A Ford Fan finally gets his Bronco

[PerBear]

Hey everyone,

I've been a fan of Fords (especially Ford trucks) since i can remember, grew up in a Ford family, used to have an early 70's bronco when i was little, and my grandpa had an 80's F 150. loved them both. My "first" truck was a '92 f 150, 300 I-6, 5 spd manual, 2wd (only had 89k mi). loved it. finally got tired of having to repair it, so what'd i do? go buy a '90 Bronco, Eddie Bauer, 5.8L 351W. (108k mi.) and i must say, it's like my first truck all over again, instant love for it. I want to get everything working on it, previous (and only 2nd) owner (of 8 months) got it mostly back to pristine. wasn't that hard, since the original owner (of 21 years) had it stored for winters, and used it only as a truck for his camp here in Maine.

BUT, there are still some issues. The biggest (and what's bugging me right now) is that i can only move it from 2H to 4H, it won't go left from 4H. i read through the owner's guide to make sure i was doing things right, and it just won't budge. I've only had it three days now, so no real time to look at it, and unfortunately i lack the skills (but mostly the tools) to do any major work myself.

any thoughts? i have a belief it rusted from lack of use.

 

[Rons beast]

Welcome to the Zone PerBear

I don't quite understand your problem. Can you better define "It won't go left from 4H."

 

[PerBear]

Welcome to the Zone PerBear

I don't quite understand your problem. Can you better define "It won't go left from 4H."

sorry, i'm not that great of a word smith

It's a '90 bronco with 4wd on the floor. 2H at the top, pull towards to get to 4H, then left and towards for N, then towards and right for 4L.

Supposedly with the auto transmission in neutral, it's supposed to be able to shift from 4H into N and 4L. i can't get it to budge. it only goes between 2H and 4H.

 

[Rons beast]

Ok I get the picture now.

First I would get under the truck and spray all the linkages and arms with a good penetrating oil. Take a good look, maybe get a mirror to see where you can't get a line of sight. You never know if a squirel put a nut somewhere, just to ***** with you.

Hopefully the problem is there, rather than internally.

Have you checked the **** level in the transfer case?

If the vehicle has been sitting for a long period, everything needs some lubrication and TLC.

Good Luck

 

[miesk5]

yo PerBear,

WELCOME!

The 1990 was built w/the Borg Warner 1356 Manual Shift Transfer Case or

To be sure it has not been replaced by a diff Model;

ere is the shift pattern on lever **** in a 90 by SeattleBronco



The model number is cast into the rear housing, and sometimes stamped into an ID tag on a tailhousing bolt.

Here is a pic of it in a 90 by Wolfchant



K139 2 1356

16909 E9TA

Many vehicles are purchased and operated for considerable periods of time before a shift to 4L is made. The problem may be that the linkage is as ROM ADVISED, dirty or rusty or has a defective part.

your first check is to follow the proper sequence of being stopped and having the vehicle in neutral (or clutch in)

In my 96's 1356 man case; I often need to rock the Bronco back & forth a bit; and /or shut engine off and try to shift to 4L again

1356 Selector Plate Repairs in a 90; "...here is my open Transfer Case. My 4 high wasn't working. I'm lucky that anything worked, once I found the problem. this is the position the plate sits in now. This is where the plate looks like it should be..." read & see more

Source: by Darren W (Black Goliath) at http://www.superford.org/registry/vehicles/detail.php?id=4869&s=19544#content

"...This style of shifter is known to seize & break, and its proper use isn't intuitive (despite the instructions molded into the ****), so it commonly breaks when used after a long period of disuse. To clean & lubricate it, first disconnect the transfer case end of the link bar with a prybar between the link bar and the t-case lever. The bushing simply snaps onto & off of the ****** on the lever. Then loosen the pinch bolt, and raise the upper shift lever. It's NOT necessary to remove the shifter boot from the floor, and since the ***** wells commonly fill with dirt, just leave it. Then remove the pivot bolt from the top of the shifter (1" or T-55) and lower the assembly. It's also NOT necessary to remove the detent plate, but it & the shifter assembly should be cleaned with degreaser (Simple Green or Purple Power) and a stiff-bristle brush..."

Source: by Steve





Take time to read this by Ford

Four Wheel Drive (4X4) General Information, Operation & Troubleshooting TSB 92-1-8 for Bronco, F Series & Ranger; Includes Electric Shift On The Fly (ESOF) Troubleshooting & Hub Operation, etc.

------

Brochure, 90 Bronco (partial)

Source: by Ford via ElKabong (Ken, El Kabong) at http://www.supermotors.net/registry/15781/59417

1990 Standard Equipment & Option List & w/Option Codes & Prices; Interior & Exte

Source: by SeattleFSB (Seattle FSB) at http://www.supermotors.net/registry/20487/75630

1990 Engine, Transmission & Differential Gear Ratios

Source: by Seattle FSB (SeattleFSB) at http://www.supermotors.net/registry/media/855066

more 1356 LINKS in my site at http://www.broncolinks.com/index.php?index=70

and 1990 Repair/etc. LINKs - use internal Search for terms such as;

in a 90

or in a year range such as

90-91

etc.

 

[PerBear]

Thank you both, next chance i get, i'll have to get underneath and see how things are looking. hopefully it just needs a little love.

Also, i'm fairly certain that it is the stock transfer case, at least mine does look like the one in the you provided, miesk5.

This Bronco is a learning experience for me, as it'll be the first where i'm trying to take care of things myself. (not major problems, mind you, i'm not THAT crazy... yet)

 

[Krafty]

on the transfer case shifter there is a physical stopper in the shifter linkage that you need to clear when trying to get from 4Hi to N and again from N to 4hi. on my 89f150 there was a slight bend in the shifter which was keeping it from moving the way it should and it took all my strength to clear the stopper. what I did was massage the linkage stopper and shifter with a hammer and a grinder to remove where it was getting caught so it would function normally again.