in order to get in and out of 4x4 i have to stop and back up a foot to get the lights to turn on or off on my floor shift but other than that 4x4 works fine

That sounds about right. Many 4x4's you have to back up a little bit to disengage the hubs, especially on the older 4x4's. Could also be a short or something in the transfer case. The 4x4 might just be starting to show its age. Good Luck

Yip, sounds about right for a manual 4x4.

That or you have a vacuum leak, check all vacuum connections going to the transfer case.