NEWBIE GRANDMA can't shift AT ALL from 2H to 4H!! What the...??

[Diggin']

I hate to be "the guy", but why not stop at a dealership. Have one of them try to get it to shift. When they struggle, ask what they can do about it.
One thing else to try in your garage, while pulling on the transfer case lever can you shimmy the steering wheel left and right? This should get all the gears moving just a bit and has made it easier for me to shift into 4H while stopped (of course: Jeep running, transmission in N, no brake applied).

There is no dealership near me at all. I'd have to drive through an icy canyon for an hour to get to one.

Never heard of shimming the steering wheel like that. I'll try it.

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[Boogey]

The problem is that I need to get it shifted while in the garage, as there is often a pile of snow up against the garage door, with ice underneath.

Wait you said your Jeep isa 2018...so im guessing you bought it used? I am surprised the initial owner must not have used 4H because it gets softer when used more often....loosens up. this tells me he barely, if ever , engaged 4H

 

[AlgUSF]

4H isn't so bad...but it's pretty stiff at first. My first time pulling into 4LO I seriously thought my week old Jeep was defective. Way better now.

+1 on this. FIrst time I pulled the selector into 4H, I thought I was going to break it off. Now it flips right in super easy. Same with 4L, getting out of neutral was a real $@%! the first few times and now it flips right in.

 

[Dyolfknip74]

It's the ice underneath....

At this point I would be much more concerned with Wampas, Imperial Snowspeeders and AT-ATs.
Don't forget your Tauntaun can keep you pretty warm even in death.

 

[mnjeeper]

I'm surprised no one mentioned this tip. Works on our 2018 JL every time.

Pull back on the lever as if you are going into 4H. Probably it's not going. Now release and immediately pull back again. Bingo, you're in.

This works every time on our JL. Hope it works for you as well. And no, don't yank on it or force it. That's just never a good idea.

So....reverse psychology in this case

It's the ice underneath....

I think you'd make it. Toss an old rug on it if you can.

 

[Rock Hopper]

Oh man all I can think of is water intrusion. When it rains really hard I get a bit of water through my improperly installed garage doors on my 1915 detached garage and I lose sleep over it lol. I wouldnt be able to sleep if that was my house.

Nope, built in the '70s. Never had any water intrusion thanks to having very porous/rocky soil and watertight construction. The melt is always slow enough to allow the water to drain down or away. Yep, we get a LOT of snow. It's the home of downhill ski (racing). *Old mining town where the miners first used conveyer belts as quasi ski lifts and pitch from trees (which they called "Dope") as the first ski wax.

It's a pretty special place.

 

[Pig-Pen]

see if you can still get one of these

https://www.boringcompany.com/not-a-flamethrower

 

[LarryB]

Have you tried tugging hard with both hands? It will come.

 

[LarryB]

Just leave it in 2H and floor it coming out of the garage! Your momentum should propel you far enough out that you can then have enough room to go the other way to engage 4H. Also maybe try shoveling a bit out behind the door?

I was thinking the same thing … clear enough out the first 5-8 feet behind the vehicle ... if you have to turn (such as your car backs out onto an alleyway), you may want to do a bit more. The extra few feet of movement may be enough to get momentum to let you pull the lever.

 

[Diggin']

Wait you said your Jeep isa 2018...so im guessing you bought it used? I am surprised the initial owner must not have used 4H because it gets softer when used more often....loosens up. this tells me he barely, if ever , engaged 4H

 

[Diggin']

I'm surprised no one mentioned this tip. Works on our 2018 JL every time.

Pull back on the lever as if you are going into 4H. Probably it's not going. Now release and immediately pull back again. Bingo, you're in.

This works every time on our JL. Hope it works for you as well. And no, don't yank on it or force it. That's just never a good idea.

Sadly, it does absolutely NOTHING, NADA, no movement whatsoever when I pull as hard as I can. Thus "releasing" is about nothing. It's in cement.

 

[Diggin']

1) take a deep breath 2) give it a yank

Uh huh. Right. It.doesn't.move.whatsoever.

 

[Diggin']

Sounds like Jeep service needs to take a look at it. Should not be that hard. I change mine sitting at red lights at complete stop.

Bingo. It should not be this hard. There is literally movement whatsoever.

 

[Diggin']

Good question... We haven't heard from her lately...

I'm waiting until tomorrow to move up as far as I can in the garage, and then back up slowly and see if I can move the shift. Because if my back wheels leave the cement, I am stuck outside. The ice under the snow is ridiculous.

 

[multicam]

Okay Diggin we’re all on your side here but you have to give us something. Are you or are you not trying to move the jeep - even just a few inches - before/during/after moving the t-case lever? Seriously, it won’t even take a foot of movement. Ten centimeters. Rock the jeep back and forth if you need to. Just move the jeep and wiggle that t-case lever.

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