Is my NP203 part time?

[dbozman]

Related to a previous thread here:

http://coloradok5.com/forums/showthread.php?t=195868

New-to-me truck. 454 to T350 to NP203. Front axle has lockout hubs installed by PO. I'm trying to determine if this case has got the part-time kit already installed.

Rig is on jackstands, so tires are off ground. Because of likely screwed-up linkage, I can only find three usable transfer case gears. All the way back, middle position and forward.

With motor running and front hubs disengaged, I have power to one rear tire in full back spot on t-case. In middle position (neutral I assume), no power. In forward position, power to rear wheel. In all these positions, the front shaft is not spinning.

Oddly, even when I lock the front hubs in (wheels still in air, thus no resistance), the front shaft is not spinning in any gear.

Thoughts or insight? I can do whatever other testing methods are necessary if I've approached this incorrectly.

This is a street rig, and I wouldn't mind keeping the 203 if it's working properly. Thanks in advance for any help.
d

 

[thedrip]

sounds like its part time, and you need to clean up your shifter. there should be another position further forward (4low) and another position at the very back (4high). Very common for 203 shifters to get full of crap and not shift all the way, front and back.

 

[babyburb]

So how do you clean up the shifter? I also run the 203 but mine is fulltime. I have noticed it is getting harder to get on the loc side of the shifter.

 

[dbozman]

Drip: Thanks. Seems like I'm missing an obvious way to check for certain. Never had a full-time case before, so a bit at a loss.
d

 

[big dan]

a full time case does have a small kinda like an open diff in it so it sends power to the tire with least resistance. so even if it doesnt have a part time kit it may still send power to only the back wheels. try putting the back wheels on the ground to keep them from spinning while the front wheels are off the ground and see if it sends power to the front. make sure to block the rear tires and have someone in the cab ready to hit the brakes in case it starts moving. have you tried driving it without the front hubs locked in? if it doesnt have the part time kit then it shouldnt move with the front hubs unlocked.

 

[thedrip]

as far as cleaning the shifter... take it off, take it apart, clean it, put it back together, put it back on. If anything is horribly sloppy (bushings), replace them.

 

[dbozman]

OK, tested some more this afternoon. Took the tranny hump cover off so I could see down. Still only getting three distinct gears on the shifter; all the way back, distinctly into middle (neutral) and distinctly into all the way forward. Each gears snaps into place with authority and I don't feel/see the middle positions I should be missing. I do notice when I'm looking down, that only the upper shift lever is moving; the lower shift linkage is stationary in all three gears.

Larger issues: As suggested above, I put the rear tires on the ground, chocked them and left the front in the air. Front shaft still does not spin in either t-case gear and with the hubs locked or unlocked. If necessary, I suppose I could bolt a seat back in and take it for a drive (interior is gutted).

Oddly, when I unlock the front hubs and spin a front tire by hand the shaft doesn't turn. When I lock a hub and spin a front tire by hand, the shaft does turn.

Thoughts?

I suppose I'm delaying the inevitable. Based on the pinkish gear oil I drained out, I'm assuming I've got tranny fluid bypassing the seal into the t-case, so I figure the case has to come out anyway. Man, I really didn't want to do that

Thanks for any further insight.

Here's what I'm working on, BTW. I am assuming it is, in fact, a 203:

d

 

[1979chevystepside]

ya thats a 203. when you crawl under the truck there are two shifters. one that is straighter (gear selector) and one that has a big bend (lock selector) they might just be out of adjustment