1974 Blazer 4W Shifter Question

[Fall_Guy]

Hello everyone. I'm Steve and new to the forum. Also very new with understanding and working with vehicles. Thank you for your patience with me.

I have a 1973 and a 1974 K5. It dawned on me that I might be driving around with them in the wrong gear on the 4W shifter. I'm trying to figure out a few things.

The vehicle is automatic. The 4W shifter on the floor reads from front to back (front being closest to the engine): L Loc, L, N, H, H Loc.

The truck has locking hubs on the front wheels, and they are set to FREE.

I asked the previous owner if a transfer case conversion was done, and he didn't think so.

The shifter for the 4W gears only goes straight forward and back.

I got underneath the truck today and notice there are 2 shift rods connected to the shifter, but only 1 of them seemed operational.

Is the other shift rod for the Loc / N / Loc option? If so, how does it get engaged?

How do I know if the transfer case was converted?

And most importantly, what gear setting should I use for normal city / highway driving?

I'm trying to post pics to the forum, but I haven't figured out how yet.

 

[Bent77]

Hey @Fall_Guy welcome to CK5

We have some good 203 t case guys, I’m not one of them!

But the pictures takes a minimum number of posts. (Or paid membership, but I’m not the sales guy)

 

[Fall_Guy]

How many posts? May I simply send someone some of the pics to post on my behalf?

 

[Fall_Guy]

Hey @Fall_Guy welcome to CK5

We have some good 203 t case guys, I’m not one of them!

But the pictures takes a minimum number of posts. (Or paid membership, but I’m not the sales guy)

Thanks for the welcome!

 

[Bent77]

Send me a PM with pictures. I wanna see if that works

 

[max 02]

Just drive it with the t case in 4 hi
203 has no option for 2 wheel only.
It’s been a while since I drove one but it think it is one click below neutral.

Google Image Result for http://core-shifters.com/cdn/shop/products/1_97f52101-24f5-47da-b5c2-59ddfab7dbf4_grande.jpg?v=1571438820

images.app.goo.gl

 

[Bent77]

So those hubs are definitely part time, so the front axle is not “live” all the time anymore
As for the shifter, typically you want “H” for normal driving. Based on the pictures, I’d run that over to the carwash and clean the goobers off of it, then spray it with some penetrating oil and see if you gain full movement

 

[Fall_Guy]

So those hubs are definitely part time, so the front axle is not “live” all the time anymore
As for the shifter, typically you want “H” for normal driving. Based on the pictures, I’d run that over to the carwash and clean the goobers off of it, then spray it with some penetrating oil and see if you gain full movement

Thanks. This may sound dumb, but should I use a pressure wash on it? That build up of stuff is pretty massive under there.

 

[Bent77]

Yep, if it falls off, it needed fixed anyway. Don’t spray the wiring

 

[Fall_Guy]

Good call. If it doesn't loosen up, I'll grab some video later from underneath the K5 and share it.

 

[Fall_Guy]

I imagine that since under the cab, the shifter has two rods, is one for engaging and disengaging LOC? If so, is LOC engaged when the rod under the vehicle is forward (closer the engine), or in the back position?

Since it's currently not moving, I want to figure out where it currently is set.

 

[6872xtc]

It looks to me that you aren't in lock position because the lever against the case is pointed down. In lock, it points forward some. This would mean that there is a part time kit in the transfer case.
If the truck is secure when parked, chock it for safety, the reach under it and see if the front driveshaft turns. It will have some resistance, but will turn if it has a part time kit.

 

[Fall_Guy]

It looks to me that you aren't in lock position because the lever against the case is pointed down. In lock, it points forward some. This would mean that there is a part time kit in the transfer case.
If the truck is secure when parked, chock it for safety, the reach under it and see if the front driveshaft turns. It will have some resistance, but will turn if it has a part time kit.

Thanks for the advice. I will try that. BTW - I cannot seem to get the second shift lever to move. I got under the K5 and tried to manually pull the lever. Wouldn't go anywhere. Only the first one moves. What could be causing it to stay locked in place?

Does this type of shifter ONLY go straight forward and backward, or should the shifter rod also go left and right to engage the other lever? Or could it be locked off from the inside intentionally? Sorry if I sound clueless. (The only experience I have with shifters and how to operate is from my Muncie 4 speed on my Camaro.)

 

[6872xtc]

That shifter only goes forward and backward. The lever for the front drive lock swings forward on the side of the case, in low and high. There is most likely enough junk inside the shifter that it's locked up internally.
One chunk of junk in the perfect spot can screw it up.

 

[HankScorpio]

I drove a NP203 truck for years. Looks to be the same setup, non converted t-case with warn hubs. The front driveshaft will spin when you drive but having the hubs unlocked will prevent it from scrubbing in turns. Drive with the case in 4hi (H for yours). The NP203 shifter is an odd little box. The inside shift lever moves in a straight line but the 2 levers underneath only move for certain selections. It is possible there is an internal problem or just dirty and gummed up. Have you tried shifting with the truck slightly rolling? It can sometimes help getting the gears to engage/disengage. The NP203 is not all that popular but if your truck came with it, it will work fine. Since a lot of them have been swapped out there are usually parts around. If your shifter is broken you should be able to find one here. I took 1 out of a truck and disassembled a couple cases for the range boxes. I probably have a shifter if yours is broken, need to look in my parts stash. Try and diagnose it a bit more before starting to swap parts.

 

[Fall_Guy]

That shifter only goes forward and backward. The lever for the front drive lock swings forward on the side of the case, in low and high. There is most likely enough junk inside the shifter that it's locked up internally.
One chunk of junk in the perfect spot can screw it up.

This is really helpful. I will spend some time trying to clean that area up and see if there is gunk in it. In the meantime, I will leave it in H. Thankfully it's not stuck in the LOC position right now.
I had been driving with it in L all this time.
When I drove it yesterday in H for the first time, there was definitely a difference in power, or lack of power to be more precise. Not a lot, and more noticeable on the top end while on the freeway. Power seemed the same on the low end in both L and H. Does that seem right?

 

[Fall_Guy]

I drove a NP203 truck for years. Looks to be the same setup, non converted t-case with warn hubs. The front driveshaft will spin when you drive but having the hubs unlocked will prevent it from scrubbing in turns. Drive with the case in 4hi (H for yours). The NP203 shifter is an odd little box. The inside shift lever moves in a straight line but the 2 levers underneath only move for certain selections. It is possible there is an internal problem or just dirty and gummed up. Have you tried shifting with the truck slightly rolling? It can sometimes help getting the gears to engage/disengage. The NP203 is not all that popular but if your truck came with it, it will work fine. Since a lot of them have been swapped out there are usually parts around. If your shifter is broken you should be able to find one here. I took 1 out of a truck and disassembled a couple cases for the range boxes. I probably have a shifter if yours is broken, need to look in my parts stash. Try and diagnose it a bit more before starting to swap parts.

I did try to shift with it rolling, and it actually got stuck in Neutral. I couldn't get it out of neutral and I had to roll to the side of the road, turn the engine off, put in the park, and then I was able to get it out of Nuetral. Since I was on a busy road, I couldn't get underneath confirm if it did get to the LOC position. But later on, when I attempted to shift again, and was able to get under to diagnose, the second level still did not move. Was only able to move the first level to the 1 and 2 positions.

Quick question -- does Nuetral happen on the same lever as L and H?
Or is Nuetral on the same lever as LOC?

 

[HankScorpio]

Its been a little while since I have been inside the NP203. There is a range box on the front of the 203 and that is what we remove to build a double reduction transfer case. The NP203 range box bolted to a NP205 transfer case to get double low. Last time I worked on one I was removing a range box, not rebuilding the rest of it.

In a 203, 1 of the shifters is shifting the range box hi or low. Since its full time 4wd the other lever controls lock. This was a full time transfer case from the factory so it basically has a center differential like a newer AWD suv. Real early version of the concept. The lock allowed you to overcome the center diff so it operated like a conventional tcase with L N 2wd 4wd. N should be on the same lever as L and H with lock being the 2nd lever.

 

[6872xtc]

This is really helpful. I will spend some time trying to clean that area up and see if there is gunk in it. In the meantime, I will leave it in H. Thankfully it's not stuck in the LOC position right now.
I had been driving with it in L all this time.
When I drove it yesterday in H for the first time, there was definitely a difference in power, or lack of power to be more precise. Not a lot, and more noticeable on the top end while on the freeway. Power seemed the same on the low end in both L and H. Does that seem right?

Your engine has the same power, but the gear reduction in low range is 2:1. So you don't have the same speed capability, however there is more torque multiplication. Kinda like going everywhere in with your Muncie in 2nd vs 4th. Low range will pull good down in the lower speeds, but wind the engine rpm up quickly.

 

[Fall_Guy]

I really appreciate everyone who responded. Each response has been very informative and helpful. Thank you!!