4wd or WTFwd?

[bruss01]

Ok this will probably sound silly to some of you guys but here goes.

I've had a couple four wheel drive vehicles in my life prior to my current project truck. I had an 86 Jeep grand wagoneer with quadra-trac 4wd... You simply moved a little lever on the dash from the 2w to the 4w position - and then, not so obvious, there was a hidden lever under the seat that engaged the 4l. I currently own an isuzu trooper with shift-on-the-fly 4wd. You push a button on the dash to engage 4wd, and then use the floor lever to select hi or low. Both were pretty easy to understand.

Now, I've got a 78 Scout. It has a toggle switch on the dash, twist-n-lock hubs, and a lever for 2h, 4h and 4l... I have the original owner's manual, but it doesn't do a good job of explaining how to engage 4wd. Sure, it discusses how to operate each of these controls but nothing on their correct order. What is the correct sequence of events to go from 2wd to 4wd? Right now, I would guess, engage hubs, flip dash switch, select 4wd option lever... But what happens if you get the steps out of order? For instance, if you are creeping in 4l and flip the dash toggle to "off"? Or try to engage 4h without the switch on? The owner's manual covered none of this. I'm not going to go randomly trying things without knowing if it is possible to damage my truck by doing so.

Lil' help? Thx.

 

[Michael Mayben]

These sii vehicles are oem-equipped with old skool part-time transfer cases. No electricity, hydraulics, or vacuum is involved in their operation. Don't have any idea what a dash-mounted toggle switch might be doing unless it's for an "electric locker", that is not an original part but is something po-added for some reason. You need to determine "what" that switch function is in order for us to assist with information in that regard.

I have sii owner's manuals for both '73 and '75 rigs, each is identical in that there are nine pages devoted to detailed operation of both types of transfer cases, the various forms of front hub locks, and rear limited slip differential operation. Two pages are actually a spreadsheet detailing exactly how to operate the two speed (d20) transfer case alone. Even more operational information is covered in great detail in volume II of the service manual for '78>'80 sii, cts2313.

 

[bruss01]

Michael,

maybe I am not doing it justice. There is a dash control that is factory labeled "four wheel" in the lightbar. In the owner's manual, there is a transfer case control of some sort depicted in exactly this position on the dash, and written instructions in the manual that this is for engaging the 4wd. I will take photos of the truck dash and also scans of the owner's manual later tonight or over the weekend so that it will be a little more apparent what I am talking about. There is plainly a control there on the dash, from the factory.

 

[73scoutII]

michael,

maybe I am not doing it justice. There is a dash control that is factory labeled "four wheel" in the lightbar. In the owner's manual, there is a transfer case control of some sort depicted in exactly this position on the dash, and written instructions in the manual that this is for engaging the 4wd. I will take photos of the truck dash and also scans of the owner's manual later tonight or over the weekend so that it will be a little more apparent what I am talking about. There is plainly a control there on the dash, from the factory.

Sounds to me like the truck at some point had the dash operated single speed transfer case. Then someone at some point swapped it for a standard transfer case either a Dana 20 or 300. In that case the dash switch probably does absolutely nothing and you need to follow the instructions for operating the factory Dana 20 transfer case.

 

[ornelles]

Perhaps that was for the single speed transfer case, chain drive that May have been original to the Scout, if you have a shift lever for the transfer case next to the transmission shifter then that knob should be inop now. Mine just has a light there that says 4x4 when engaged no knob or anything.

Looks like two of us posted the same stuff at the same time.....sorry

 

[Michael Mayben]

michael,

maybe I am not doing it justice. There is a dash control that is factory labeled "four wheel" in the lightbar. In the owner's manual, there is a transfer case control of some sort depicted in exactly this position on the dash, and written instructions in the manual that this is for engaging the 4wd. I will take photos of the truck dash and also scans of the owner's manual later tonight or over the weekend so that it will be a little more apparent what I am talking about. There is plainly a control there on the dash, from the factory.

You wrote "toggle switch". That's not hardly the same item as a push/pull cable control with indicator lamp for the tc-143 single speed transfer case!

And the rest of your description regarding the "lever" is for a two speed d20 transfer case with the stick in the floor.

Operation of the single speed, chain drive transfer case is also clearly addressed in the same section of any owner's manual for a Scout II. The single speed transfer cases were also available in fullsize vehicles as well.

Obviously someone has swapped a d20 transfer case into a vehicle that was originally equipped with the tc-143 single speed case but they did not remove the single speed cable control from the dash.

 

[bruss01]

you wrote "toggle switch". That's not hardly the same item as a push/pull cable control with indicator lamp for the tc-143 single speed transfer case!

And the rest of your description regarding the "lever" is for a two speed d20 transfer case with the stick in the floor.

Operation of the single speed, chain drive transfer case is also clearly addressed in the same section of any owner's manual for a Scout II. The single speed transfer cases were also available in fullsize vehicles as well.

Obviously someone has swapped a d20 transfer case into a vehicle that was originally equipped with the tc-143 single speed case but they did not remove the single speed cable control from the dash.

You're right in that the toggle switch that is there looks different from the control (knob? Hard to tell) that is depicted in the manual. Never having owned a Scout II before, I didn't know what to expect. Now I will have to look at the build sheet for the truck and figure out what it originally came with, so I will know what I'm dealing with. If someone swapped out the transfer case at some point, that might account for the gear selector backlight for the automatic trans being mia. Now I'm really curious about what that dash switch goes to!!