So I'm crawling up out of the Crooked river, but we are in low range which is nice and low now that we have had 43% lower gears fitted to the new Patrol.
The embankments a bit rough and steep but the Bighorms bite deep and next where on the top.
I go to change out of low range, but what! the transfer case lever doesn't move, a bit more playing around and forcing and it sort of goes 1/2 way between low/high range.
Theres a few nasty noises and the transfer case seems to be stuck in no mans land and the car won't move.
Mild panic sets in - what on earth could be wrong, this is impossible.
Spend several minutes stuck like this, fearing another claim on Nissan roadside service and probable ruination of the rest of Xmas holidays 4wd trip was apon us.
In the playing around I stalled the car, so got out and hoped underneath the car.
I have someone play with the gear lever while I get under the car and look at the selectors operation.
I expected that a stick etc was stuck into the selector plate on the side of the tranfer case preventing it notching in.
Nothing - but everything now works smoothly and transfer case lever changes from high to low correctly.
Back in the car - but the confidence has taken a beating.
Start the engine, drop it into low range to move off and damm it crunches, gets stuck again and we go nowhere again.
After some time with this it dawns on me that something is seriously wrong, the transfer case simply won't engage properly with the engine running, but it will with engine stopped.
What could it be !
This cars an auto and it soon became obvious that the pressure from the autos operation is enough to prevent operation.
The crawlers gears had only been installed a month ago and had seen little use - something must have been done wrong , an interlock pin slightly bent or piece or gear broken and jammed.
Its now a week later, the low ratio gear fitter was back from holidays and
under warranty pulled down the transfer case.
No fault could be found or even theorized , however the dog gear that slides out the main gear could be fitted in 1 of 2 ways , the Nissan diagram didn't indicate which.
The tranfer case was reassembled with the dog gear on the other way around, it has a chamfer on it this way which may make engagement easier.
All now appears
well, after some heavy recent bush work.
Could the gear really have been fitted backwards - and if so why would it work for 1 month and then suddenly not, right after crawling out of a river and facing a very big
hill ?