I have 1999 Grand Vitara 5 door model with the 2.0L engine and automatic transmission. With 2" suspension lift I have been able to fit 29" BfGoodrich A/T tires. The problem that I have with the transfer case is that I can not switch to 4wd-on-the-fly. The shift control lever will not move,it is just stuck. But when I stop the car then I am able to switch to 4wd without any problem. Could it be that the synchronizer mechanism in the transfer case is failing?
Has anyone experienced this kind of problem before?

does it grind when you push
the lever

OOH OOH
I gotta know cause i'm going to lift my tracker which is exactly the same speic's

when you did the lift, did you extend the transfer case shifter?

I have not tried to push that hard (maybe I should :-/), but I am pretty sure that it will grind if I do that.  Like I said it seems to be stuck, but when I stop it gets loose. About the lift, when I bought the car it had already been modified. It is not a body lift so the transfer case shifter is standard.

I don't have a lift or anything but mine has always been hard to shift into 4x4 while driving.

I think the secret is to just push on the lever and hold it there untill the airpump kicks on and then it just pops in to place easily. Atleast thats what happens with mine.

I have found that shifting the trans into N then shift 4h works well.  If I don't want to stop.
George

I don't know enough about the new
Zuks,  does it have front lockout hubs ?
does it have an air pump ? what is the
pump for ?  

If the driveline isn't rotating, you don't
want the 4WD engaging or it will grind.
This might be a safety lockout until the
front axle/driveshaft gets up to speed
with the rest of the driveline.

I would say read the owners manual if
you have one, it should cover this in the
4WD section.

If you don't have an owners manual, you
might try GM online, they have online Man's
but I think you have to enter VINs for access,
I did with my Cavlier, but it might also let
you get some info without it

Wild

my moms is as easy to shift on the fly as mine is to shift at a dead stop (she has an 01 GV)

so it shouldnt be that hard to push..but i would try to push it harder and see if its grinds..my idea of "easy" may not be to gentle lol

When I had the "Shift-on-the-fly" diff, most time if would go h2 to h4 with little effort.  Somtimes it would feel stuck so i would just put the clutch in than it move up easy.  If you have replaced the front hubs with manual hubs never change to 4 h without them locked in as nothing in the front drive train is moving

I put steady pressure against the lever until the airpump kicks in and the front shaft starts to rotate then plop, in it goes.
I also noticed that if you periodictly drive in 4hi
(you should be doing this anyway!) it will go in real easy when you do need it to go in.

I dont think you should be going from 2wd to 4wd on the fly. The front would have to slam into gear cause none of it should be spinning. However,4wd to 2wd you should be able to do on the fly.

Mike

The Tracker/Vitara is shift on the fly and thats just what I do, shift it on the fly.

You may be right, but knowing the design of how it works it doesnt seem right. Id double check the owners manual to see what their version of shift on the fly means.

Mike

That's right, it is shift-on-the-fly. But you must be traveling in a straight line and not over 80kmph (50 mph).  I have been doing more tests now since it started to snow here, and I found out that it does not grind even though you push it very hard. If you have been driving in 2wd for some time it can be hard to switch it to 4wd the first time, but it works. Here is what the service manual says about possible causes for hard shifting in the transfer case:
1. Weakened front drive shift shaft spring
2. Distorted or mispositioned front drive shift
shaft circlip and washer
3. Worn synchronizer ring
4. Worn chamfered tooth on sleeve or gear
5. Distorted shift shaft

Since I still can shift it to 4wd and there are no abnormal noises from the transfer case, I am not going do anything about it for the moment.

When you attempt to shift on the fly, try letting up on the gas pedal and try to engage the 4wd with pressure but don't force it.  I have an "03 Tracker, auto, w/2.0 engine. I've found that the more often you engage the 4wd the easier it goes in.  I've done at speeds up to 30 mph w/o a problem putting it in or taking it out.
But I did find that it was much easier when you let off the gas pedal and let it coast.