Savvy transfer case shifter cable problem

AndyG

Because some other guys are perverts
Lifetime Supporting Member
Joined
Jul 30, 2018
Messages
15,992
Location
Alabama
Savvy transfer case cable in 03 Rubicon

Works perfect , 9 out of 10 times , all is tight ,routed right and adjusted .

Occasionally , it just acts sticky , like a crappy linkage . My guess is it's just the transfer case internals being fussy , not the cable .

Anyone else ever see this ?

Thank you ,
Andy
 
Are you trying to shift it when the vehicle is off and sitting still? If so, mine is sticky (I also have the Savvy cable) in that situation as well, but I think that's normal, as it's always going to be harder to shift gears (even in a manual) when the vehicle is off and you aren't moving (when I say moving I mean like a 1-2 mph roll).
 
Thanks. You nailed it .

I new if it worked right , it should work right every time if all was static .

Come to think of it , my linkage did the same , no wonder.

Thank you ,good call.
 
I hope a double post is ok.

The cable is really nice ,my lift had the linkage cocked. When I got long arms ,even though I didn't lift it more , the old short arm bushings were soft , so it really sat straighter and taller ...and I lost 4 low .

I loosened the adjuster bolt ,and threw it in 4 low by hand with shifter in 4 low , all was good , except still a linkage .

What a contraption.

Folks that wanna run em sure need to lube 'em . Seriously . I see so many on line gripes grease will fix ...and it keeps water out to some degree ,at least til the next service.
 
Tell me how you guys like to shift into 4 high and low and lock Rubicon diffs, and unlock ..what do you think works best ?
 
That Savvy cable has a lot of adjustability to it as well.

But yeah, it's the same with the factory Rubicon lockers. If you can't get them to lock, all it takes is a 1-2 mph roll and they'll engage. This is typically how anything mechanical is. The gears just need to mesh perfectly.
 
  • Like
Reactions: AndyG
You can shift to 4 high on the go at full speed. For instance, I'll do it at 50 mph when the roads start getting snowy over the pass.

With 4 low, that is meant for very low speeds. You need to come to a stop before you engage 4 low, but it helps to be slightly moving (like 1-2 mph) to get it to engage.

As for the locking diffs, they only work in 4 Low, and I believe they disengage at anything over 18 mph.

I never use the lockers unless the situation calls for it. I always try to make it without lockers first, and only use them as a backup plan. Often times you don't even need to use them.
 
I never use the lockers unless the situation calls for it. I always try to make it without lockers first, and only use them as a backup plan. Often times you don't even need to use them.
I don't share your philosophy. Wait until you get stuck and you can't move sufficiently enough to be able to get them locked. If I'm on a trail where I might need lockers, I engage at least one of them at the beginning and keep at least one locked the entire time. Blaine has a similar philosophy except he said he locks both at the beginning of the trail and doesn't unlock until he's done. Not all trails require them but it's better to be locked and not need it than to be unlocked and then find you can't get it engaged. It's happened to me :)
 
I don't share your philosophy. Wait until you get stuck and you can't move sufficiently enough to be able to get them locked. If I'm on a trail where I might need lockers, I engage at least one of them at the beginning and keep at least one locked the entire time. Blaine has a similar philosophy except he said he locks both at the beginning of the trail and doesn't unlock until he's done. Not all trails require them but it's better to be locked and not need it than to be unlocked and then find you can't get it engaged. It's happened to me :)

I guess I haven't been in anything like the stuff you guys do... yet. I'm sure one that happens, my philosophy will change. So far, the situations I've been in where I did need lockers, I was able to engage them during it.

Truth be told, the main reason I don't turn them on until I need them is that a lot of the trails up here in the PNW have some tight turns, and the turning radius without lockers engaged is much preferred over having the locker on all the time.

I've run into some corners where I had no choice but to disengage the lockers due to a very tight turn.

Maybe it's a bit different in the desert?
 
Awesome . I've worked my lockers some jus to keep them in the game , figuring the jeep has sat an awful lot . I noticed reverse unlocks them fast .

I wondered about 4hi on the go, and noticed the manual mentioned some roll, since none of those gears are synchronized .

I counted wrong in a previous post , this is my 7th jeep , 2 cj5s, 3 -7's and a yj , which I honestly thought was a Cadillac at the time . ..anyway , 25 years later I get this , and man am I thrilled . I forgot how much fun it is to own and drive a Jeep.

My cable was short on throw at first , so I adjusted that out ..ended up cutting a wrench down , perfect to reach up in there.

The 2018 has a cable ...that's a long run for a bad design .
 
I don't share your philosophy. Wait until you get stuck and you can't move sufficiently enough to be able to get them locked. If I'm on a trail where I might need lockers, I engage at least one of them at the beginning and keep at least one locked the entire time. Blaine has a similar philosophy except he said he locks both at the beginning of the trail and doesn't unlock until he's done. Not all trails require them but it's better to be locked and not need it than to be unlocked and then find you can't get it engaged. It's happened to me :)

I have had that same thought! What if you don't have the run out to engage them , ugh. I've wondered about that .
 
Do you guys have any strong opinions about manual transmission fluid .

I'm a little ruffled , my trusty shop was paid to change fluids , and my transmission drain bolt appears to never have seen a 17mm Allen wrench in it .
 
I don't share your philosophy. Wait until you get stuck and you can't move sufficiently enough to be able to get them locked. If I'm on a trail where I might need lockers, I engage at least one of them at the beginning and keep at least one locked the entire time. Blaine has a similar philosophy except he said he locks both at the beginning of the trail and doesn't unlock until he's done. Not all trails require them but it's better to be locked and not need it than to be unlocked and then find you can't get it engaged. It's happened to me :)

I usually click on my ARB's when it looks like I'm going to need them on the upcoming obstacle. I just leave the air compressor running and then I can flip a switch and be locked instantly (much like how I imagine a Rubicon locker works). In terms of leaving both locked all the time, that seems like it would cause a lot of wear to me, especially on the front axle when turning. Unless the trail is one continuous obstacle without any space to drive normally (much like how I imagine Johnson Vally might be), I'd think that it would be hard on stuff to leave everything locked up. Is there a flaw in my thinking on this?
 
Awesome . I've worked my lockers some jus to keep them in the game , figuring the jeep has sat an awful lot . I noticed reverse unlocks them fast .

I wondered about 4hi on the go, and noticed the manual mentioned some roll, since none of those gears are synchronized .
4Hi is fully synchronized, it allows you to shift back & forth between 2Hi and 4Hi on the fly at any safe speed. It is 4Lo that is not synchronized. And where unlocking is concerned, your lockers don't know reverse from 1st gear, they just notice when you remove the pressure from the internal locker cogs with neutral throttle. I've never once backed up to help them unlock faster. :)
 
Thanks, that all makes complete sense.

Do you agree it's a good idea to work the lockers regularly to keep everything moving well?
 
I don't share your philosophy. Wait until you get stuck and you can't move sufficiently enough to be able to get them locked. If I'm on a trail where I might need lockers, I engage at least one of them at the beginning and keep at least one locked the entire time. Blaine has a similar philosophy except he said he locks both at the beginning of the trail and doesn't unlock until he's done. Not all trails require them but it's better to be locked and not need it than to be unlocked and then find you can't get it engaged. It's happened to me :)

I think it is highly dependent on the area of the country. The most difficult trails in some areas are tight woods where a turning radius is favored over traction since a multipoint turn is a complete loss of momentum. Similar thoughts on loose downhills with the front engaged.
 
4Hi is fully synchronized, it allows you to shift back & forth between 2Hi and 4Hi on the fly at any safe speed. It is 4Lo that is not synchronized. And where unlocking is concerned, your lockers don't know reverse from 1st gear, they just notice when you remove the pressure from the internal locker cogs with neutral throttle. I've never once backed up to help them unlock faster. :)

I think you are technically wrong here but functionality correct. 4hi doesn't have a synchro, but it also doesn't need it. Basically you can shift 2hi to 4hi on the fly because they are the same gear ratio but just engaging the front output or not. The reason it's not synchronized is because the front wheels will generally be rolling the same speed as the rear. If you go do a burn out in mud with the front slow or stationary but the rear at full speed while pulling that handle, it'll grind and not go in.

Particularly when I still had tj axles I would alway lock the rear every time I hit 4low. Reason being to avoid damaging the LSD portion.


There must have been a time
when we could have said no.