Ford is probably afraid someone is going to yank the shifter hard enough to slam it into neutral or even 4wd low at highway speed....

 

I think it falls under charging more money for convenience. They make more money on offering the convenience and people are dumb enough to pay it other than that I would think they were the same I would like to see someone hit 4low at 80 that would be a good show as long as its in their truck

 

I'm going to have to say no, the manual is not wrong.

The transfer case is called MSOS, or Manual Shift On Stop. The 2005, 2006 and 2007 manuals all have sections on MSOS transfer cases.

Why would they call the case MSOS if it was designed to be shifted on the fly?

 

OK, here's a few things I've gleaned from this site, and my own research.

For '99-04:

The New Venture ESOF transfer case (273) and the manual one (271) are NOT interchangeable. There is no way to make an ESOF transfer case a manual shift. The only choice is to find a manual-shift transfer case and linkages and install it.

As for the '05-up transfer cases, I can't find any info on that right now.

HOWEVER - there has always been some misconceptions about manual transfer cases and the "on the fly" thing. My '74 highboy didn't have "shift on the fly" but if the hubs were locked, AND the front and rear tires were almost the same diameter (tread wear), you COULD get into 4x4 going as fast as 60-70 MPH. But the front and rear tires need to be very close to the same size, AND the hubs must be locked.

The same goes for the MSOS transfer case. If the front and rear drivelines are spinning near the same speed, nothing bad should(!) happen when shifting into 4x4 at speed.

The obvious screwups by inexperienced drivers is probably the biggest reason Ford says you have to be doing less than 3 MPH to engage 4x4.

From what I can tell, up to 2006, all the transfer cases were the same (besides electric shift vs. manual). 2007? Don't know.

Anyone have ANY links to Ford info about what model transfer case was used in 2007? Anyone with a 2007 wants to get underneath and see what the tags on the transfer case say?

 

Again, Ford changed the SD manual case in 2005 to the MSOS case. Prior to the 2005 model year you could shift the manual case "on the fly". For 2005 and up (including 2007) the MSOS case is not designed to be shifted while moving.

Whether you actually can shift the MSOS box into 4H while moving is misleading. You can shift a manual transmission without the clutch, but it is not designed to be shifted without the clutch.

But, we're getting off track. This thread was to answer the question "Are the manual and ESOF transfer cases the same. The answer is no, not the same and not interchangable.

 

Does ANYONE know what model/manufacturer the 2005 and up transfer cases are?

I REALLY want to KNOW what is the real deal here, and getting transfer case models will help greatly.

And, I'd really appreciate it if some of you owners of 2005-up 4x4's can get underneath and find the tag on the transfer case and relay that information back here.

Thanks in advance!

PS: It's been said many times that the NP205 and other manual transfer cases were not "shift on the fly". They are straight-through TC's, no differential inside, so popping it into 4x4 while moving is not a "designed in" feature. But neither I nor millions of other people have had problems doing it. It's not "designed" to do it.

PPS: Maybe MSOS if just a marketing alternative to ESOF. ESOF has a bad rap, so market the other side of the coin with an easy to remember 4-letter acryonym

 

I looked at mine when I bought it and I'm 95% sure it's a NP271 or 273 (ESOF). It's made by New Venture Gear/New Process. New Venture Gear was a company owned by Diamler Chrysler but they sold it to another company (I can't remember the name) and is now New Process (which it used to be a long time ago).

It's snowing like mad here, but when I get home I'll try to take a look.

 

I just got out from under my '06 F350 manual transfer case PSD. The tag on the case said:
manufactuer- New Process
model- 271-F
ratio- 272 I have no idea what that means.

Hope this helps some one. John

 

It is a NP 271 and the low, gear reduction is 2.72:1, so your gearing/torque is multiplied by 2.72 when in low range.

 

As I'm looking to order an '08 SD, I'd sure like some clarification too. This MSOS stuff is very surprising to me...MSOS is dinosaur stuff from the cast-iron transfer case days. I mean, all pickups (with lever shift), light & heavy duty, have been SOF for about 20 years!

As far as I know, this is the same transfer case Dodge uses in their HDs. My '05 Power Wagon...New Process 271...can be shifted into 4H at speeds up to 55 mph. I don't see why Ford would specify something different from New Process.

And as a planetary design, unlike the NP205, I don't see why there would be a problem S'ingOF.

Since Ford is the only mfg. left with manual hubs, perhaps it has something to do with that?

 

Ok, I looked at mine. It's a New Process Gear 273F (the F is for Ford). Mine is an ESOF model. It has an electric gizmo on the bottom of the transfer case that could be the ESOF or a speedo gear. I say this because the New Process 231J (Jeep) that was in my Wrangler did not have the electric gizmo on the bottom, but had a speedometer gear in the upper rear "tail section" of the case. I don't know what the electric gizmo is on my Ford t-case.

 

Ace, that gizmo is the servo, with the switch that tells the GEM what "gear" the transfer case is in. And which light on the dash to light.

Like my '74 highboy, your Jeep transfer case had a speedo gear in it, and the speedo cable going to it. That way, if the transfer case was in LOW, the speedo would read correctly.

 

The electric shift case cannot be converted. It would cost more to convert it to manual than to find a manual case in a junkyard truck. Electric shift turn in a circular motion to shift, the lever shift move in a straight line to shift.

I find it hard to believe ford made the new trucks to be stopped to shift. Imagine driving on the freeway and see some slick spots coming up. "Oh excuse me while I pull off the side of the freeway to shift my truck into 4WD"

I have ESOF that works great. But that is rediculas. Heck I converted my 89 Bronco II from push button shift to manual. Got the t-case from a junkyard for $29.99 (yes 30 bucks) and got the shifter from a website. Works great, lock in the hubs and shift while rolling.

I dunno.

 

Thanks for clarifying that Krewat. I assumed it was the servo, but with how electronic everything is I wasn't totally sure. I'm really glad I got the skid plate package, because that servo is in a stupid place if the truck ever goes offroad.