector gear.
I'd say transfer case out & have a look at ya balls :-)

[scottkz Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close scottkz]

Iv had a similar problem before.... Although it probly is just tension.... Anyway I had a 93 hilux out one day giving it hell up a rubber layer track ... Lever got jammed solid in low , had nothing to do with windup as I was on sandy tracks all day , only way I got it out was kick the lever hard with my foot!

[MalcomM Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close MalcomM]

Don't think its windup as lots of reversing, stopping starting and lots of easy Km's in the pouring rain did not help it release. It feels really solidly stuck.
Detent balls were my guess but I haven't heard of that happening in a 90.

Damned annoying as I didn't hammer the truck all weekend. Wouldn't mind as much if I knew I had broken it.

[WomblingFree Lurker Find all posts View Profile Close WomblingFree]

All sorted.
Pulled the transfer lever assembly off the box and found that it had all fallen apart allowing the stick to sit on top of the shafts hence no movement.
Actual cause seems to have been the top circlip somehow coming out of its slot and letting everything ride up. Luckily the rubber boot retains all the parts nicely.
Circlipo seems to have plenty of spring and no crap in the slot so no idea how it came out. Will replace the circlip just in case.