Terrible at shifting into 4L, it’s embarrassing.

[alleycat]

The owners manual states:

4H To 4L Or 4L To 4H
With the vehicle rolling at 2 to 3 mph (3 to
5 km/h), shift an automatic transmission into
NEUTRAL (N), or press the clutch pedal on a
manual transmission. While the vehicle is
coasting at 2 to 3 mph (3 to 5 km/h), shift the
transfer case lever firmly to the desired
position. Do not pause with the transfer case in
N (Neutral). Once the shift is completed, place
the automatic transmission into DRIVE or
release the clutch pedal on a manual
transmission.

NOTE:
Shifting into or out of 4L is possible with the vehicle
completely stopped; however, difficulty may occur
due to the mating teeth not being properly aligned.
Several attempts may be required for clutch teeth
alignment and shift completion to occur. The
preferred method is with the vehicle rolling at 2 to
3 mph (3 to 5 km/h). Avoid attempting to engage or
disengage 4L with the vehicle moving faster than 2
to 3 mph (3 to 5 km/h).

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[Dyolfknip74]

What’s amazing is that it doesn’t have to be this way. I had a 4Runner for a while and its transfer case shifted like butter from day one. Absolutely beautiful and creamy and smooth.

Your experience is normal for a Jeep, however. And no, the odds that you hurt anything are extremely low.

Lol, "It's a Jeep thing"

 

[DavidArmen]

Because I read on here that it takes some loosening up, a couple weeks before doing an off roading course I started practicing going into 4L. Like literally once a day, I pull out of my parking spot, go to 4L, then go back out and on my way. It got easier over time and paid off for when I had to shift for the class.

This is similar to what I did to loosen up my tcase lever

 

[DavidArmen]

All this is waaaayyyy to complicated. Just go to 4Hi then out the transmission in neutral and in one motion go from 4Hi through Neutral to 4LO. I’ve never ever had to be rolling to go to 4LO in any vehicle. Always shifted this way.

That’s because you don’t need to be rolling to shift into 4low, it’s only that it helps to roll a couple of inches if the gears aren’t meshing properly in the current stationary position.

Though even in this case you can still shift while stationary as long as you dont have your foot the brakes too hard and you pull the t-case lever with enough force which causes the gears to forcefully mesh and you feel that by your jeep lurching slightly forward or backward when the gears force themselves into alignment with the next available gear tooth.

 

[Trainman]

It's like everything else, it's a feel process. Just do what others have said, go real slow, shift into neutral, and pull the shifter down into 4L, yes the gears will have a stiff feel, but will go into gear, sometimes you will get just a very soft grabbing of the gears, but in time it will become easier and comfortable to do. It's just the nature of the beast, It feels like shifting a standard transmission and not using the clutch where the gears and engine RPM match up so they mesh together.

 

[nU7OuxIx]

That’s because you don’t need to be rolling to shift into 4low, it’s only that it helps to roll a couple of inches if the gears aren’t meshing properly in the current stationary position.

As an example....what if we came to a complete stop, shift the transmission to N and put it in 4L. Would it grind when the transfer case engages in 4L or when you put the transmission in gear?

If the gears aren't meshing properly, what do you do? Shift the transmission back to N and the grinding stops? Then pop it into 4H and back to 4L and try again?

 

[DavidArmen]

As an example....what if we came to a complete stop, shift the transmission to N and put it in 4L. Would it grind when the transfer case engages in 4L or when you put the transmission in gear?

If the gears aren't meshing properly, what do you do? Shift the transmission back to N and the grinding stops? Then pop it into 4H and back to 4L and try again?

If you are completely stopped and your transmission is in neutral and your engine is idling, I don’t see how the t-case could grind. The grinding is the result of the axle-side of the t-case spinning (because the tires are rolling) and the transmission-side being stationary, so when you shift, the stationary gear makes contact with the spinning gear and causes the gears to grind against each other as they slip.

If the jeep is completely stopped and the transmission is in neutral and the engine is idle (engine being idle doesn’t matter much but can cause issues if quickly trying to shift while the engine hasn’t slowed down to idle speeds and the gears haven’t stopped spinning), both gears in the t-case are stationary so it can’t grind in that same way.

The only issue with this is the potential that those two stationary gears can be in such positions where one tooth of one gear is directly opposite a tooth on the other gear. As you can imagine, the gears will not easily mesh if both gears’ teeth are making contact instead of one tooth of one gear meshing into the gap of two teeth on the other gear. If this happens, the driver can simply let the jeep roll forward/backward a few inches to rotate the axle-side gear in the t-case a little and then stop and try again.

If rolling isn’t an option at all, then we can’t turn the axle-side gear inside the t-case so we must try to turn the transmission-side gear in the T-case to make the gears mesh. This can be done by trying to shift multiple times (4L then N then 4L then N then 4L) until the gears mesh. Another way is to put the t-case in neutral and then put the transmission into drive for a second (to rotate the transmission-side gear inside the t-case) and then put the transmission back to neutral and then try going into 4L again.

Once you realize it’s just a matter of meshing the gears, it becomes more intuitive.

And this is some bonus info but the reason this issue doesn’t exist for 4H and you can switch to 4H even while driving is because not only is 4H the same gear ratio as 2H, but also because the 4H gear inside the t-case has a synchronizer that very quickly synchronizes the front axle-side gear inside the t-Case as you pull on the lever to shift into 4H so the issue of the gears not meshing is nonexistent with 4H.

 

[nU7OuxIx]

If you are completely stopped and your transmission is in neutral and your engine is idling, I don’t see how the t-case could grind. The grinding is the result of the axle-side of the t-case spinning (because the tires are rolling) and the transmission-side being stationary, so when you shift, the stationary gear makes contact with the spinning gear and causes the gears to grind against each other as they slip.

If the jeep is completely stopped and the transmission is in neutral and the engine is idle (engine being idle doesn’t matter much but can cause issues if quickly trying to shift while the engine hasn’t slowed down to idle speeds and the gears haven’t stopped spinning), both gears in the t-case are stationary so it can’t grind in that same way.

The only issue with this is the potential that those two stationary gears can be in such positions where one tooth of one gear is directly opposite a tooth on the other gear. As you can imagine, the gears will not easily mesh if both gears’ teeth are making contact instead of one tooth of one gear meshing into the gap of two teeth on the other gear. If this happens, the driver can simply let the jeep roll forward/backward a few inches to rotate the axle-side gear in the t-case a little and then stop and try again.

If rolling isn’t an option at all, then we can’t turn the axle-side gear inside the t-case so we must try to turn the transmission-side gear in the T-case to make the gears mesh. This can be done by trying to shift multiple times (4L then N then 4L then N then 4L) until the gears mesh. Another way is to put the t-case in neutral and then put the transmission into drive for a second (to rotate the transmission-side gear inside the t-case) and then put the transmission back to neutral and then try going into 4L again.

Once you realize it’s just a matter of meshing the gears, it becomes more intuitive.

And this is some bonus info but the reason this issue doesn’t exist for 4H and you can switch to 4H even while driving is because not only is 4H the same gear ratio as 2H, but also because the 4H gear inside the t-case has a synchronizer that very quickly synchronizes the front axle-side gear inside the t-Case as you pull on the lever to shift into 4H so the issue of the gears not meshing is nonexistent with 4H.

Thank you for the in depth explanation; makes perfect sense now and gives me a better idea of how the transfer case and shifting works. It also gives me ideas of what to do, what not to do, and how to diagnose shifting issues. It also makes sense as to why it grinds a bit and why it's not a huge deal. If you shifted into 4L while in D, it sounds like everything is locked and may cause issues. But with the transmission in N, it sounds like there's free play and not a load on it so while it may grind, it's not a huge deal.

Shifting into 4H isn't an issue for me personally, as I have gotten pretty good at it. It was just the shifting into 4L that was a little problematic. It sounds like the OP shared the same feelings too. Thanks for posting this, it was all a good read.

 

[DavidArmen]

Thank you for the in depth explanation; makes perfect sense now and gives me a better idea of how the transfer case and shifting works. It also gives me ideas of what to do, what not to do, and how to diagnose shifting issues. It also makes sense as to why it grinds a bit and why it's not a huge deal. If you shifted into 4L while in D, it sounds like everything is locked and may cause issues. But with the transmission in N, it sounds like there's free play and not a load on it so while it may grind, it's not a huge deal.

Shifting into 4H isn't an issue for me personally, as I have gotten pretty good at it. It was just the shifting into 4L that was a little problematic. It sounds like the OP shared the same feelings too. Thanks for posting this, it was all a good read.

Absolutely!
Shifting to 4L while in Drive is not a good idea not only because the gears will have load so it will be a little harder to shift out of 4H, but more crucially, the instant you shift out of 4H while in Drive, the transmission-side gear inside the t-case will immediately begin to spin pretty fast, and you will have terrible grinding trying to shift into 4L as the fast rotating transmission-side gear will not want to mesh with the completely stationary axle-side gear.

 

[chadk77]

Had the exact same issues this weekend. Used to wheeling my TJ and this was the first time having the JL out in anything remotely close to needing 4LO. One spot I couldn't be moving to put it into 4LO and she grinded going in and once it popped out as I don't think I got it in good. I was frustrated to say the least. By the end of the day I had it figured out though.

 

[The Fixer]

As others have mentioned, if yours is an auto, you can shift into 4L while stopped. It is the smoothest way I have found. Simply come to a full stop, shift the auto trans into N, then run the T-case down to 4L. I've not had it grind or fail to engage this way. It even works on older T-cases...the NP242 in my son's KJ will engage the same way.

 

[Malachi]

Incase this helps, follow the line on your 2H -> 4H -> 4L gear diagram on your dash. Seems obvious, but I didn't notice that until around 4k miles.

 

[smokeythecat]

Another question. Going the opposite way...from 4L to 4H. Has anybody had issues doing this?

The last two times I shifted from 4L back it just went directly into 2H without stopping in N or 4H. I thought it was a bit odd, but maybe I'm just using too much pressure...

As a reference, I just do the reverse; shift transmission to N, roll to about 5mph, then pop it from 4L on up.

Yep. I can get it into 4 low smooth as butter. But going the other way always gives me a fit. I still haven't figured it out.

 

[dchemphill1]

Practice practice practice and the drive to Colorado and find some easy scenic trails and air down and practice practice practice. I got really comfortable with the process after 10 days of trail driving. Enjoy your jeep and the ride!

 

[omnitonic]

One of the big things I've noted in my own experience is that you want to be at the low end of that 1-3 mph. If you're moving on the fast side, the gear engagement is more likely to be violent. The smoothest gear engagement is when you shift while stopped, but the gears are almost never lined up correctly for this to work.

The answer, then, is to split the difference, and try to shift while moving as sllooowwwwly as possible, but you have to get that stick moved before you stop, or you have shot the whole thing in the ass.

If you have a little hill to work with, that can help. Instead of trying to move 1 mph under engine power, you can just coast with a gravity assist. Don't forget you can shift to 4H while you're in reverse too. I've done it plenty of times. All the gears are turning in the correct direction, so I don't see how it could hurt anything. If you manage to blow up your transmission or your transfer case doing this, just remember Amos Jefferson told you it would be fine. That name--if you're mad at me--is Amos Jefferson.

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