stuck in 4x4

[towncarblue]

i have a 2002 nisaan pathfinder se with an automatic transmission and manual 4x4
[ i have to use a little shifter in order to go in and out of 4x4 , hi lo etc..]

whenever i go into 4x4 {4h} i have a hard time getting out of 4x4.
i tried to shift the knob back and forth , turning off the car and restarting it, shifting it while the car is off
the car stays in 4x4 ... it goes off after while [10-15 min].
the only issue i know that i have is a broken motor mount.

is there an electrical part i need to replace ????
what could be wrong with my 4x4 ?????

[rgk]

What is the color, smell, and level of your transmission fluid?

When is the last time it's been replaced?

[towncarblue]

red...
i replaced the transmission , diff , transfer fluid last year

[atraudes]

Check out some of the tips and links on the threads below and see if they offer any clues or assistance.

post6420933.html
post6370070.html
post5401478.html

I've also heard that for some folks, driving 50 ft. or so backwards is needed to pop it out of 4WD (which sounds like transfer case problems to me).

[Hawairish]

Are you shifting while stopped? Truck's supposed to be in motion when shifting between 2H and 4H...read your owner's manual for the proper procedure.

If you still can't shift out, perhaps you're actually 4L and need to depress the 4wd shifter through the N position to get to 4H, and then 2H.

And if you still can't shift out, do you have manual hubs? If so and they're not engaged, that would do it, too.

There is no electrical part failure here, and a bad motor mount would have no impact (the transfer case is bolted directly to the engine).

[towncarblue]

i usually shift into 4x4 with my foot on the brake and the transmission on 'drive' .
im not in 4L . im just shifting from 4x2 [2h] to 4x4[4h] .

i have not tried to go into reverse , will try next time i drive to the store

[towncarblue]

i checked my transmission fluid today , here are some pics
http://i261.photobucket.com/albums/ii42 ... 103544.jpg
http://i261.photobucket.com/albums/ii42 ... 103451.jpg

transmission fluid does not smell burned and i think the transmission fluid looks fine { not an expert though so pics shown }
i had put in castrol import multi transmission fluid about a bit over a year ago, complete flush using the radiator line.

[zach7685]

When you say hard to shift out of 4x4 do you mean the lever itself is hard to move? or it just stays in 4x4. Mine usually turns off when I accelerate or at low speeds. I also have to move the steering wheel to straight to get it to disengage some times.

[towncarblue]

the shifter is not hard to move . it just does not want to disengage 4x4 when i put the shifter back to 2H,
i have to drive for a while in 4x4, havent tried the reverse trick though

[Hawairish]

i usually shift into 4x4 with my foot on the brake and the transmission on 'drive' .
im not in 4L . im just shifting from 4x2 [2h] to 4x4[4h] .

Like I said, you need to be in motion. Leave it in drive, foot off the brake. You don't need to give it gas...you can simply let the truck idle forward then shift between 2H and 4H. It is a "shift-on-the-fly" system; you can shift while driving at greater speeds. It's the same concept regardless if you're going into or out of 4wd.

The reason for having it in motion is because the front wheels will turn the front driveshaft and allow the transfer case to disengage. This isn't unique to Pathfinders...nearly all part-time 4wd systems operate this way and have the same in-motion method.

Do you have manual hubs installed?

[towncarblue]

no manual hubs

[Hawairish]

Any luck?

I re-read your original post...when you say "the car stays in 4x4 ... it goes off after while [10-15 min]", does that mean you've been able to shift the lever from 4H to 2H, but the light stays on? My initial impression is you couldn't move the lever back into the 2H position ("i have a hard time getting out of 4x4").

If so, that would open the doors to some other scenarios, but as before, the wheels should be in motion to engage and disengage the system. It is easily possible to have the lever in 2H and still be in 4H...it basically means you were in 4H, came to a stop, shifted to 2H, and parked it.

Also, not sure how I missed it earlier, but you posted pics and some thoughts about your transmission fluid, and that you had it flushed through the radiator line. I assume you mean your transmission cooler...because it would be really bad if you flushed it through the actual radiator.

However...the transfer case has its own fluid compartment. It uses ATF, but a transmission flush does nothing for the transfer case. You should remove the fill plug (never remove the drain plug at the bottom first) and check the fluid. From the FSM:

[towncarblue]

i can move the shifter but the light stays on and it feels like its still in 4x4.
i tried to shift in reverse and it worked , the light came off pretty quickly.
i did the transfer case fluid { put in some mobil 1 synthetic atf .

i flushed the transmission fluid by disconnecting one of the rubber small hoses that go to the radiator.
{ i dont think my car has a separate transmission cooler }

[Hawairish]

Well, unless the switch/sensor is faulty, you're in 4wd if the light is on. Does it seem to consistently work while in reverse?

On the flip side, does the 4wd light come on immediately when you shift into 4H but don't move?

Have you tried jacking a front tire up and spinning it slowly in either direction while shifting between 2H and 4H. You can do this while parked (engine OFF, ignition switch ON). You should hear the transfer case click when it engages and disengages. If the stick is in 2H and the light is still on, you should not be able to rotate the tire...but if you jostle it, it should disengage and the light turns off. The front driveshaft should rotate during all tire rotations except when in 4wd. May want to try this to at least rule out anything with the front drivetrain. Try on both tires, in both directions.

As before, you normally wouldn't shift in/out of 4wd while stationary, but you're replicating the motion by spinning a tire. If the gears are lined up properly, you should have no problem shifting between 2H and 4H.

Although you said you don't have manual hubs, do your hubs say automatic by some odd chance? The OE hub is always locked (it's a splined flange that just bolts on), so I don't think it's the case.