Ok I did search but I did not come up with much. It also does not help that I don't know all the correct names for the parts/assemblies involved, so please bear with me. This is the first 4wd vehicle I have actually messed with.

Ok here is the LONG sorted story. Its long, but something might be of relavance to help sort the issue out. My daughter bought a $600 semi inop 2001 Montero Sport XLS. Story was the tranny was bad, but it would move. It went out and they drove it home anyway... over 100 miles. So it still drove. I was like ok maybe it lost a gear we can have a tranny shop rebuild it for about $1500. We were told it was driven in 4wd often as that was the only way to get in the driveway. Everything else was fine, new AC system, service up to date... So she bought it.

It was towed home. Then towed to the tranny shop. The tow driver put the truck in 4x4 and drove it up on the bed. All seemed to work well with the 4x4 system. So MR Transmission (local chain) diagnosed the tranny. Well the tranny turned out to be unfixable as the owner cooked it by driving it broken for too long of a distance and never doing maitenance on it. The transfer case was out and he said it all looked fine, just VERY muddy. Truck had 223,000 miles. We called the owner she had never ever served the tranny... ugh! So we got a junkyard one and had it serviced and installed and all was well. All seals were replaced with new ones.

So we took the truck home and all seemed just fine except for a serious oil leak and a check engine light. We had to pass emissions so we worked on the codes. EGR and O2s. so we replaced the EGR then it coded again, so we replaced the EGR solenoid. All was fine. Now on to the O2s... rusty, muddy and stuck in place. Box end wrench and a few taps with a hammer got the bad ones out and replaced. Replaced both upstream ones. Check engine light was off. Passed emissions.

Now another check engine light. The downstream ones. As it was unclear which rear one was bad I opted to swap both. As the oil leak was a serious mess and was both valve covers on the rear side, we let a shop handle that mess. Also had them do the timing belt (never done) and the water pump (since it was coming off anyway). He threw in the o2 change for $50. They were going to be a pain without a lift so ok. All this was done, but one of the o2 could not be replaced. None of the parts stores had one that would fit. So he just cleaned the old one. All was well. The oil leak was also coming from some seal below the valve cover on both sides so he fixed that too.

Now we could drive the thing about without leaving oil everywhere or worrying about a timing belt failure since it was possibly 100,000 overdue. Now when driving the truck would randomly have the 4x4 light come on and the truck would slam into 4wd. this happened many times. We called the previous owner. This had never happened to her. I checked the handle to see if it could do this on its own. Nope it was solid. Honestly I did not even know how to shift it into 4x4 mode. the handle seemed too stiff.

We thought good grief did the tranny shop bump something loose or pinch a wire, so we took it back. He said what we described CAN'T happen. He asked if we hit the handle and bumped it into 4wd. I was like no it was in creeping traffic driving straight ahead and no one touched the handle. Its stiff and does not vibrate around on its own either. Almost too stiff. He argued and argued. Said he would investigate. our transfer case must be broken. But he said it was ok before.

So we then researched ourself. Found out about the vacuum controlled 4wd. that dirty or bad solenoids or bad vacuum lines caused this EXACT issue. He said this was not true and that would not cause this, blah blah, blah... He now says the transfer case is all busted. WTF? He can't find a used one for us so come pick up the truck.

We were over it and picked up the truck... I get in, now the whole 4x4 handle was loose and flopping about. WTF? Did they break it? he was closing up and I asked and he said something inside the transfer case is broken he will still look for a used one. I say the handle did not flop before. He says he did not break the handle the broken transfer case is causing the light to come on and the handle to flop. Ok the handle was fine before we dropped it off and the truck was going inot 4x4 on its own, explain that! He says its impossible. I'm like forget it, its clear its a vacuum issue. I'll fix it.

So I take the truck and figure I'll just research somemore. Now we notice one of the seals at the tranny is leaking. We have another shop look at it while they do an oil change. He says its the tranny to transfer case seal. Something they did must have unseated it take it back under warrenty.

So I decide to take it to another Mr. Transmission (warrenty). I explain about the last Mr transmission and give the guy all the research on the solenoids. He says they can see what the issue is if I leave it with him. They take things apart and say the shifter assembly is shot all the nylon bushings are broken and that is why its floppy and going into 4wd by itself. I argue about the vacuum control. I say it did this BEFORE the shifter assembly was broken by the other shop. He said the bushings just failed that do that with age, it might not have been the shops fault.

He says the bushings can't be replaced that you must replace the whole thing. Now he says the assembly is around $465 for the 4x4 shifter assembly, plus $300 and something to diagnose and fix the leak at the back of the tranny. I'm like what??? I paid to have all the seals replaced. He saiy there are 2 seals at the tranny & transfer case union. The transfer case side and the tranny case side. Both use ATF and a leak can befrom either. If its the tranny side he will eat the cost under warrenty, if its the transfer case its on me. That will be around $300 just to see. I say verify the costs and call me back. I want a price on the seal and shifter together & one for them separate.

I get a call the next day. Now it is $850 for everything with the solenoids being replaced. Parts & labor. I'm like ok I guess you read the research... he was like I had my tech look at it. It could be related, so we will do all of it for you. I'm like wow at christmas I'm gonna have to sit on this. What is the cost if you don't do the solenoids? He says... the same cause that way I won't discount the work. I smell something fishy here...

What do you guys think about this.

I can't believe the part costs that much for the shifter assembly for the 4wd. Does it? How hard it it to do myself as I'm sure the labor is over inflated.

Could this part really just fall apart all of a sudden or did it have some help and they are trying to cover?

By chance is there a vacuum that could be loose by the transfer case and they want to fool me and say they swapped the solenoids?

What about the seal on the transfer case is this true? How bad is that to do yourself?

thank you in advance!

 

So no thoughts????

For an update and bump... the Mr. Transmission I originally when to... when the shop seemed to close for the holidays, it seemed normal, but then it never reopened. Now there is a property for lease or sale out front... MMMHHHHMMMM....