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Customer wants electronic shift transfer case in 08 Ford.

DMG

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May 20, 2020
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A cable shifter might work too. Or possibly adding a modified oem 4wd module and switch. It is going into a E350 van but will be super duty 4wd parts. He doesn’t want a big floor shifter in the van.
 
Cable shifter is going to be a lot less fucking around. The stock modules are all going to want a CAN connection to the rest of the truck for shit like VSS and transmission range unless you were to get something like an early 90's Ranger/Explorer control setup but good luck finding one of those that's both complete and functions.

The motor is just a motor, you could control it with a power window switch if you wanted to, the magic in the encoder and module is in the contact plate and the logic that tells it when to stop for the selected range without any other input and prevents money shifting into low range at speed. I'm sure a guy could even wire up a 4wd high and low light from the contact plate to tell you when it was in each range
 
DMG said:
A cable shifter might work too. Or possibly adding a modified oem 4wd module and switch. It is going into a E350 van but will be super duty 4wd parts. He doesn’t want a big floor shifter in the van.
Click to expand...

273 thst mtaches the trans (31 or 34 spl)

Toggle switch
4 leds
 
TrikeKid said:
C, the magic in the encoder and module is in the contact plate and the logic that tells it when to stop for the selected range without any other input and prevents money shifting into low range at speed.
Click to expand...

There is a guy on one of the ranger forums that wired his own switch for the transfer case and he said the same: you have to stop when going into 4wd because every once in a while it goes straight into low range.
 
The only time i ever had an issue with a ford ecm i wound up just puting in a overide switch ( double momentary (on) off (on) )and use the 4x4 lights in the dash.
 
total newb said:
The only time i ever had an issue with a ford ecm i wound up just puting in a overide switch ( double momentary (on) off (on) )and use the 4x4 lights in the dash.
Click to expand...

I did that with my 03 super duty and it worked great. But I can’t do that on a customer vehicle.
 
total newb said:
You can make a nice lil panel with some leds and a arb style switch and wire though.
Click to expand...

I may get a switch and a module and sit down with the schematics from alldata.
 
I did and electric shift conversion on a manual shift t-case in an explorer for a guy once. A simple push/pull liner actuator with a limit switch to turn it off and it worked like a charm. The limit switch would trigger the motor to turn off AND would turn on a 4x4 Light on that dash for the guy. He later learned it wasn't hard to shift and less risk of it breaking so I took it all off and used the actuator to make a light bar move to aim it easier.
 
Following along... may want to do this in a 2wd to 4wd conversion with a 273.
 
Another vote for 271/273 with a cable shifter.

Get a tranny shifter out of a crossover/minivan with a dash mounted shifter (e.g. 2002 Honda CRV) if you need something with gates in order to stupid proof it.
 
Id wager a winters/carr could be made to work. The gate is a modular plate that could easily be replaced or replicated to match the spacing of the tcase
 
I don't know about the 271/273 , but the BW1356 electric shift is standalone. You can get the harness and computer from any wrecked F-150 / Bronco and swap it in, it's what a lot of van people do.
Mine is manual shift, I dislike the electric shift ones, but I also trip over my shifter a lot too, so I understand.
 
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This type of job you lose your ass on. I'm pretty good with electrical and I know better than to take on a job like this.
There's better way's to be less miserable.
 
Gdogg said:
This type of job you lose your ass on. I'm pretty good with electrical and I know better than to take on a job like this.
There's better way's to be less miserable.
Click to expand...
This right here^^

Unless he's got a console or center jump seat, a shifter takes up very little room in a van, it's pretty easy to tuck down low next to the drivers seat, either make a lever, or use a pto cable straight up and down

Looking for pics of the one I built for my 06 express...


Edit: I too considered/ am considering electrical shift, but only because I intended to build multiple vans, making the r&d worthwhile, and to pull from more available t cases, one off? F that
 
Found it, I used the shifter from 90s gm donor truck, and reworked it into a box under the floor, pretty unobtrusive IMO


*disregard the nasty interior, it got a full change out




20200810_100500.jpg
 
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