Yeas, so my 4WD shifter is sloppy, to say the least.  Also, in 2WD, the knob is against the dash.  The rod is adjusted as much as I can adjust it and still be able to select all tcase positions.

 

 

As well, sometimes when I'm in 4WD (doesn't matter if it's LO or HI) I cannot get it back to 2WD without yanking/jacking with the shift-lever for a few minutes; quite the PITA..

 

Is there a method or repair for these darned things?

My truck is an 02, so it has a different shifter, but I have the same problem. It is a pain in the A$$ to get in and out of 2H-4H and 4H-2H. Hopefully someone has answers!

Sounds like the linkage needs to be pulled and fit some bushings into them.

the linkage bushings are tight.  My shifter has a ton of lateral play and overall wobbliness.  

Also kind of common with larger tires to put stress on the transfer case making it harder to shift in and out. I find rocking the truck forward and backward helps a bunch.

How would larger tires make the shifter sloppy? Rogan, you need to have someone move the shifter and see where the play is so you can figure out how to tighten it up.

I could maybe see some extra stress on the T case but that could not have much in any effect on the shifter. My truck has 35" tires and has for the last 10 years. Still running all the stock front suspension and steering with absolutely no issues. The only thing that has been replaced was the track bar but that is a common problem for trucks with stock tires too. I just don't buy into all the hype about larger tires causing very many issues. I AM still running the stock rims and that probably helps.

My truck is over 215,000 miles by the way.