4.10 Gear Swap

ernster500 · March 28, 2011

Can someone give me (all) the part numbers I would need for GM parts to re-gear a 2010 Silverado 2500HD 4x4 from 3.73 to 4.10s?

Thanks, in advance!

E

gmtech4 · March 29, 2011

im sorry ernie ,you have been miss imformed ,

this is "ask a gm tech" forum and not "ask a gm parts guy" forum

j/k

call a dealer ,we dont do part numbers bud

ernster500 · March 29, 2011

OK, then... what am I looking at for labor on getting this done?

Stevens03 · March 29, 2011

Depending on area, $1500-1800 for a 4x4 Remember, front and rear need done. Thats parts and labor.

2wd is between $500-600

ernster500 · March 29, 2011

Thanks!

gmtech · March 29, 2011

IMO you would be much better off going to a REPUTABLE 4x4 shop or somewhere similar. GM diff. parts are stupid expensive, for example a ring and pinion set alone is usually $800ish then seals, shims and multiply everything times two and your easily at $3000 or more. and us dealership guys usually wont use aftermarket stuff, not that there is anything wrong with it, but it just comes to finger pointing if there is ever a failure or problem. The cost to go from 3.73 to 4.10 isnt worth it IMO.

ernster500 · March 29, 2011

IMO you would be much better off going to a REPUTABLE 4x4 shop or somewhere similar. GM diff. parts are stupid expensive, for example a ring and pinion set alone is usually $800ish then seals, shims and multiply everything times two and your easily at $3000 or more. and us dealership guys usually wont use aftermarket stuff, not that there is anything wrong with it, but it just comes to finger pointing if there is ever a failure or problem. The cost to go from 3.73 to 4.10 isnt worth it IMO.

I would normally agree. My dilema is that according to my owners manual, my same truck with 4.10 can tow 2500lbs more than it can with the 3.73s. Since I just bought the truck last year, I am way upside-down to try to trade for a diesel. I did get a good deal on this but had negative equity on my trade which brought it back up (impuse, impulse). My truck only has 4000 miles on it and I figured if I did a gear swap and were to go with GM parts and labor, it would save my warranty. I am thinking that by maybe ordering my parts through gmpartsdirect, I might be able to save some money there, where as I know I'll pay through the nose in labor.

My goal is to be able to get the biggest RV trailer I can get while staying within my prescribed limits. That 2500lbs makes a big difference on trailer size and load.

Any thoughts from the pro's? (short of, "you should have gotten a DM")...

ernster500 · March 29, 2011

Depending on area, $1500-1800 for a 4x4 Remember, front and rear need done. Thats parts and labor.

2wd is between $500-600

Wow! More than twice as much between the two? I figured a 4x4 would be more than a 2wd, but, more than twice as much? Mind explaining why? More curiosity than anything and keep in mind that although I can turn a wrench, I'm not a mechanic by any stretch of the imagination.

Stevens03 · March 29, 2011

There's alot more labor in dealing with the front diff. The rear is easy access and you don't need to remove stuff from the truck just to get at it.

Doug_Scott · March 30, 2011

IMO you would be much better off going to a REPUTABLE 4x4 shop or somewhere similar. GM diff. parts are stupid expensive, for example a ring and pinion set alone is usually $800ish then seals, shims and multiply everything times two and your easily at $3000 or more. and us dealership guys usually wont use aftermarket stuff, not that there is anything wrong with it, but it just comes to finger pointing if there is ever a failure or problem. The cost to go from 3.73 to 4.10 isnt worth it IMO.

I would normally agree. My dilema is that according to my owners manual, my same truck with 4.10 can tow 2500lbs more than it can with the 3.73s. Since I just bought the truck last year, I am way upside-down to try to trade for a diesel. I did get a good deal on this but had negative equity on my trade which brought it back up (impuse, impulse). My truck only has 4000 miles on it and I figured if I did a gear swap and were to go with GM parts and labor, it would save my warranty. I am thinking that by maybe ordering my parts through gmpartsdirect, I might be able to save some money there, where as I know I'll pay through the nose in labor.

My goal is to be able to get the biggest RV trailer I can get while staying within my prescribed limits. That 2500lbs makes a big difference on trailer size and load.

Any thoughts from the pro's? (short of, "you should have gotten a DM")...

Ask your dealer first if they can modify the ECM to account for the gear change. They will say they can, but, when they try, GM will not give them the modified code for the ECM because GM does not allow you to change gear ratios. They will say it is not supported. I think when you get 4.10 from the factory there are more differences in the drive train beyond just the ring and pinion.

I changed my gears, and GM Tech Line refused to support the change and supply the dealer with the updated "code" for the ECM. I had to go with an aftermarket tune (BlackBear) to get it fixed. I have no idea what it has done for the warranty on the trans or engine though.

Stevens03 · March 30, 2011

Ask your dealer first if they can modify the ECM to account for the gear change. They will say they can, but, when they try, GM will not give them the modified code for the ECM because GM does not allow you to change gear ratios. They will say it is not supported. I think when you get 4.10 from the factory there are more differences in the drive train beyond just the ring and pinion.
I changed my gears, and GM Tech Line refused to support the change and supply the dealer with the updated "code" for the ECM. I had to go with an aftermarket tune (BlackBear) to get it fixed. I have no idea what it has done for the warranty on the trans or engine though.

Thats just stupid. I could see if you did something like 4.56's or 4.88's but not a gear that is optioned by GM.

markw8 · March 30, 2011

IMO you would be much better off going to a REPUTABLE 4x4 shop or somewhere similar. GM diff. parts are stupid expensive, for example a ring and pinion set alone is usually $800ish then seals, shims and multiply everything times two and your easily at $3000 or more. and us dealership guys usually wont use aftermarket stuff, not that there is anything wrong with it, but it just comes to finger pointing if there is ever a failure or problem. The cost to go from 3.73 to 4.10 isnt worth it IMO.

I would normally agree. My dilema is that according to my owners manual, my same truck with 4.10 can tow 2500lbs more than it can with the 3.73s. Since I just bought the truck last year, I am way upside-down to try to trade for a diesel. I did get a good deal on this but had negative equity on my trade which brought it back up (impuse, impulse). My truck only has 4000 miles on it and I figured if I did a gear swap and were to go with GM parts and labor, it would save my warranty. I am thinking that by maybe ordering my parts through gmpartsdirect, I might be able to save some money there, where as I know I'll pay through the nose in labor.

My goal is to be able to get the biggest RV trailer I can get while staying within my prescribed limits. That 2500lbs makes a big difference on trailer size and load.

Any thoughts from the pro's? (short of, "you should have gotten a DM")...

Ask your dealer first if they can modify the ECM to account for the gear change. They will say they can, but, when they try, GM will not give them the modified code for the ECM because GM does not allow you to change gear ratios. They will say it is not supported. I think when you get 4.10 from the factory there are more differences in the drive train beyond just the ring and pinion.

I changed my gears, and GM Tech Line refused to support the change and supply the dealer with the updated "code" for the ECM. I had to go with an aftermarket tune (BlackBear) to get it fixed. I have no idea what it has done for the warranty on the trans or engine though.

What ratio did you go with? They have no reason to support what they don't offer.

Mark

Doug_Scott · March 30, 2011

What ratio did you go with? They have no reason to support what they don't offer.

Mark

I went with 4.10. GM tech line says they will not support any gear swap. When the factory installs 4.10 gears, they apparently make other changes to the vehicle (compared to the same vehicle with 3.23 gears). The service manager, dealership owner, and even the area manager for GM had never heard of that before. They used to swap gears with no issues, but not anymore. We even tried getting a change for 3.73 gears, and they refused that as well.

All is fine though, BlackBear did the fix for me.

ernster500 · March 30, 2011

I went with 4.10. GM tech line says they will not support any gear swap. When the factory installs 4.10 gears, they apparently make other changes to the vehicle (compared to the same vehicle with 3.23 gears). The service manager, dealership owner, and even the area manager for GM had never heard of that before. They used to swap gears with no issues, but not anymore. We even tried getting a change for 3.73 gears, and they refused that as well.
All is fine though, BlackBear did the fix for me.

But, that being said, looks like I have no alternative but to give up on trying to keep the warranty if I decide to do a gear swap then. I suppose I would end up with a less expensive swap and a more efficient engine as a consolation. Things to ponder...

Thanks for all the input, guys!

E

markw8 · March 31, 2011

I went with 4.10. GM tech line says they will not support any gear swap. When the factory installs 4.10 gears, they apparently make other changes to the vehicle (compared to the same vehicle with 3.23 gears). The service manager, dealership owner, and even the area manager for GM had never heard of that before. They used to swap gears with no issues, but not anymore. We even tried getting a change for 3.73 gears, and they refused that as well.
All is fine though, BlackBear did the fix for me.

But, that being said, looks like I have no alternative but to give up on trying to keep the warranty if I decide to do a gear swap then. I suppose I would end up with a less expensive swap and a more efficient engine as a consolation. Things to ponder...

Thanks for all the input, guys!

E

If you haven't discussed this with a your dealer, I think you should. It might very well be possible if they do it. You need a second opinion on this from the horses mouth. Also GMs gear sets, while expensive, are high quality. It would also carry a minumum 1 yr. warrenty, and not effect the rest in any way. Cheaper ins't always the best.

Mark