dgilfillen

Phil, No problem. I assume it is the actuator, if the plug to the actuator is getting 12 volts when in 4wd. The way this actuator works, is it is a sealed chamber that gets heated by voltage. When it heats, the pin in the end swells and pushes a shift fork in the front differential. The shift fork engages a spline on the passenger side of the differential, and boom! you have 4WD. GM offerred an upgrade to this actuator that is a motor instead of a heated device. However, it requires a small harness addition, a spacer, and a new actuator. It is about a $150 to $200 option. If I were you, I would buy a new heated actuator. They are available at most auto parts stores, and are about $90. They are also on eBay for about $55 plus shipping. http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ACTUATOR-4X...sspagenameZWD1V These are very easy to change - just thread out the old one, and thread in a new one. Let us know how it goes. Dan

On the fullsize, the front actuator is electric, not vacuum.. When in 4wd mode, a switch on top of the transfer case conducts 12 volts out to the actuator. Wire #50 (brown) is the 12v feed, and it conducts to the light blue wire (#900) to the actuator. When shifted out of 4wd, the switch opens up and no voltage goes to the actuator. I would check voltage at the connector for the front actuator (at the front differential - it looks like a large bullet that threads into the front diff.) If it has 12 volts, the actuator is the problem. If it does not have 12 volts, check the transfer case switch and the power feed to the transfer case. Let us know what you find. dgilfillen