Pardon this stupid question

I was looking over jeep interiors, and some CJ5s appear to have a gear shifter, than two other "stick" things sticking out of the floor near the shifter... I assume one is the 2wd-4wd selector, what is the other one?

 

High-Low

 

Twin stick configuration is HI-LO and engage/disengage front drive shaft. You can remove a pill in the levers and have 2wd low for better turning off road.

Common question but not stupid!

 

Oh, ok, thanks guys (total Jeep newbie here)

 

Actually in an intermediate (72-and later) with a twin stick transfer case the levers control the front and rear axle. Closest to the driver is for the rear the other one is for the front axle. Each has 3 positions Lo-N-Hi. Shift interlock pills keep you from putting one axle in high and the other in low unless they have been removed.

 

While you're looking, see if you can find any with 4 shifters.

 

he he he R)
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Ok, seriously, unlike regular cars and trucks that are 2wd that have a transmission that changes gears ratios to the rear axle,
4wd (different than all-wheel drive) vehicles have a second component next to the transmission called a transfer case, this is where the 4wd magic happens.

In addition to the normal shift lever and gears in the transmission the transfer case has its own set of gears and stick(s) (the other sticks you asked about). The transfer case controls which axles get power, and also another set of gears.

The transfer case changes gearing similar to the way a 12-speed bike does. With the gears on the front of the bike dictating what "range" of speeds the gears in the back will control.
Sooo, if the transfer case is in 4L, then all the transmission gears will vary within that low range, similarly if you shift the transfer case into 2H, then all transmission gears will vary in a much higher range.

I hope that helps.

 

Ok, yeah that helps. My '98 Tracker has a 2-4wd drive selector and hi-lo all in one (4H,4L, 2H, 2L, something like that), and I wasnt familiar with two separate selector levers.

 

Yeah, those new fangled vehicles make it all electronic, still the same guts, but no more levers and locks. :driving:

 

ok, so if I understand, the second lever is the 2-4wd selector and the third lever is the Hi-Lo for the 2-4wd?

 

Not quite.
1) Big Lever = Transmission
2) First small lever controls whether the rear axle is in High - N - Low
3) Second small lever controls whether the front axle is in High - N - Low

As HudsonHawk pointed out you must match the two TCase sticks, Low=Low, High=High, but there are other combos, like turning in Front Low only is super tight.

 

ok, that helped a LOT! now I understand

 

I also am new to CJ5 land and I thought I understood the shifting and 4W thing but maybe not. We have a 75 CJ5, manual locking hubs for 2W or 4W drive. A big tranny stick for either 2W or 4W drive and a little stick for hi/low 4W drive only. Yes, no, maybe?
When in 2W drive is it always rear wheel?

 

Hey Mickey, welcome.

You have the much much more common setup, a transmission shift lever and a transfer case shift lever.
The transmission lever shifts the Jeep as you would expect, the second lever controls whether you are in 2H, 4H, or 4L.

The "twin stick" setup that we were talking about in this thread is more rare and actually uses two sticks to control the 4WD, 3 sticks total.

But you are fine, your 2 sticks is the norm.

Edit: Yes, for you, when its in 2H the power is always to the rear wheels.