My 13 JKR doesn't shift into 4lo while stopped, I need to be moving very slowly for it to shift down.

I had trouble the first time too. But now it's easier, maybe I'm not as scared to shift it. good luckluck

 

What year? If its under warranty, I would take it back for repairs.

I have a '97 Wrangler Sport Auto, and mine works by stopping, put tranny in neutral, and then shifting into 4low. I know for sure that mine doesn't get stuck inbetween. What do you mean by "pull all the way through"?

There will be experts coming along shortly to clear everything up, but in the meantime, I'm just curious what you mean by that statement.

 

Any tips I could try?

Don't shift while stopped. The gears engage much easier while rolling. Practice and you will get better. First time I shifted from 4lo to 2hi, smashed my #*%# fingers. I learned how to hold the shifter after that.

 

That's correct: shifting into 4lo while stopped is an exercise in futility; roll the Jeep a little (about 3 MPH) and it will slide right into gear.

Placing the auto in Neutral helps, but once you get the hang of rolling a little you won't need to.

Good luck!

Aldo

 

What is the fastest speed in 4hi and 4lo that is recommended? I am waiting for mine and am a newbie. Thanks

 

It's in the Owner's Manual: Jeep doesn't recommend driving in 4Hi above 55-60 MPH. However, it is not because it is bad for the Jeep; part time 4x4 systems affect the handling of the vehicle.

You will be hard pressed to hit even 30 MPH in 4Lo given the high RPMs.

Aldo

 

4-high - I don't think there's technically a limit but if you need four wheel drive you probably shouldn't be driving 60 mph

I'm not sure in 4-low; technically probably 25 or so, but again if you're going that fast you probably shouldn't be in 4-low. I guess you'll hit the rev-limiter first - at least in the rubicon w/ 4:1 low it revs really quickly

 

While rolling slowing, slightly tap the throttle while holding pressure into 4 lo. Should slide right in. Driven many JK's and always works easy pezy

 

Mine had difficulty shifting into 4Low when brand new. The first time I did it I thought I was going to snap the lever. It's four months old now and have had it off road in 4Low numerous times. As it's broken in it has gotten a lot smoother and easier to switch between. The more you use it the better it will get.

 

I don't know how you are monitoring your speed when you make the shift into 4LO, but from watching my GPS when I do it, 2-3mph is MUCH slower than I think it is.

I suggest trying it at ever so slow of a creep, as in barely moving, or practically stopped.

I almost always get a little grind and a buck as I get into 4L. I still haven't mastered it, but faster is absolutely worse, so slower must be better. Doing it while stopped is about as effective as betting on double-zero at the roullette wheel.

Incidentally, the manual says to make the shift "firmly", which is completely useless info. What it needs to state is "slowly" or "quickly". I have yet to experiment with how the speed of the shift affects the outcome.

 

Spot on.

I have shifted a bunch of different kinds of Tcases into 4low and most of the time the trick is to be verily moving and shift it right before the vehicle stops. Once you get used to a vehicle you know just how much force it takes(and it is NEVER a lot unless it is a new Atlas) for the forks to slide over and shift the gears, if you hold that amount of force most of the time it will just slip in when everything lines up.

 

It's 2015 model.
I will try rolling as slowly as I can and report back

Thanks for the help!

 

Do you guys put it in 4 low before you leave the road? Here I'm always making a hard turn off the pavement in traffic into sand. I don't have time to mess around trying to roll at 2 mph shifting in and out of gear, but once I hit the sand it's hard to keep it rolling in neutral. If I get stuck, I actually use the hole I dug to rock back and forth till I get it in 4 low. The Jeep really does pretty well in sugar sand in 4 high and even 2 high.

 

My 15 jku doesn't like to shift when rolling. The grind is terrible, no I've tried at 1-2mph. Maybe it's a manual transmission thing, but I found that shifting when stopped works from high to low. If the lever doesn't move smoothly or feels like a fight, I move forward a few inches, stop, and then it slides into 4-lo.

 

I always shifted it while stopped, if it doen't go move a few inches, never had a problem.

 

4-Lo in Rubicons is MUCH harder to engage than that in other Wranglers because of the extreme gear multiplication of the Rock-Trac transfer case (4:1 ratio).

Saharas and Sports use the gentler (2.7:1 ratio) Command-Trac 4X4 system with shift-on-the-fly capability; which has been in XJs and Libertys for decades.

 

4-Lo in Rubicons is MUCH harder to engage than that in other Wranglers because of the extreme gear multiplication of the Rock-Trac transfer case (4:1 ratio).

Saharas and Sports use the gentler (2.7:1 ratio) Command-Trac 4X4 system with shift-on-the-fly capability; which has been in XJs and Libertys for decades.

X1000...I even posted a thread about my difficulties when I first got my Rubicon. Stopped, barely moving, didn't matter. Anytime I tried shifting into 4lo it either would not engage, or it would make the most ungodly grinding noises. Other times it would get stuck between 4hi and 4lo, essentially rendering the jeep useless. When this would happen I had to get out and push the jeep a few feet to get it to engage. I got pissed and went out and shifted the damn thing probably 50 times over one weekend. Now it seems to go in and out much smoother :happyyes:

 

You can shift into 4L either going 2-3 mph or when stopped. It depends on what seems to work best for your transfer case. I have no problem doing it when stopped. When you first shift a new JK into 4L it might grind a bit until everything seems to break in more. For an auto trans place it in neutral, for a manual you can use the clutch. Technically, there's no top end speed when in 4H, but if you're able to travel at 50-60 mph I really can't think of a need to be in 4H under almost all circumstances. There is a speed not to exceed to shift from 2H to 4H, which I know for a 10 JK is 50 mph. That might have increased for newer JK's up to 55 mph.

 

I believe the reason for shifting slowly is that the transfer case has no synchros, while 4h your just engaging the front gear set at 1:1 and they are both moving at the same speed, unless you are managing to be doing a wheelie, so it slides right in. When shifting into 4 low the reduction gears are stationary, so the faster you go your just going to be skipping a spinning gear set off a stationary one, go slow and they can pickup the teeth without bouncing off. I think shifting while stopped is just sometimes when you are stopped you luck out and the teeth match up to allow the shift, sometimes you are trying to shift tooth on tooth so it won't go, that's why just moving a few inches or rocking will get it to fall into gear. Let me say I have never dug around inside the tcase, but just playing with it this is what I think is happening. And as always please let me know if I have something wrong! Learning is always a good thing!

 

The more you use it the easier it gets, partly because parts get broken in, and partly because of the practice. This isn't unique to Jeeps. I've owned about a dozen different 4X4's over the last 45 years and most all of them require a little trick to shift into and out of Low Range.

 

Three things:

1) The more you use 4-low, the easier it gets

2) The speed that works best is a function of transfer case reduction (rubicon or not) and axle ratio

3) Technique is important. If it isn't going into 4-low, don't force it;you are doing it wrong. Practice makes perfect.