So I was in the process of finding a small fluid leak due to a clogged breather on my transmission and I had to remove and put new seals on the top of both my transmission and t-case on the top where the sticks enter. I have everything put back together and it works. But I feel like I don't have the t-case stick in correctly. When I pull it back for 4wd it works and engages, but instead of the stick just going strait back and staying it moves itself to the right like if I were to continue and push it forward at this point it would go into neutral then 4-lo. I could see the return spring in the case when I was putting it back in and wasn't sure on haw to orient the end of the stick in so it's in the right place. Anyone got advice or been there too? thanks

 

The tcase shifter sits in between 2 shift rails. The rails are held in place by detent balls and springs.

From what you are describing, your shifter is simply moving between the two rails while in 4hi, correct? This is normal, UNLESS your transfercase is shifting without you touching anything.

The shifter should be able to move to the right as you describe, but it should take a little pressure to shift into N, or 4low. There was no spring to hold the shifter in place on either one of my transfercases.

 

Yeah when I pull the stick strait back to engage 4-hi it has a little flop to the right. I just wasn't sure if it used to do that. The spring that i was talking about it right at the top of the case and it like this little piece of metal that clips to the underside of the plate that has the hole that the stick goes into, the diagrams that I had called it a 'return spring'. They also told me to make sure I had it in 4-hi before I removed the stick, probably to make it go back in easier, which I failed to do but corrected later, but it was still sort of hard to get it back in even after i had it in the correct position.

 

could someone with a taco go out to there driveway and tell me if their t-case lever moves immediately to the right when you pull it back to 4-hi. (with a manual transmission)