HJ75 ute - engaging 4x4 issues..
Submitted: Sunday, Feb 21, 2010 at 21:42
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zook
Hi everyone
I have a '99 hj75 diesel ute, (only fairly recently bought second hand) and have had some trouble getting it into (or out of) four wheel drive.
It is normally pretty easy to put into high range, although sometimes after its been in high for a while, the lever gets really stiff and I have to push the 4x4 lever to neutral and then back to high before i can get it to 2wd.
Getting it into low range is a whole different matter, its not simply a matter of pulling the lever accross. It is a MAJOR effort to pull the lever across just to get it into nuetral sometimes, and then to get it from nuetral over and into low range is really quite difficult. Sometimes it also makes a big clunk (like the gear drops into place or something) when you put it in low range..
Does anyone know what would be causing this problem and what potential solutions there are?
Any advice/suggestions would be much appreciated..
zook
Reply By: get outmore - Sunday, Feb 21, 2010 at 21:48
Sunday, Feb 21, 2010 at 21:48
probabally an x miner. get right in underneath it with crc and identify all of your linkages (some are up on top you ill need to get right in and under) and spray them - if you have a mate get him to move it from high range to low range while you are spraying - it will also help you identify the linkages
AnswerID:
405276
Follow Up By: zook - Sunday, Feb 21, 2010 at 21:52
Sunday, Feb 21, 2010 at 21:52
Nah, its not an ex miner but it was used a bit on a cattle station in central western Qld
If its the linkages, what does that mean - it sounds like its going to be a big repair job?
FollowupID:
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Follow Up By: get outmore - Sunday, Feb 21, 2010 at 21:56
Sunday, Feb 21, 2010 at 21:56
no - as I said just a DIY lube job. very common actually garaneed to happen to vehicles that see mud
FollowupID:
674979
Follow Up By: Member - ross m (WA) - Sunday, Feb 21, 2010 at 23:40
Sunday, Feb 21, 2010 at 23:40
It will be clogged up with 10 years of grease and dust.
Mine was like that coming from the goldfileds.
After cleaning the linkages and soaking them with penetrene and finally lubricating them with oil, they will slip in and out of 4wd like you know what.
Once you get them working right shift them reguarly to keep them like that.
Youll have to get under there and see how they work. Shouldnt need any dissassembly
Its not a HJ75 ,probably a HZJ79 or HZJ75 if it has the hinged windscreen
FollowupID:
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Follow Up By: Member - ross m (WA) - Sunday, Feb 21, 2010 at 23:42
Sunday, Feb 21, 2010 at 23:42
The model number is stamped on the aluminium plate on the firewall.
FollowupID:
674995
Follow Up By: zook - Monday, Feb 22, 2010 at 08:54
Monday, Feb 22, 2010 at 08:54
Sorry, you are right, its an HZJ75.
I'll have a look under it, by the sounds of it, it sounds like it is just clogged up with mud/clay, the guy i got it off said it hadn't had too much 4x4 work (which is consistent with the sort of country that its from) so its probably just clogged up and a bit stiff.
FollowupID:
675015
Reply By: Member - Serendipity(WA) - Sunday, Feb 21, 2010 at 23:17
Sunday, Feb 21, 2010 at 23:17
Hi Zook
First, your ute is probably a HZJ 75 if it is 1999. The HJ series ended in 1989.
With the gear box the bracket that holds the low range gear linkages gets bent out after a while. A fix is to make up a 45deg bracket and weld it to the other one and then bolt it to one of the gear box bolts that hold the top cover down.
I am sorry I don't have a picture. This was the fix for the HJ series and I think it would still be the same for later gear boxes.
David
AnswerID:
405294
Follow Up By: zook - Monday, Feb 22, 2010 at 08:57
Monday, Feb 22, 2010 at 08:57
David,
thanks for that, if the CRC/penetrene trick doesn't work ... or if when i'm having a look it seems like its bent out of place i'll have to try and do the bracket.
How thick would steel have to be - i would imagine that it would be under a bit of stress?
FollowupID:
675017
Follow Up By: zook - Monday, Feb 22, 2010 at 08:57
Monday, Feb 22, 2010 at 08:57
David,
thanks for that, if the CRC/penetrene trick doesn't work ... or if when i'm having a look it seems like its bent out of place i'll have to try and do the bracket.
How thick would steel have to be - i would imagine that it would be under a bit of stress?
FollowupID:
675018
Follow Up By: Member - Serendipity(WA) - Monday, Feb 22, 2010 at 09:24
Monday, Feb 22, 2010 at 09:24
Hi Zook
The original bracket is only pressed steel of about 2mm. The stress is just from the driver trying to change gearing. For
mine I used a piece of galv plated 2mm steel about 20mm wide and about 80mm long. It was years ago.
There is only one large pivot point that can get a bit sticky but unusual.
Always with the cruisers it is a bit hard to get out of 4x4. The trick is to reverse your car a bit and then try to move back to 4x2. Sometimes this will take a few forward a couple of metres and reverse a couple of meters. Don't be impatient and just lean of the stick. What has a happened is the gears have developed a bit of resistance pressure between the gear box and the transfer box.
David
FollowupID:
675022
Follow Up By: zook - Monday, Feb 22, 2010 at 12:03
Monday, Feb 22, 2010 at 12:03
David,
The reversing and going forward is consistent with how i've had to get it out of 4x4 so far. Basically I can't really move the stick from low range to high, and high to 2wd unless I go forward a little and then back a little.
From what you're saying this is pretty normal and just something to get used to? So there is no way, with the exception of regular use to make this a smoother operation?
zook
FollowupID:
675063
Follow Up By: get outmore - Monday, Feb 22, 2010 at 12:29
Monday, Feb 22, 2010 at 12:29
it is normal -ish but once you go the clean and lube on the linkages you will find it alot easier even going between H4-H2 its never a straight in like going from 3rd to 4th though
clean and lube - and dont muck around - heaps of crc and spend about 5 min just moving it from H4-L4 sometimes it takes a fair bit too free them up
FollowupID:
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Reply By: Member - Scott M (NSW) - Monday, Feb 22, 2010 at 12:13
Monday, Feb 22, 2010 at 12:13
Is this one of the ones Tojo put the Hilux box into??
AnswerID:
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Follow Up By: get outmore - Monday, Feb 22, 2010 at 12:36
Monday, Feb 22, 2010 at 12:36
they were doing it
well before then
every work tojo ive had has been exactly as he describes
FollowupID:
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Reply By: Member - Brian H (QLD) - Monday, Feb 22, 2010 at 12:48
Monday, Feb 22, 2010 at 12:48
When I had my HJ75 I had the same issues CRC was my friend, before the CRC however I sometimes ran one of the front wheel up to put an angle at the front wheels, had no issues engaging then.
Why this worked ...... no idea .... it just did for me.
Hope it works out.
Brian
AnswerID:
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Reply By: Member - Kiwi Kia - Monday, Feb 22, 2010 at 14:55
Monday, Feb 22, 2010 at 14:55
Hi Zook,
Do you have free wheeling hubs ?
If you do have free wheeling hubs then disengage the hubs before trying to go from low range to high range and see if this works better.
On my Troopy I sometimes have to do this or the 4wd stick just will not move at all.
Please let me know how you get on.
KK
AnswerID:
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Follow Up By: zook - Tuesday, Feb 23, 2010 at 09:07
Tuesday, Feb 23, 2010 at 09:07
KK
Please see my post below. The problem seems to have been resolved with a simple spray and lube as has been suggested by a number of people.
It didn't seem any different whether the hubs were engaged or not engaged, but like i've said below, I won't really know for certain until it's been in 4x4 for a while.
zook
FollowupID:
675248
Follow Up By: Member - Kiwi Kia - Tuesday, Feb 23, 2010 at 10:18
Tuesday, Feb 23, 2010 at 10:18
Good luck Zook, I will keep watching to see how you get on after running in 4wd.
KK
FollowupID:
675256
Reply By: Member - Ian H (NSW) - Tuesday, Feb 23, 2010 at 07:34
Tuesday, Feb 23, 2010 at 07:34
Just a thought, are all your tyres the same size with about the same tread left. if not you could be getting wind up after travelling in 4WD but bent linkages sounds more likely.
AnswerID:
405534
Reply By: zook - Tuesday, Feb 23, 2010 at 09:05
Tuesday, Feb 23, 2010 at 09:05
Thanks to everyone for their assistance.
I got under the ute last night and had a good look at the linkages, it didn't look like they were bent (although it was hard to see the ones up on top) but I gave them a good spray with some Inox, and then worked the lever (gently) in and out of high range, and then from H4 to L4 and it is now very smooth, and I have no trouble engaging (or disengaging).
I haven't had an opportunity to
test it offroad so do not know whether it will be any different after its been driving in 4x4 for a while, but at this stage pretty much all the stiffness is gone with the lever.
It did have a small amount of dirt built up in and around the linkages which I think was making it so stiff to engage and disengage from 4x4.
Hopefully, the linkages themselves are not bent/damaged as has been suggested as a possibility on here!
Thanks again!
zook
AnswerID:
405543