ok did linkage test-- here are results

On 2 high,, with rear propped up, back left tire started to spin immediately, back right tire didn't spin for the first few seconds then slowly began to spin as welll


4high neither back left nor right tires spin, upon me manually spinning them, not much resistence, and when i move one tire in one direction, the other tire spins in the opposite direction

rear prop doesn't spin in park with tires raised

 

that's not a "linkage" test. it is one thing i suggested doing, granted. but, the linkage is attached to the shifter. you need to visually inspect it. get under there and look at the joints on it. see if when you move the shifter it moves the whole assembly.

when you had it in 4H, were all four wheels off the ground? i am confused, though. you say they don't and then you say they do.

perhaps you should take it to someone who knows what to look for? they could get it on a lift and inspect the whole thing, or, maybe you know someone who knows something about 4wds?

 

the back wheels were the only ones off the ground.

The shifter moves in 2h 4h and 4l as it should

I drained the tranny fluid and I think it smells burnt

 

all four wheels need to be off the ground to get them to spin when the selector is in either 4wd position. do you follow? iow's, the transfer case locks the rear portion of the drivetrain to the front portion of the drive train. so, naturally if the front wheels are still on the ground, the rear is not going to spin. again, have the transmission in D when doing this. go back and read my prior post

of course, the shifter moves as it should. you've determined that already. that's not the point, though. what you're looking for is if when you do move the shifter, the rest of the of linkage moves properly with it. let's say one of the joints in the linkage (again, underneath the vehicle and attached to the big metal thing that looks about like a C on the transfer case. you know where that is, right?) is busted or very loose. well, when you move the shifter, the portion of the linkage where the joint is busted is not going to follow suit. it won't move at all or not far enough to make the transfer case shift into the next gear from 4L. the gear may not be engaging properly. or, the linkage simply being out of adjustment and not necessarily broken will act in the same manner.

if the fluid is burnt, it should be very dark in color and thinned out. what's it look like? do you know what burnt atf smells like? have you compared the smell to fresh atf? if the previous owner did drain and refill, it's very possible he/she did so on top of burnt fluid. don't worry, though. like i said if it's shifting fine when in 4L, then there shouldn't be a problem. once you get the mobility issue sorted, i'd look into several short interval drain and fills or having it flushed. of course, if it does smell burnt, it wouldn't hurt to go ahead and do another drain and fill, right now. i had to do this on my new to me honda crv several times after i got it running. (ignition issues) working great, now

 

OK I'll prop it up on all 4 tomorrow and run this test

 

What's the purpose of these two items/plugs? They're connected to the transfercase where the shifter linkage meets the Tcase, they have wires coming from them

 

I propped all 4 tires up and went through the 4low, 4hi and 2 hi, 4 low engages all 4 tires, 2 hi engages back 2 tires, 4 hi engages all 4 tires. When accelerating in 2 hi and 4 hi the tires spin but it never changes gear, as if its stuck in 1st gear

 

Park neutral safety switch, and 4wd indicator.

Seems your next step is to verify the overdrive light works and check the transmission controller for codes.

If everything seems OK there you will need to perform a manual shift test. Putting the selector into "1", upshift it into " 2" ect while the wheels are spinning. If it stays in first gear you'll want to verify the speedometer signal is reaching the computer. It wouldn't hurt to check the throttle position is being read by the computer correct either.

.. You are going to need a service manual.

 

No codes on o/d, how do I disconnect the solenoid wire to do a manual shifter check? I've been researching and I can't find out where it is.

 

I'm no expert in transmissions, but I would suspect a stuck solenoid No. 4 or a stuck-open Forward Clutch (C3).
http://web.archive.org/web/201408160...28operatio.pdf

As far as I can tell from the manual, C3 is opened by solenoid No. 4 in 4Lo. But C4 and B4 are operated "manually" by the shifter.

These would require taking the transfer case apart (at least removing the pan, to pull the solenoid). So I would first check for codes (though I wouldn't expect a code with stuck solenoid) and inspect the linkage.