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Post date: Dec 12, 2015 4:34:47 PM
Who hasn't had their 4wd mechanical transfer box selector lever on an old Ford, Dodge, or Chevy freeze up?! Early 90s Fords are known for a pot-metal bracket that breaks when you try to extert a bit more force on a sticky lever. Fortunately my Dodge bracket is pretty tough, but it still froze up on me last winter.
To get it out I had to twist off the frozen cotter pin end of the linkage from the lever back to the transfer case. Then unscrew the 4wd lever knob from within the cab so it can drop down thru the fabric boot. Then unscrew the bracket from the side of the transmission using a regular 9/16 socket on a short ratchet. Drop the whole thing down and take it into the shop and put it into a vise. If a little pblaster won't free it up, then put the heat to the bushing right around the pivot. Heat and cool until it moves freely. Get the cotter pin out of the central pivot, remove the lever from the bracket. Wire brush the pivot axle, and use some light sandpaper on the inside of the bushing on the lever itself. This is a brass bushing so don't take too much off.. it's pretty soft. The main cleanup is needed on the pivot axle itself. Put it all back together, with the anti-rattle spring, but liberally coat the axle and bushing with anti-seize compound. Reassemble and reinstall. I could not get the cotter pin out of the linkage arm (mentioned earlier) so I put a really tiny hose clamp on it after putting it thru the lever arm to keep it from falling out. Voila!
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