Dana 20 shift linkage issues.

[FarmerRoger]

Always had an issue shifting the Dana 20 on my 73 CJ5 .
Understand the vehicle needs to be rolled slightly to shift the TC.

It has a single shift lever, with one three hole bell crank.
The center hole connects the link from the shift lever
The two outside holes connect links to the two Dana 20 shift rods.

Earlier models incorporated two shift levers.

Looking for the shift rod positions for
4H, 2H, Neutral, 4L

If each shift rod has two positions, then four combinations of shift rod positions are available.

The outside shift rod has a link between it & the bell crank , while the inside shift rod is directly connected to the three hole bell crank.

Basically , want to understand the mechanics of the linkage.

 

[Bent]

Check out the websites for the companies that sell low range kits for the Dana 20 and download the illustrated installation instructions. Very detailed information about the shifting mechanics on our those transfer cases.

 

[rrekr]

The long shaft controls power Transmission to the rear wheels.

From Neutral
2WD__ Long shaft (nearest to shifter) moves forward 7/16"

4WD High__Short shaft moves forward 7/16"

Back to Neutral
4WD Low___Long shaft must move first rearward 3/4",that allows the
short shaft to then move rearward 3/4" to attain 4WD Low

 

[Hedgehog]

Save yourself a bunch of trouble and switch that sloppy linkage, they are all sloppy, out to Twin Stick Transfer Case shifters. It's not very difficult to do and the difference in shifting is remarkable. Each shift is a short snappy movement, no more barking your knuckles on the floor.

 

[ikidd]

I just pulled one from a 78 to replace my QT (and the axle). I played with it on the bench for about 5 minutes before tearing it down for a rebuild, and went straight to the internet to find a twin stick setup because there was no way I was going to even attempt to use that ugly mess.

Not even sure why that was a thing. Some engineer is roasting in hell for that.

 

[Hedgehog]

Well, a little aggressive, the "roasting in hell" part. But, I fully understand how you came to that conclusion. I imagine back when they first came out people were thrilled with the set-up. No more figuring out which stick went where when shifting as opposed to the old twin stick system. I'm sure that over the years each little part loosened up a tinny bit. With all the parts slightly loose the problem compounded on itself and now the good old twin stick arrangement looks mighty good. I know I'm very happy with mine. Occasionally I do bind myself up getting the correct shifting sequence, but in the end it's a far simpler arrangement.

 

[Chilly]

I've read some info about Dana 20 twin-sticks popping out of gear, and a way to correct that by welding and reshaping one of the shift rods. So while I would like to eventually do a twin-stick, it won't be until I have a darned good reason to dig into my Dana 20 for some other issue.

The Dana 20 shift linkage setup was probably OK when new, but those little cotter-pinned rods get worn down, and the holes get wallowed out, as well as the spherical joints in that one linkage. Also, the bushing in the handle is probably worn out from vibrating, having not been greased since it left Toledo. I had a friend re-bush the shifter handle and it eliminated a lot of slop. Some carefully considered work with a MIG and a dremel could go a long way toward eliminating sources of slop. It's not the worst setup ever, I can think of at least two worse:

1. The Jeep Dana 20 shifter that had the box with the U-shaped shift pattern
2. The Ford pickup shifter that required you to push down on the knob while you pulled it back. Works great until PA brine welds them together (I needed to get stuck more, I guess).

 

[Hedgehog]

I've heard of 300'ds popping out of gear. My Dana 20 has never popped out and all I did was replace the single stick mechanism. I also like having 2wd low available. No, you don't have to remove the "pills" to get 2wd low. To get front wheel drive only High and Low the pills have to go or the shift rods manipulated. Since you can also make the mistake of having one end in high and the other in low I don't think it's worth the effort for me, I know me and it would only be a mater of time before I ruined something.

 

[JR74CJ5]

I've heard of 300'ds popping out of gear. My Dana 20 has never popped out and all I did was replace the single stick mechanism. I also like having 2wd low available. No, you don't have to remove the "pills" to get 2wd low. To get front wheel drive only High and Low the pills have to go or the shift rods manipulated. Since you can also make the mistake of having one end in high and the other in low I don't think it's worth the effort for me, I know me and it would only be a mater of time before I ruined something.

Same here. My single linkage was sloppy - I bought new parts and it got better, but was still a pain to shift to the right locations... Since going with twin stick, I've never looked back.

I did do a full rebuild on the TC at the same time, but did not change anything inside for the twin stick issue.

The rebuild may have helped some in the shifting easier as there was a lot of gunk in the caps for the shift rails in the back. You can pop those off to clear out and pop new ones in, but the rebuild really is not that bad and heads great results...

I got a full rebuild kit from Novak.