4WD Actuator

[mjtr21]

my father took the truck somewhere so when he gets back i will try to manually pull the cable. should i pull it out as far as it will so and then lock the pliers? thanks a lot for your suggestions. if it works like that then i guess i will be changing vacuum lines out.

[mjtr21]

well i tried the manual way and the 4WD still didnt kick in the front wheels. so im guessing its a problem with my front differential. man i was hoping it wouldnt be something like that. so what kind of part in the front axle will need to be replaced for it to work? unless the cable isnt pulling all the way at the differential end but i doubt it. so any suggestions?

[JaVeRo]

I am thinking it is one of three things or a combination of three.

First would be not getting enough vacuum but you tried pulling the cable by hand and it would not engage so that's probably not it.

Second would be that the cable is corroded and third would be that the gear/sleeve in the picture I posted is worn.

Pull the battery out and remove the battery tray. disconnect the cable from the actuator and look at the way the clip is made and how it attaches because the clip on the other end is made the same way.

Crawl underneath the truck and where the other end of the cable attaches to the axle you will see a switch screwed into the side. Unplug the wiring connector and remove this switch. Now remove the three bolts holding the cable housing to the axle. There are no seals on this so if it's not the problem, you can put it back together without having to wait for parts.

Slide the cable housing back until you can release the clip and remove the cable. This is the reason for disconnecting at the actuator first, you wouldn't have enough slack to be able to slide the housing back. After you disconnect the cable, it should look like this:

Jack up the right front wheel. Pull on the stem shown in the picture while slowly turning the the wheel. If it engages the driveshaft will start turning. If you had the truck in 4wd before you removed the battery then the axle will lock and you won't be able to turn the wheel. This is good.

I am guessing that you will find the problem in the cable. If the axle does not lock when you pull the stem (the wheel spins but the driveshaft does not) then the problem may be the clutch fork or the sleeve that the fork rides on (see the picture in a previous post). That is not good but still possible to fix yourself, it will take a lot longer though.

If you find the problem and start putting things back together, put some sealant on the surface of the plate where the cable housing mounts with the three bolts. This will help keep dirt and water out of the cable. When you screw the switch back in keep in mind that the housing is plastic and don't over-tighten or you will be buying a new cable housing.

Let me know what you find.

James

[mjtr21]

that is a better picture. i will go out in a few minutes and put the truck in the garage b/c its only 10 degrees out. then i will post my results. thanks very much.

[mjtr21]

well i took off the cable and housing and jacked up the right front wheel. then i pulled out on that little stem part as far as it would go and turnd the wheel. i had it in 4WD and when i turned the wheel it DID turn and i could feel a small thumping on the little stem. so i know this means that thing on teh other side of that housing inside is worn. i think you called it a clutch fork or sleeve. is it hard to take it apart? and do you have the steps. thanks you very much.

[JaVeRo]

The hard part is getting to it. You will have to pop one of the ball joints out and remove the axle from the hub. After you get the axle out of the hub you can remove the axle (the part with the two rubber boots and cv joints) with the inner axle shaft housing. There are two bolts holding the inner axle shaft housing to the frame and the last two of the five bolts at the differential. While you are doing this you should go ahead and replace the inner axle shaft seal and the clutch fork seal.

Pay close attention to the way the parts come out of the differential so you can put them back in the right order.

James

[mjtr21]

how much would this cost to have my mechanic do it for me? i really hate ball joints and never had luck with them. also what is the name of the part i have to buy? thanks for your help.

[MT-2500]

Originally Posted by mjtr21

how much would this cost to have my mechanic do it for me? i really hate ball joints and never had luck with them. also what is the name of the part i have to buy? thanks for your help.

You need to talk to your repair shop about the cost.
Most of them will give you a estimate on the repair.
But on something like yours they may have to check it out and or take it apart to check it out.
Check out and tear down may run into 1 or up to 3 or4 hrs labor.

[JaVeRo]

Originally Posted by mjtr21

how much would this cost to have my mechanic do it for me? i really hate ball joints and never had luck with them. also what is the name of the part i have to buy? thanks for your help.

If you are not comfortable with replacing ball joints I highly recommend taking it to a mechanic.

According to the Helm manual pg 4-45 the parts that MAY be affected is (9) Clutch Gear, (12) Clutch sleeve, and (22) Fork. I recommend replacing the (3) Seal in the inner axle housing and the (20) Seal on the Clutch Fork. And check the inner axle shaft (4) Bearing while it is apart.

These numbers will be helpful if the parts diagram is the same as the one in the Helm manual. I think it is but I could be wrong, my wife says I usually am.

Keep in mind that this would be my next step in finding the problem. Yours could be deeper into the differential such as spider gears or several other problems.

James