Dana 18 Sliding Out Of Low Range???

1970 CJ5 63K miles with a 134F, T 90 and a single stick Dana 18. Every thing works great. However on occasion the transfer case will quietly and gently slide out of low range into neutral. No drama and not under power but during coasting. Anyone have any ideas?

 

yep that's what I was thinking . linkage out of adjustment . if I remember right , when mine was in low . shifter would be all the way out and maybe 1" off of floor

 

Classic case of not fully engaging low range. When new, the single stick had very pronounced detents for each of the 4 positions. Between dirt/mud, and either lots of use or seldom used, shifting gets both stiff and sloppy.
Replacing the pressed ball joints (riding lawnmower tie rod ends) and cleaning up everything will restore the proper shifting, along with carefull adjustment.
If you watch the linkage movement when engaging low range, you should notice slop in the ball joint that doesn't allow for full travel of the shift rod.
-Donny

 

Thanks I will check that ASAP.