Do you see evidence of a leak? No 4Low

[jucumari]

I have never needed to utilize 4Low until recently when I got stuck on a slope of a remote mountain in eastern Oregon. When I tried to engage it, it did not work. I double checked the manual and was utilizing the correct procedure and it still did not work.

Since then, I have put the vehicle on some various terrains around my property and tried to practice engaging 4Low from all possible combinations (4high to 4low; 4high locked to 4low locked) and none work. I've given it an adequate amount of force, moved it a bit side to side, all possible combinations of things that have been suggested on various forum threads. I also ensured that small pin was still inside the shift knob since some owners mentioned that some have fallen out.

Last night I decided to crawl under the vehicle and just look at the transfer case itself just to see what it looked like. I noticed that some dust/dirt has collected in one particular area which might indicate a fluid leak (see pictures)?

Any advice? Dealership said they haven't heard of this or seen this come in. They also mentioned that they have been told that no transfer cases have ever had to be replaced; only serviced. They could not give even a rough estimate of time it would take to order and have a new transfer case delivered if it needed replacement for any reason.

PS - I don't remember if 4L was demonstrated as working when I bought the car. Also, I know that I should have probably been in 4L before I attempted what ended up being a terrifying slope.

 

[HereinDaRockies]

When you said 4L doesn’t work, what are the symptoms? You gotta be more specific.

Wipe down the suspect area and see if new oil gathers

 

[Jiman01]

I have never needed to utilize 4Low until recently when I got stuck on a slope of a remote mountain in eastern Oregon. When I tried to engage it, it did not work. I double checked the manual and was utilizing the correct procedure and it still did not work.

Since then, I have put the vehicle on some various terrains around my property and tried to practice engaging 4Low from all possible combinations (4high to 4low; 4high locked to 4low locked) and none work. I've given it an adequate amount of force, moved it a bit side to side, all possible combinations of things that have been suggested on various forum threads. I also ensured that small pin was still inside the shift knob since some owners mentioned that some have fallen out.

Last night I decided to crawl under the vehicle and just look at the transfer case itself just to see what it looked like. I noticed that some dust/dirt has collected in one particular area which might indicate a fluid leak (see pictures)?

Any advice? Dealership said they haven't heard of this or seen this come in. They also mentioned that they have been told that no transfer cases have ever had to be replaced; only serviced. They could not give even a rough estimate of time it would take to order and have a new transfer case delivered if it needed replacement for any reason.

PS - I don't remember if 4L was demonstrated as working when I bought the car. Also, I know that I should have probably been in 4L before I attempted what ended up being a terrifying slope.

I remember High Locked to Low Locked was not so easy at first with my truck.

It sound like you’ve tried a lot of the steps to resolve the issue. I’m assuming you’re in N when shifting? Have you tried moving back or forward a touch to help align the gears?

I’m also curious of what happens with the truck to make you think you’re not in the selected gear?

 

[DaveB]

I remember High Locked to Low Locked was not so easy at first with my truck.

It sound like you’ve tried a lot of the steps to resolve the issue. I’m assuming you’re in N when shifting? Have you tried moving back or forward a touch to help align the gears?

I’m also curious of what happens with the truck to make you think you’re not in the selected gear?

When I first took delivery of my Grenadier I could not get it into 4 low at all.
Everything was correct in practice but I used as much force as I was prepared to to try to get it into low.
Took it back to dealer and waited and they came back and said it was working fine.
I tried it and it went in easily and smoothly, has ever since.
No idea what they did or if they even did anything, but no problems since.

 

[LWA55DAL]

When I 1st took delivery of my Grenadier I found that shifting into low and locking the diffs was also very difficult. Many people have experienced the same thing and generally speaking it just takes time to break-in the cables. The transfer case shifts via two cables that are connected to the lever in the cab. I focused on shifting from unlocked to locked and back as you can do that while moving and once that shift was easy, in both high and low, I then focused on shifting between high and low, both locked and unlocked. I would guess that it took 50+ shifts before it felt “normal” and would shift a easily.

 

[jucumari]

Just an update here - Grenadier went to dealer to have this issue looked at on 20DEC24. On 10JAN25 they called and said it was ready for pickup. They replaced the transfer case with a new one. They mentioned they were unsure what the issue was with the other one since they couldn't "open it up." After some modifications to the actuator cable when trying the various modes (4H/L; locked/unlocked)around the dealership, all seemed to be working fine. Took it offroad the next day to test all of the modes and also the front/rear lockers, and all work as designed.

TLDR- Couldn't shift from 4H to 4L in the Trialmaster. Dealership replaced transfer case.