4 wheel drive not engaging

[robo83]

I have a '93 yj, stock front axle with the 4x4 posi lock. I recently changed the gear oil in the front and noticed that the front axle wont engage when i put it in 4 wheel drive. I thought at first that i might have put to thick of oil in it so i put a thinner oil in and still no 4 wheel drive. Since its a pull cable system i didnt think that the thickness of the gear oil would hurt anything but im not positive. My question is, does the cable stretch some over time? I had my brother pull and push the cable and i can hear it moving but im not getting any pull from the front tires. Im not really sure what to do but im going to take the system of tomorrow and look to see.

 

[superj]

The tcase is also in 4x4?

 

[robo83]

yes sir, tried it in 4 hi and 4 low still nothing. im about to go take it apart and look at it.

 

[robo83]

well i took the 4x4 posi lock housing off and found a good bit of broken plastic pieces. Im thinking that there was a plastic ring on the inner axle and i somehow broke it maybe. I looked it up and i think its the intermediate bearing, not positive though. Anybody know for sure?

 

[superj]

is your ring still in the housing that locks the two pieces of hte passenger side axle together? i don't know of any plastic pieces so maybe someone else can answer that

 

[Bounty__Hunter]

No plastic parts on any bearings. Could be a plastic lining on the shift fork, if the posilok comes equipped with that.

If it were me, I'd slide the shift collar to the engaged position and install a factory disconnect upside down to hold it in the locked position. Done, and KISS simple.

 

[robo83]

Got it, its called a disconnect axle intermediate collar. My dad and I are both pretty sure mine was plastic but all the ones I find now are metal I think. But heres a pic of what it is and where it is. Its like a bearing that the inner axle rides on but Im pretty sure there are no balls like a ball bearing. And as to why it wasn't engaging into 4 wheel, is that collar wasn't there and the inner axle was pushing back towards the dif and the other collar that locks the two axle together wasn't reaching both.