Transfer case shift lever versus Girlie Knob

[JHenry]

I was extremely disappointed when I bought my '06 Laramie and found the knob on the dash for the transfer case. Some of the other models still have the lever shifter for four wheel drive. Has anyone done a conversion to the lever shifter? I drive on snow and ice most of the winter, and want to be able to shift into four wheel drive when I need to. Fumbling with a little knob on the dashboard just doesn't work when you need to shift. JH

 

[Giachino]

I like the "girly nob"..... first time i've had it out of my 3 dodge trucks..... takes the grinding / lousy engagement out of the system..... but then again, i dont frequently use the 4x4... . just when taking the girly dirtbikes out... . every time i've used it, it engages quickly and correctly and my wife can use it w/o screwing up my truck



Seems like money could be better spent on more important things... . but that's just me...

 

[JHardwick]

I've never been without a 4X4 since I was 16, I'm 40 now. I use my "girlie knob" 6 months out of the year easily with no troubles. Mud in the fall/spring and snow in the winter make the back roads, sloppy barn lots and pastures impossible without 4x4.



I guess you should have bought a more "manly" truck, like a stripped down "ST" with vinyl seats and floor mat, AM radio, no AC and crank style windows, oh and a lever style transfer case :-laf

 

[Ol'TrailDog]

Girlie Knob

:-laf



Me thinks you are just trolling for the girlie men on the TDR :-laf



Actually, I'm an old dog from the same "shift lever" old school. But then again I've had three STs and love them and intensely dislike the "girlie" features on my current Laramie SLT. But I bought it used versus new.



Albeit, my Ford work truck has the girlie knob and I have found myself thinking it actually works okay... . most of the time. Sometimes both F-trucks will get stuck in 4L after a lot of snow plowing or a newbie borrows the truck and leaves it in 4L when they shouldn't. The fix has been to go to the parking lot and back up really fast, stick it in nuetral, wait a bit, and wiggle the girlie knob through the options, and eventually it will come out of 4L.

 

[RTillery]

As a noisy, stinky, smokey diesel drivin' manly man, I kind of like playin' with

"Girlie Knobs". Makes me remember what I was put here for.



I drive all over the Rocky Mountains and I am constantly going from dry road to icy conditions. Doing 80 on 80 across Wyoming and seeing a wind blown icy spot up ahead: roll the Girlie Knob, instant 4X4, 200 yards, dry pavement again, roll the Girlie Knob back to 2x4 and I didn't even put down my RC cola. I love it. 135,000 miles and it hasn't skipped a beat.

 

[d.miner]

I'll join in here... I saw the knob on the dash and thought "O'Crap" they've taken away my manhood.



I've had an 01 when you could pull the lever into 4x4 but you still had to wait for the vacuum to kick in and make the change. My last truck was an 02 and it engaged as soon as you pulled the lever, no vacuum involved... . I really liked that.



I didn't think I would like the electronic knob but so far it's worked fine!

 

[05dirtydodge]

Girlie knob

Just did the girlie knob thing on my fiancee GM trash 02 envoy. Lucky it was not the electronic servo in the trans case, had to buy the trans case module, then take the piece of trash to the dealer to have it flashed. 320. 00 later, have 4wd. Sorry, in my Dodge pull the rod and volia 4wd. And my Dodge is not bare bones it has leather and heated seats. Good luck with the electronics.

 

[JHardwick]

260,000 miles here and no complaints. I guess if you use it enough it works fine. It's those systems that sit idle for long periods that have problems. But, heck, if you had a shifter, you could put a foot on the dash and jerk it in, in some "manly" fashion.



I've never had an electronic or vacuum shifter before, but I like my little servo motor.

 

[JHenry]

I was extremely disappointed when I bought my '06 Laramie and found the knob on the dash for the transfer case. Some of the other models still have the lever shifter for four wheel drive. Has anyone done a conversion to the lever shifter? I drive on snow and ice most of the winter, and want to be able to shift into four wheel drive when I need to. Fumbling with a little knob on the dashboard just doesn't work when you need to shift. JH

Evidently everyone missed the point. :-{} This is not about "manliness" or lack of coordination or anything else. I have never had the knob fail. I leave my truck in 2 wheel drive until I need 4 wheel drive. When I want 4 wheel drive, shifting a lever next to the transmission shift lever just seems more natural to ME. The knob does the job. I just prefer a lever. So, the question is: "Has anyone done a conversion to the shift lever?"

 

[ACoyle]

Haven't done the conversion, but, I have a question. Just where is this Solenoid or Servo, whatever does the job? If it is inside the transfer case, I don't think a conversion would be possible. Just my two cents.



AC

 

[JHardwick]

Evidently everyone missed the point. :-{}

No, we didn't. You used the term "girly knob" to get a rise and you got it. Every 4x4 I've had over the last 25+ years has had a lever. One had 3, one for the transmission and "two" fror the transfer case. Just sit back and enjoy it, 4x4 is 4x4 no matter how you get it there, what matters is how you "wheel" it.

 

[ZHutton]

Run some searches.



From reading I did when I bought my used 03 with the girly knob I am pretty sure you can just buy the lever and crawl under the truck and play around undoing the electric motor and stuff and install the lever.



Reckon you better get the stuff up top opened up for your lever as well.



I don't recall anyone doing it and listing part numbers or anything.



I mostly was worried about the electric motor going dead and me needing to figure out how to shift it to get either 4x4 or 2wd.



What I recall is the electric motor works a shorter version of the normal lever in the more manly trucks and there just are not any big differences between the 2 transfer cases.



But run some searches and read it for yourself.



Personally I like playing with girly knobs over manly levers.

 

[d.miner]

"Personally I like playing with girly knobs over manly levers".

 

[JHenry]

No, we didn't. You used the term "girly knob" to get a rise and you got it. Every 4x4 I've had over the last 25+ years has had a lever. One had 3, one for the transmission and "two" fror the transfer case. Just sit back and enjoy it, 4x4 is 4x4 no matter how you get it there, what matters is how you "wheel" it.

I'm sorry, you got the wrong impression. I did not use the term "girly knob" for the purpose you suggest. That is the farthest down on my list of needs for entertainment. Maybe it sounded feministic. I didn't intend it that way. I consider knobs and dials for shifting gears out of place on a truck in the caliber of our Dodges. Can you imagine a knob on the dash that shifted the truck through all 6 speeds in your transmission? I doubt you or anyone would like that. I just happen to like the lever shifter and wanted to know if anyone had converted their trucks back to the lever. I thought that was what this forum was all about. JH

 

[JHenry]

Haven't done the conversion, but, I have a question. Just where is this Solenoid or Servo, whatever does the job? If it is inside the transfer case, I don't think a conversion would be possible. Just my two cents.



AC

You're probably right, if it is inside the transfer case. I guess it's time to get under and take a look.

 

[camsv3500]

um. . thats my truck. . but I splurged. . it has fm too...



the only thing it didn't have that I really wanted was cruise... thankfully TDR showed me the light... and now I have that too...



I love the ST,,, you can have the laramie... when I look under my dash there isnt a maze of wiring I cant figure out!!!

 

[JHardwick]

Personally I like playing with girly knobs over manly levers.

That's funny right there :-laf

 

[JHardwick]

I just happen to like the lever shifter and wanted to know if anyone had converted their trucks back to the lever. I thought that was what this forum was all about. JH

I personally haven't done the conversion, but I'm relatively positive that it can be done.

 

[JasonCzerak]

The trucks and SUVs that I driven with the "girlie" knob never engaged fast enough for me. Some times you just need 4x4 NOW and if a little grinding it required, so be it.



For example, a full 90 degree turn from snow-ish to dry, you'll bind up the drive train if you don't disengage in time.



I know the new trucks don't use the axle disconnect anymore, so does that speed things up?

 

[CDonaldson]

Hey Jayson.



I would say that from when you trun the knob to 4x until you can feel the 4x working is just a few seconds, it engages pretty fast on the fly. Might be about the same amount of time it would take you to physically do a manual lever maybe.



I have always had manual levers, since the 60's in all my 4x's. In fact, when I was looking to purchase my truck the 'girlie knob' is what almost made me look elsewhere at other mfr'd trucks. My dealerships owner drives the same truck as I bought, so he let me take his truck for a drive off-road to see how it worked. I was happy with the function and bought my truck.



There have been a couple guys, on another site, that have done the conversion to the manual lever. I did not read the 'how to' but it has been done. They may have posted a thread here too. Try doing a search. There are also a couple Dodge techs here that might be able to tell you how it's done.



CD