I have been having an issue with my 04 DII not wanting to shift from Hi to Lo since I bought it. After pinging DiscoMike he informed me that it could be a bad shift solenoid and not the lack of use having ceased it up.
The majority of the info I found in threads is for up to MY 03, in which the solenoid is located on top of the transfer box main casing. However, for LRs from MY 03 the solenoid is on the selector lever assembly.
Most DII owners having this issue seem to be going in from inside the vehicle. After taking a look at things from underneath I think I can get at it without tearing up the center console, after all I'm not installing a CDL, even though I did enjoy the Lucky8 Youtube clip on it.
Question, will pulling the shift solenoid suffice to bypass the safety design or should I also pull/replace the Hi/Lo detect switch?
I will try to take some pics and post once complete.

 

you need to drill out all the studs for the cover, once done then you can take out the solenoid,

you can also try spraying the solenoid and activating it to see if its just not sticking out and in when asked to.

 

Hit it really hard with a hammer. Its in a real **** location. Try removing the ebrake drum I think it is easier that way.

 

I think if i just drop the front prop I can get in there to disconnect the selector lever, then tear the solenoid out of there and seal everything back up.

Hilltop, I didn't think hitting the solenoid with a hammer would do anything...

 

Hey far4cges, I know you posted this a while ago but im having the same issue. Did replacing the switch work? How did you go about replacing it?

 

eitydeuce,
I ended up pulling the shifter and popping the rivets like Rovin4life described. It was actually really easy. I didn't replace the solenoid though. Once I got in there I just removed the solenoid and the problem was fixed. However removing it isn't recommended since now there is nothing to stop me from locking the diff at 70 MPH on the highway.