Howdy All,

 

I just signed up for this board and have learned quite a bit looking through the archives. The do-it-yourself spirit is refreshing. When I lived in Texas I needed a truck to haul boards and drive from the parking garage to the suburbs, so I got a Nissan Frontier 2WD. After a winter in Colorado I began to get worried about banging up my pretty truck in the ice so I got an '85 DL wagon w/ carb and single range push button 4WD to drive when the roads are white.

 

Before going on the road it got new CV shafts, front rotors and pads, ball joints, tie-rod ends, rear shocks, front struts, most of the front suspention bushings, and some lame snow tires from Sears. My goal was something that didn't have any vibration and tracked straight. Thanks to this fine group I now know that the studded snows on 15" rims I got for my Nissan will mount on my DL with some drilling, tapering, and other metal changes. I might try to lift things up a bit. But before all that fun I have a problem.

 

The 4WD switch stopped engaging the transmission. I checked the electrical going to the vacuum actuator, and it works. A vacuum gets pulled at the solenoid/diaphram, and the un-attached diaphram seems to be actuating when I push the button. Not knowing what else to do, I just forced the arm on the transmition into the 4WD position and drove it like that. It did fine on snow, but the snow often melts around lunchtime and I can feel things binding up in a rather disturbing fashion when I have to back out of parking spaces.

 

Is it unreasonable to just fabricate some sort of shifter arm that will engage this lever?

 

- James B

85 DL Wagon

01 Nissan Frontier

93 Casita FD

Hi James, Welcome aboard!!! Just to start...... are all four tyres the same size, brand, PSI etc etc???? If not, that will be a big issue with the Sub. Later, tim

Yeah Tim, all four of the little itty bitty Sears Snow King tires are the same, as are the studded 15-inch rims I want to shoehorn on there. Does it mess with the gears if the tires rotate at different rates?

 

For the new rims, the plan is to use my little CNC milling machine to lay out accurate starting points for holes in a block of aluminum that will cover five of the bolt holes on the new rims, then put the block in a drill press and make five big holes the same size and position as the bolt holes in my rims. Four of the holes can get tapped and some threaded rod screwed in, and the fifth hole will act as a drill guide for a hand held drill. The aluminum block gets bolted onto the rim with these threaded rods while I drill my new bolt holes. I'm pretty new to working with metal, but it should work out pretty well.

 

- James B

85 DL wagon

01 Nissan Frontier

93 Casita FD

if you are willing to go through the trouble of installing a manual shifter arm you might be interested in swapping to a d/r trans. not that its completely necessary, and the shifter arm will probably be easier, but should you ever need the extra 4wd power you would have it at your disposal.

Howdy All,

 

The 4WD switch stopped engaging the transmission. I checked the electrical going to the vacuum actuator, and it works. A vacuum gets pulled at the solenoid/diaphram, and the un-attached diaphram seems to be actuating when I push the button. Not knowing what else to do, I just forced the arm on the transmition into the 4WD position and drove it like that. It did fine on snow, but the snow often melts around lunchtime and I can feel things binding up in a rather disturbing fashion when I have to back out of parking spaces.

 

Is it unreasonable to just fabricate some sort of shifter arm that will engage this lever?

 

- James B

85 DL Wagon

01 Nissan Frontier

93 Casita FD

 

 

James,

 

I have the exact same problem and like you, am facing the wrath of a Colorado Winter (I'm at 8,000ft). I am saving up right now to put it into the shop to get repaired, but would prefer to fix it myself. Like your's , mine engages , dash diagram lights up ,but as soon as I shift it goes back out. A few sharp turns tells me it isn't engaged. If no one on the board comes up with an answer, I'll post what the guys at the shop end up bleeding me for and what they said was wrong.

 

Dog1

James,

 

I have the exact same problem and like you, am facing the wrath of a Colorado Winter (I'm at 8,000ft). I am saving up right now to put it into the shop to get repaired, but would prefer to fix it myself. Like your's , mine engages , dash diagram lights up ,but as soon as I shift it goes back out. A few sharp turns tells me it isn't engaged. If no one on the board comes up with an answer, I'll post what the guys at the shop end up bleeding me for and what they said was wrong.

 

Dog1

Giving this a bump to see if anyone can come up with an answer.

 

Dog1

My '85 Jeep Cherokee did the same stupid stuff with the vaccuum actuator, guess this was the way most car maunfacturers did the 4WD push button or move a lever deal to engage or disengage the 4WD. My '86 Wagon has the "Shift into neutral at about 15-20 MPH with the clutch in and yank the lever up for 4H or 4L" deal...boy I like it mutch better.........Good luck on the shifting dude

I have been checking prices on a d/r tranny, but would like to wait until next year to put one in. My temporary fix will be this shifter arm. I really need to finish my basement before I start on this, so after some grout, building a vanity, installing a toilet, doors, and trim I will get started working on this. If I get something working in the way of a shifter, I will be sure to post pictures. Hopefully next week sometime.

 

- James B