Truck not moving all of a sudden

[Lone Ranger]

So I just finished welding up my drivers floor pan and was going to turn the truck around to do the other side and it won't move. F250 4x4 divorced transfer case manual trans.
All clutch linkage looks good and seems to work. In neutral the shaft going to the transfer case spins freely. In gear it does not. I noticed the speedo cable that goes to the back of the transfer case got melted a bit under the floor pan.( that shouldn't matter right?). I can roll the truck backwards easier than forwards in neutral.(?) transfer case is not in neutral- tried all ranges, also tried granny and second gear. Can't be electrical.
Figured I'd ask quick before I start to tear into the wrong thing. I'll keep tinkering

[Lone Ranger]

Alright after digging a bit more found I can easily shift into all gears when running without pressing clutch and no grinding. so the clutch isn't releasing. I tried tapping the clutch fork with a hammer hoping it would just release but no luck. So what's my next step? Is it the throw out bearing?

[1972hiboy]

Truck still has its drive shafts and axles in it?

[Ranchero50]

? Is it the throw out bearing?

Possible... You should be able to pull the rubber grommet out of the bell housing and look in there with a mirror and see what's going on. You can also remove the linkage to verify it's in the bell housing.

[Lone Ranger]

Yeah still has axles and drive shafts. I drove it in the garage not long ago.
I'll pull that little rubber boot and have a look see. It's already ripped in half. Could getting a bit of grinding dust in there cause it to seize up?
Thanks for the help guys.

[Ranchero50]

Some of the early fox Mustangs had aluminum input shaft housing where the Tb would slide across and they would get gouged and it would be hard to get it to release. Having it not work at all is bizarre.

[Lone Ranger]

What if I squirt some free-all in where the rubber boot is and try taping the fork again with a hammer? Can that hurt it? Seems like it would rather be in the released position.

[tsherry]

I'm wondering if the throwout bearing is connected at all to the fork. Could it be that the clutch fork was moved during the floor install and disconnected somehow?

[71Fe2O3]

The engine starts, no grinding or lurching, and when you put it in gear and let up on the clutch the truck doesn't move, forward or reverse. The shifter linkage and clutch linkage are in place and properly adjusted.

Does it feel different from before when you depress the clutch pedal-more or less resistance?

If the transmission itself is sound and the clutch and shifter linkages are in place and properly adjusted, it seems it has to be between the linkage and the transmission. The fork might have come off the throwout bearing (should feel less resistance when pushing the pedal because you wouldn't be pushing against the pressure plate), the bearing could be bad (but that seems it would cause a grinding sound). Pressure plate seems unlikely to cut loose like that. Perhaps clutch or flywheel-worn or broken clutch plate would cause the symptoms you describe.

What an interesting puzzle. I see a clutch job in your future. Let us know what you find when you dig into it.

[Lone Ranger]

Hey guys I appreciate all of the help and ideas but it ended up being something totally different. I ended up taking a video with my phone under the truck to see what was going on and found out quick it was the transfer case being stuck in neutral. It felt like I could grab all the gears but the shaft to it was spinning in gear. Took me ten minutes to get it unstuck, so relived it wasn't something bigger

[71Fe2O3]

That's good news. It is wonderful indeed when a problem is so easily solved without large outlays of time and money.