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novak shift linkage =dissapiontment

coldcdn

NAXJA Forum User
Location
canada
so I decided to do away with the stock and huge pain in the a$$ transfere case shifter. I was actually looking forward to the install all straight forward no hassle and get it done sort of job and from what I heard would end up with a great result. Well that was not the case had to get it shipped to Canada so that sucked the price kinda sucked to exchange and customs ect but whatever as long as it worked, well it didn't. the mounts install great no issue there at all the problem is that the cable will not engage 4low which is kinda of a big deal. its a np242j evenm when adjusted fully towards tcase is still about a 1/2 inch short of cable anyone else run into this? I know I can make it work but for the money I paid really figure I shouldn't have to so yep dissapiontment
 
Thanks for your post. Please understand that we’re here to help and we enjoy our Jeeps as much as anyone else.

That said, also be aware that we need good solid info on your Jeep so we can provide the most accurate info to you without wasting any more of your time or money in getting to the root of your Jeep’s problem.

Also, please be aware that during an open thread/survey here on Cherokee Forum it was found many members, both new and seasoned, will skip over posts that prove difficult to read. Those kinds of posts include run-on sentences and little or no punctuation.

Please keep these things in mind as you post so that you can reap the most benefit from this forum.
 
had the same problem installing the novak cable on my 98 w/ a 242, would not engage low range. i had to cut a little half round notch in the bezel & tunnel so lever could come back a extra 3/4 " to fully engage 4 low, it was a pia install. yet recently removed the 424 & put in a 241 rubicon tc & the shifter worked perfectly lever indexed correctly w/ the new bezel. it must have something to do w/ the fulltime mode position making the whole travel distance longer then w/ a non fulltime case ?
 
I've owned 5 XJ's and never had a issue with the t-case shifter???
 
Really wanted it to be a simple install, but that inst the case not to sure why everything is stock. It's a 242j mated to a aw4 and no modification to mounting points so wtf?. Left a msg will hopefully here from them on Monday
 
Really wanted it to be a simple install, but that inst the case not to sure why everything is stock. It's a 242j mated to a aw4 and no modification to mounting points so wtf?. Left a msg will hopefully here from them on Monday

i called them and spoke w/ a tech when i had the problem, they told me to put tc in 4 low position, put shift lever in 4 low position & hook up cable w/ both adjustment points in the middle of there travel range. when i did that it would not go up into 2 hi . i adjusted it every which way i could, they told me i could return it if i wasnt happy w/ it, not at this point in the pia install . i made it work as i mentioned before.too bad for me the boostwerks unit wasnt being sold yet.
 
Both the Boostwerks and Novak shifters are total overpriced garbage and if they work satisfactory it is merely by chance.


Edit, Novak products in general tend to leave a lot to be desired.
 
Both the Boostwerks and Novak shifters are total overpriced garbage and if they work satisfactory it is merely by chance.


Edit, Novak products in general tend to leave a lot to be desired.

What the hell are you talking about? How is the boostwerks linkage over priced? Its $36. Feel free to develop, market, fabricate, and sell something like that for $36 while still making a profit margin.

I've had both the Boostwerks and Novak linkage and they both work as intended (they shift a transfer case).

I also have multiple Novak products. Each one of them were developed for their specific application and work as intended. While there are some gripes i have regarding some of the novak products (headers could be cleaned up, motor mounts could be developed a bit better) but they're fine.
 
What the hell are you talking about? How is the boostwerks linkage over priced? Its $36. Feel free to develop, market, fabricate, and sell something like that for $36 while still making a profit margin.

I've had both the Boostwerks and Novak linkage and they both work as intended (they shift a transfer case).

I also have multiple Novak products. Each one of them were developed for their specific application and work as intended. While there are some gripes i have regarding some of the novak products (headers could be cleaned up, motor mounts could be developed a bit better) but they're fine.

The Boostwerks linkage for a manual trans was designed wrong, with the wrong throw ratios, and would hit everything in sight and likely never work. Maybe they fixed it, but the mistake was so rooky that it was laughable at best, and clearly demonstrated that they had no actual understanding of what they were doing. Mine uses half the parts, and actually works, and would cost the typical person something in the $13 range (it cost me nothing but time as I sourced the rod ends and hardware from an incident involved aircraft).

No cable shifter setup has ever been fully reliable when exposed to severe usage over a long period of time, including OEM setups, and it is an absolutely unneeded complication when every tcase setup ever built could be shifted reliably with a rod/pivot linkage providing you had half a brain to figure out how.

Novak LS motor mounts use some hack**** carriage bolts and a pancake bushing. The last time I used a carriage bolt was to assemble a deck, and even at that I felt dirty doing it. Read through their tech and the bias that is inherent in it, and you'll see that they have no actual creativity, they simply are long established and therefore have a large (but flawed) product lineup and a 'trusted' name and thus are able to maintain market share. Many of their basic adapters are flawed in that they will not adequately seal, or do not offer clocking when they're a multi-piece design, or have been designed to be much longer than needed.

When I pay good money for something, I expect it to be top notch. Novak is not. Boostwerks is not. Their products will not be seen on any of my builds on that basis.
 
Both the Boostwerks and Novak shifters are total overpriced garbage and if they work satisfactory it is merely by chance.


Edit, Novak products in general tend to leave a lot to be desired.

With over 3,000 kit's out there, I have a lot of happy customers. If you aren't one of them, why haven't I heard from you? Feel free to fill me in on how we can make a better product.

Whether it works or not is not at all "chance". It's simply: (a) how it's setup, and (b) making sure you have the correct parts for the application. Our kit does require a basic understanding of geometry however.
 
I had tried the boostwerks kit after I moved my transfer case up and clocked it for a flat belly. I like it because of it’s simplicity and how well it worked for others. However, it did not work for me due to the new angles I created. Which was not boostwerks fault in any way. I ended up going with Novak and that has worked for me just fine
 
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Call Novak and explain the situation. I have their cable linkage, and when I switched to a 241OR t-case, they quickly sent me the correct link for that case. Later, when I added a doubler, they custom built a longer cable. I had it in two weeks, and it worked perfectly.

When I had an initial problem with the linkage bracket coming loose, a call to them identified the problem in minutes (needed longer bolts as someone had changed things around), and got me on my way.

Pricey? Perhaps. But my experience with their customer service has been excellent.

David Bricker / SYR
 
There's nothing wrong with carriage bolts as long as the correct grade is used.

As far as cable actuated linkages go, they stretch and need to be adjusted periodically. Depending on length and type of cable used adjustment needs will vary. That aside they have their advantages over rod and pivot linkages in various situations. The trick is being smarter than the problem ahead of time.
 
The Boostwerks linkage for a manual trans was designed wrong, with the wrong throw ratios, and would hit everything in sight and likely never work. Maybe they fixed it, but the mistake was so rooky that it was laughable at best, and clearly demonstrated that they had no actual understanding of what they were doing.

If I remember correctly the issue with their linkage was people trying to get the automatic trans set to work on the manual trans. Even after they were told of the issues of using an auto shifter on a manual they still tried.

Boostwerks now has a specific manual trans set.

The only issue I have had with Boostwerks is the painfully slow ship times but since its basically a one man show delays are understandable.

If you decide to market them for $13 let me know I will down for a manual one and an auto one.
 
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