Ok I got a 1980 ford f-150 manual tranny 4 speed, and its 4 wheel drive, ok i put the shifter for the 4 wheel drive in nutruel and take the othe shifter and put it into a gear and let go of the clutch the truck wont move, but if i put the 4 wheel drive shifter into either low or high and put the truck into a gear then it will move, anyone know why it wont move without 4 wheel drive being kicked in, email me at rmalottwtes30@zoomtown.com i dont view the boards much and i need to figure it out asap and i have no clue thanks again guys

 

In order to move, the transfer case has to be in gear as well. If the transfer case is in neutral, then nothing beyond the transfer case moves. Step on the clutch, put the shifter for the transmission in neutral, put the shifter for the transfer case into 2wd (probably the option farthest forward if its an np208), then put the transmission into 1st gear, take foot off clutch and go.

Your transfer case shifter should be somthing like this:
2wd
4wd hi
Neutral
4wd lo

I could be wrong if you have a different transfer case.

 

yea but if i do that wont it be locked into 4 wheel drive? cause if i move the 4 wheel drive shifter out of neutral it says its in 4 wheel drive, sorry if i sound retarted and stuff but im no mechanic and dont know how 4 wheel drive operates very well. but if i move it into anything but neutral wont it be in 4 wheel drive? thanks

 

Hows the clutch?

 

The clutch is good and all, could it be the lock out hubs on the front wheels? the guy i bought it off of said they may need replaced? could that be doing it thanks

 

Do you have a owners manual with that shows the shifting pattern? You could also take the vin# off the truck and have the dealer look it up for you. They might be able to help.

 

I have no manual but i do know the shifting pattern, im just thinking its the hubs.

 

There must be an option for 2wd on the shifter. There must be more than just 4wd hi & lo. With the tranny in neutral, shift the transfer case out of neutral and push it ALL the way to the top. Then the 4wd light should go out and you will be in 2wd.

What does the shifting pattern say? Please write it out.

 

on top of the 4 wheel drive shifter all its got is netural and high and low cant remember the exact pattern, ill look tomorrow cause its not here its some where else i have always thought that putting it in neutral was the way its suppost to be to make it not 4 wheel engaged if its like the way you described then why is there a neutral, also another question with it being a manual shift, you you shift the tranny when its in 4 wheel or use the transfer case shifter, sorry if i sound like i dont know whats going on, well actualy i dont i hope to figure it out though . thanks guys

 

Most likely you have a an NP235 Tranny and A BW 13-XX transfer case. If it is a NP208 transfer case it should be the same shift pattern. Closest to the seat is 4Low then "N" then 4 High and 2wd, if you nuckles are about to hit the dash you will be in 2wd. The hubs will not have any thing to do with the truck not moving. The transfer case must be in any position other than neutral for the truck to move.

 

No big deal, I knew little about 4wd until I bought my truck, and then learned as I went. I certainly don't know all there is about transfer cases and maybe your setup is somehow different from what I've seen. Take a look at it again tomorrow and post again with what you find out. If it doesn't have an option for 2wd on the shifter, crawl under the truck and try to get the codes on the transfer case so we know what kind you have and go from there.

 

Hmm, does your shifter have Lock written beside the gear position in two locations?
Someone probably replaced the shifter ball with one off of a NP203.
Get under the truck, what is the transfer case made out of? Aluminum, or iron?
Should be an aluminum unit in your truck.
All the way forward is 2wd on all the transfer cases that came in these trucks from the factory.

 

Hubs can also be a problem for a truck that age. I agree.

 

the only time I know of the front hubs causing any trouble is on full time 4 wheel drives. The transfer case has a neutral even on full timers, but it still has to be engaged to move the vehicle. The purpose is so that it can be moved in the event of failure.

 

I think he's a little confused about exactly what the neutral position on the transfer case means. He seems to think that in order to disengage 4wd, the case has to be in neutral.

The way it works is this: The engine produces power, which then goes to the transmission. Behind the transmission is the transfer case. Even when you're in 2wd, you're still using the transfer case. It doesn't do anything other than transfer power to the rear axle. When you put it in 4wd, the transfer case starts doing useful things. It transfers power to the front axle as well. If you have it in low range, it will also do another gear reduction.

If you have the transfer case in neutral, no power is being put to the wheels. It's just like putting the transmission in neutral.

If your transfer case only has three positions, 4wd high, neutral, and 4wd low, then you have what's known as full time four wheel drive. Most 1980 & up trucks have part time four wheel drive. That's what the other transfer case position everyone is talking about is. That's just when the rear wheels are getting power. The front axle just spins freely.

I hope this helps you out...