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new to gm, questions and concerns


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Hello everyone!

I recently purchased my first GMC sierra, 4.3l work truck to haul some kayaks and get me through the winter.

 

while driving it home i tested the 4x4 and it all worked, the 4lo was a little clunky to get into but i had no problem engaging it.

after a few miles i started hearing a clacking sound, it sounded a lot like a U-joint so i investigated when i got home and found it to be coming from the transfer case. there was a leak at the rear output shaft seal, so i replaced that and went to drain and put fresh fluid in, but to my horror there was almost nothing in there, and what came out was a black thick sludge, so i put fresh fluid in and drained it again. again what came out was better looking than before but still clearly dirty. so i finally put in another 2 quarts of dex IV that the dealer said i should be using, and have been driving it for a day or two less than 50 miles. when today noticed that the shift lever is stuck and i cant move to any of the 4x4 gears. the linkage is free i played with it and it moves around. the things that has me perplexed is that the 4x4 worked after the fluid change.

i don't know much about transfer cases, and am hoping someone with more knowledge could point me in the right direction on what my issue could be.

 

sorry for the rambling i was trying to get as much information in as possible that i thought could be helpful.

 

 

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Welcome to the forum. A couple of questions:

 

Is this a used truck or new? If new, it is under warranty and the transfer case should be inspected and repaired/replaced as necessary.

 

Is the 4wd shifter electronic or mechanical (does it have a shift dial or a shift lever)?

 

Did you drive it in 4L on dry pavement for any distance? Short runs to test the equipment isn't an issue but prolonged use in the wrong conditions could damage the transfer case.

 

It sounds like you have a used vehicle that wasn't properly serviced. Transfer cases are pretty tough but, like all mechanical things, they can be damaged through misuse.

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Whoops sorry I thought I included year and all that, it's a 2008 I bought it used, and and after seeing this I can only assume the guy who had it before me didn't really kee up with maintenance, the truck has 96k miles, and it has the floor shifter for the 4wd. I never drove it in 4l for more than 50 or so feet and only in a straight line, same with 4h, it did get driven in 2h for a little while before noticing that the fluid was low though.

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for anyone interested, checked the fluid again, and plastic came out of the transfer case, took it to a local 4x4 shop and they told me the shift forks need to be replaced, luckily i found a used one locally with 37k miles on it, and am just having them look it over and putting that in as it will be a lot cheaper than rebuilding the old case.

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