i have manual lock in hubs on my 86. when i am in 4wd and try to go back to 2wd its very difficult. i have tried reverse first, unlocking the hubs first, but its still difficult. eventually it goes after snatching around on the lever some. will changing the fluids help? any other advice?

 

I always turn the hubs to FREE first, and then shift back into 2WD. Most of the time it goes into 2WD very hard, but I find rolling forward slowly while trying to shift back to 2WD seems to help. I don't think changing the fluids will help, since I have fresh fluids in all my cases and it doesn't make a difference.

Rob

 

Just make sure to shift out of 4WD while moving straight ahead and while on a loose surface, like dirt or gravel. What you are feeling is normal driveline binding caused when the front and rear axles/tires travel a different length, like while turning. You may also have slightly different size tires front and rear that can make the binding worse. I try to shift out of 4WD before leaving the trail, on a flat stretch of road and just let off the gas a little (neither accelerating nor engine braking), while holding a light forward pressure on the t-case stick. It should pop out easily, no need to force it. If you try to shift out after a turn, try reversing the direction of the turn while shifting. That is if you made a sharp left before shifting, try either making a right turn (forward) or left turn (in reverse) to unload the driveline before shifting.