Hello,
I've got a 2000 Amigo w/approx 50,000 miles, manual tran. that has really been giving my headaches...

It pops the 4wd lever into a false neutral.. It does it sometimes when going back to 2wd too while the 4wd light is flashing on the dash.. This is my wifes Amigo & she's getting so she won't even drive it anymore.. Any ideas? It seems to be somewhat better if your traveling on ice/snow.
Hope I don't have to pull the transfer case...

Thanks Tony
218-783-6541

Well you should have plenty of snow and ice to drive on for a few more months in northern Minnesota...or maybe not, supposed to be like 40 the next few days.

I am wondering if you are getting some driveline binding due to a balky SOTF actuator. Do you have any evidence it is actually shifting properly before the lever pops out? (do all 4 wheels spin properly, or does it stay in 2WD before the lever pops out?) Just a guess at this point...

Ok let's backup a little bit.

You do not have a 4wd lever.....period.
That lever is a manual way of shifting into low range.

SHe has what is called drive flanges on the front axle,they mechanically lock the hubs/C.V. joints together.

When she pushes the 4wd button,it activates two solinoids.
One moves the Transfer case into 4wd,then the front axle disconnect moves and locks the driverside axle together.

If she drives on pavement(even wet or a real wet slush)the kind of slush that let's her tires get to the asphalt then it will bind the TransferCase up,when it binds it will "pop" out of gear and go into the condition she discribes.

This is not an AllWheelDrive system.There is no differential in the TransferCase.So if the tires are on pavement even though it's wet there will be Binding happening especially during or after a turn.The front of the truck turns in a different arc/radius than the rear.This means the front and rear actually travel different lenghts which is what causes the binding.

I hope this isn't to technical,but It can be explain'd differently.

Let me know if you have further questions.

Also this "binding" is a bad thing cause if it doesn't pop out of gear than something can break.

Bansil

Thanks for your input.
I understand what youÆre saying about how the system works. It seems odd to me that a system design would allow it to jump out of gear like that though.. It's dangerous because you have no choice but to come to a complete stop in order to put it back into gear (4 high).

If this setup is that touchy to binding then here is another piece of information that may be of value. The Amigo had a ripped front tire when I got it & the rest were pretty worn.. I couldn't afford to replace them all so I only replaced the front set (same brand, size, etc..) Since these are new perhaps the new tread (which would make the circumference slightly larger) is causing the binding/popping out of gear when there is more traction available. Am I stretching??

Believe me, it is to your advantage that the transfer case "only" pops out of gear when the binding occurs. The alternative would be for something very expensive to break.

The tires might make some difference, but if you are driving in 4WD in conditions that do not allow for slippage, then you are living on borrowed time. At some point, the transfer case is not going to pop out of gear.

If you still have the owner's manual, spend some time reading the sections on 4WD usage.

Hey Guys,
Obviously I have some what miscommunicated what the problem is.. I do know not to drive a part time 4wd vehicle locked in 4wd on dry pavement.. Here in northern MN, at least this year we've had alot of slippery roads. Sometimes there will be a couple miles of blown snow or/and ice then it might be good for a couple hundred yards or a mile, then slippery again..
In my estimate I've had approx 25 4wd units over the years so this isn't my first time around the park. I've never had anything that would pop out of gear like this.. Unless Isuzu's are exceptionally prone to this problem I'm sure she/we are doing nothing different than anyone else. I'm wondering if there is something possibly wrong with the actuator/solenoid that locks in the transfer case & maybe it's not putting it all the way in? I truly believe this is not a "driving style" problem. It seems odd that it would be this fussy as to the new front tires & used rear tires.. Hell, the older chevys & fords used to have slightly different ratios in the front & rear axle.
I guess I could spend the $300 for new rear tires to get a perfect match & give it a try. I'm thinking there is possibly a bent shifting fork or something in the transfer case so it will probably have to come out to be fixed.

Ps. To answer SteveÆs (bigswede) question yep, IÆm sure itÆs going into 4wd, I can hear it when it goes in as there is a slight whine that is common in part time 4wds. Sometimes it takes a while to go back into 2wd even with dropping the throttle or pushing in the clutch, stopping, backing up etc. Also when it does it kind of jerks a bit sometimes like the gears are hanging on the edge & finally slide over (or whatever they do on an isuzu) to get on the 2wd gear..
My wifes driving my Samuri right now so you can imagine how thats going! not good!
Anyway, I appreciate your inputs
Thanks Tony