Gear shifter slipping out of gear after transfer case drop

JohnJ78

TJ Enthusiast
Joined
Dec 26, 2020
Messages
125
Location
Australia
Got a 6 speed manual. My jeep mechanic did a belly drop as I have lift kit. Ever since it's been slipping out of gear in 2nd, 4th reverse etc. Also it won't go into Low 4 as the whole gearbox is now lower... shifter stalk seems to be hitting the plastic surround and preventing it from going fully into those gears.

Is there a modified shifter I can get so it clears the surround?

Thanks
 
You can move the console back a bit but requires drilling new holes.
For t-case, many of us upgrade to the savvy shifter.

Correct way:
The best solution is to get an SYE with a new rear shaft, adjustable rear uppers and get rid of the belly drop. Heck, at that point go belly up :)
 
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I fiddled around with a bunch of BS solutions for a year. I then bit the bullet on a SYE. It’s about a grand after all the parts and pieces but it makes it better to drive. It’s similar to a regear in terms of high cost but makes it improves drivability.
 
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What everyone above said, before my sye, the previous owner shifted the console back and to the right about and inch. He took the screw that went into the floor pan cover out and used a wood screw to fasten it back into the cover ( just randomly, not in the designated screw hole). It worked, but sometimes would pop out of reverse. I have had to relearn how to drive my rig once the sye was installed. You can also remove the shifter and bend it I have seen.
 
Got a 6 speed manual. My jeep mechanic did a belly drop as I have lift kit. Ever since it's been slipping out of gear in 2nd, 4th reverse etc. Also it won't go into Low 4 as the whole gearbox is now lower... shifter stalk seems to be hitting the plastic surround and preventing it from going fully into those gears.

Is there a modified shifter I can get so it clears the surround?

Thanks
Does it really need a TC drop? How much lift did you install?
 
I have almost the same jeep as you and am having the same issues...I just shift from 1st to 3rd to 5th lol..here is my take on what's happening. I too have a t case drop which tilts the trans and transfer case down which puts the shifter up close to the boot and won't allow it to stay in the lower gears. The best solution is get rid of the t case drop and go sye as others said.
 
I have the 5-speed in a 2000, I was able to pull the shifter boots and use a die grinder to trim the body on the back side to provide more clearance.
 
Does it really need a TC drop? How much lift did you install?
Already got it, 2 inches plus 1 inch spacer, and 1 inch body lift. Jeep specialist said it definitely needed the drop so he did it. It had a minor shudder. I'm running 32 inch tires.
 
Thanks for replies. Might see if I can move consol back and grind out metal, seems the cheapest way. Just spent a ton on this jeep so trying to save money where I can :)
 
Moving the console or cutting the tub are not the answers for an 05 or 06..the lower shift boot is very large. You can modify the shift boot but the correct thing to do is sye
 
No, that’ll make it worse since it adds to the drive line angle.
Yes, reread it and it won’t help with 2nd and 4th. When I did mine which had a similar lift and drop I had trouble with 1st and 3rd. Ultimately went with a SYE and TT and everything lined up luckily. Funny how different these TJs can be.
 
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Hi guys, I still have this issue with my low range shifter. Took it in to shop and they bent the main shifter to accommodate belly drop, but didn't do the low range for some reason. I can't get it back in to shop for weeks to fix the issue, is it worth trying to do this myself?

What's happening is it's not quite shifting into 4Low after the belly drop and as soon as I get it on a hill in 4 Low and let the clutch out, it just pops straight out into neutral (low range) with a big bang. So it's going into the gear, it's just slipping straight out.

I presume it's just the shifter itself being physically prevented from clicking into the gate lock thingy. I removed the shifter surround and that didn't make any difference.

I know there is a proper way to do it, but I have to work with this for the moment.
Thanks
 
Hi guys, I still have this issue with my low range shifter. Took it in to shop and they bent the main shifter to accommodate belly drop, but didn't do the low range for some reason. I can't get it back in to shop for weeks to fix the issue, is it worth trying to do this myself?

What's happening is it's not quite shifting into 4Low after the belly drop and as soon as I get it on a hill in 4 Low and let the clutch out, it just pops straight out into neutral (low range) with a big bang. So it's going into the gear, it's just slipping straight out.

I presume it's just the shifter itself being physically prevented from clicking into the gate lock thingy. I removed the shifter surround and that didn't make any difference.
Your shifter isn't adjusted properly to be able to pull it completely into 4Lo, that's why it's slipping out. Body lifts and tcase drops can both affect that. Adjust the linkage by loosening this bolt, circled in red, adjusting the rod so it can pull the tcase all the way into 4Lo, then tighten the snot out of that bolt so it can't slip out of that adjustment.
transfer-case-linkage.jpg