So heres the scoop....

Im building up a 1978 K10 and I just finished with a 700R4/208 swap from my old TH350/203. Im at the point now im setting up the shifter for my 208, and ive been having some problems...Heres how they go...

History on the NP208 : It was working in the vehicle that it was pulled from. I test drove it, and everything worked fine before it was swapped.

First problem I ran into was the shifter for it was too short. No biggy, because The truck I got the shifter for the 208 was from a stock body height truck and my truck has a 3inch body lift, so I lengthened the shifter by 3" to make up for the body lift difference. However, apon installation I've found it extemely hard to shift and Im not able to get it to shift between 2 Hi, and the 4hi/N/4low section of the transfer case very easily. I plan on screwing with it more tommarrow, but I wonder if someone has some insight on what I could be facing. Any suggestions?

Second problem is this. When in park and I shift the transfer case while the truck is running, the T-Case grinds when trying to shift gears. This did not have this issue when in the previous vehicle, and im wondering if I could be doing something wrong. Any suggestions?

Third, sort of a weird thing, when the transfer case is in neutral, the truck shifts fine, however when I shift back into park it makes a quick winding noise and than stops. Any suggestions on what this could be?

Thanks for all the help ahead of time. Im just trying to get this rig up and running for my next Hollister trip and its been a frustrating experience.

Thanks!

Brendan Potter

you might be low on fluid. does it make any noises when the truck is in drive with foot on the brake and you shift? a friend had a 241 and it always made a little grinding noise when shifting. when i first got my 208, it did the same thing, i put more fluid in, and now that noise is gone. you fill it til the fluid starts coming out of the fill plug.

try putting the tranny in neutral before you change the transfercase shifter, then engage tranny into gear. Mine wont change ranges at all if the tranny is in park. NEVER have the transfercase in neutral and put the tranny in park while engine is on. This causes gringing of the parking pin and will cause something to grind and or break. Something has to hold the output shaft when engaging park otherwise park will not work it will wind and click.

Thanks Southern and Oneton, at least I feel better about it now.

Oneton....I really thought something was wrong other than user error when I heard the wind and clicking...Im saying a prayer nothing was hurt.

Im going to try and work on it tonight and see if I can get it to shift a little easier. Is there any reason why the transfer case grinds there gears when im shifting it even when the truck is in neutral? Thanks..

with mine i have to be rolling pop tranny in nuetral, stop then shift it makes it super slick to shift, just somethin that helps with mine

Are you sure the tranny is actually in park when your shifter is? The t-case should not grind at any point when the tranny is in park. I could see it being difficult to shift, but it should never grind. I have a truck that has a 208 with a part time kit, and it is sometimes difficult to shift in park, but it will never grind - only if I'm dumb enough to put the tranny in something other than park will it grind.

BigDummy - Yeah im sure its in park, and I was screwing around with it tonight and it all seemed as if it was going to work for me. I went ahead and drained some of the Fluid in the transfer case, saw it was good, and refilled it and it didnt make the grinding noise any longer. Ive been careful to make sure it is in neutral as well....

Thanks guys for your suggestions and help! Ill keep you posted if it continues to act up....

Thanks again!

~Brendan

208 should be SOTF to 4hi and N for 4lo.
As mention park with tcase in N BAD
Hard shifting is probably a result of your Extending the shifter. Did you also alter the linkage arms? Just increasing shifter length will result in different throw lengths linkage binding etc. easy to check from undrneath but just a quick thought

The shifter seems to be working now. Probobly just low on ATF. Thanks guys!

~Brendan

Hey Brendan, Sorry to hear about your problems. I am glad you got it working now though.