Manual Transfer Case

[Kodiak450]

I have no 4wd working currently except the indicator on the dash board. Need a new transfer case which is currently being ordered and should be in next week.

 

My question is for the GM techs and the mechanics who work on GM trucks. What would go wrong inside the transfer case to fail? Chain breaking? The teeth on the lever that engages the 4wd? This past sat we had a foot of snow, my plow wasn't on during the start of the storm as I wasn't sure if I would be plowing due to the ground being warm, but it accumulated and I needed to plow. I first had to run out and get gas for the generator as we lost power for 6 days along with cable. Finally it came back on today. I noticed while I was trying to shift into 4wd, it was being stubborn at first, as I have a hill on my driveway and need 4wd to get up it when snow is on it. As I was driving, I noticed little slippage, my bed was empty so there was no weight back there. I didn't think much of it as it felt not out of the ordinary for the amount of snow on the ground. But when I came to a stop on a hill because of a jeep in the middle of the road which was parked, and three cars in the ditches on each side, I put my truck in reverse and thats when I felt my truck having a hard time getting traction. I actually got stuck on the hill while the rear wheels were spinning out aggressively in the snow.

 

Finally was able to bring my truck in to the automotive repair facility and they put it on a lift, and used the hydraluic jack lifts to lift the wheels off the lift itself. There was a guy in my truck who was shifting it to 4wd while the other guy was under inspecting the transfer case. A loud clicking noise could be heard as he shifted it into 4wd, but front tire would not spin. They don't fix transfer cases per say, they just order new ones. My warranty covers the transfer case, a $1750.00 part, so I am not concerned at all about the bill as I will be paying a small deductable plus the sales tax. I am happy about getting a new transfer case cause my warranty has long paid for itself and every repair in the last year has been profit for me. I paid $3k for the extended warranty, and the warranty company has shelled out alot of bucks on my repairs, well past $6k easily.

 

I am just curious as to waht could have went wrong. I always take manual transfer cases over push button as they are stronger for plowing and hold up bettter. I've had the oil changed on it, but not sure about a filter change if they do have filters inside them? I got 78,000 miles on my truck and never used 4wd to play in the mud or for that matter use it for off roading. would condensation be able to penetrate the transfer case and cause a problem?

[govtech]

electric shift is not any stronger than a manual shift....come on,,

 

t cases are fixed and i have done a thousand of them,there is no way to know untill its out and apart on a bench,,,they are easy to fix,,

 

your t case coming is not new ,its rebuilt and painted ,GMs is way more expensive than that and is new

 

happy snow season ,

[Kodiak450]

Yes it's a remanufactured one, they don't sell them new.

 

Went out to get food before and shifted it into 4wd, I heard a ticking sound going on while it was in 4. Sounded like a worn down gear slipping on a chain.

 

What I meant by stronger, is the push button is not strong for constant use like a manual lever. The decoder box in a push button and/or switch in the dash can wear out. All the guys I know and met over the years all prefer and have manual's.

 

Getting back to the transfer case, you said you worked on them? what would be IYO a common problem to occur?

[Kodiak450]

My transfer case came in this morning and should be installed by tomorrow evening. Wasn't really clear on the warranty from GM, it listed 100,000 miles or 5 years on engines. Under tansmissions I read two different types of warranties. One for 36,000 miles or 3 years, and another for 12,000 miles or one year, what ever comes first at of them all. I'm thinking it will be the 12k one year warranty on the transfer case.

[8.1HD/ALLISON]

They had problems with the pump retainer clip breaking and wearing a very small hole in the rear housing, causing a fluid leak and failure. Not sure on the year ranges though. I think yours may be around the timeframe.

[Kodiak450]

No I had no leaks at all, but I did hear a noise coming from the transfer case last week when I shifted it when I was going to pick up some dinner. It was making a noise similar to what a worn sproket would make and a chain slipping. Not sure if thats the direct cause, I think the lever where it meets the inside either broke off or the chain might of boke. Unfortunately I wont know, cause they are sending my core unit to GM for remanufacture. I asked the shop to see if they can find out what went wrong as I never had a transfer case fail on me. It's not like I have a ton of miles ont he truck either, I currently have 78,*** only and maybe like 10-20k on the transfer??

 

It was always maintained and fluid changed. All I remember was I was going out to get gas for the generator cause we lost power after 4" of snow and the driveway had snow on it and my driveway has a incline and need 4wd if there is no weight in the bed to get up without spinning the wheels on the gravel. It did not want to go into 4wd and was a PITA for some reason to shift it in. Finally it went in and I thought I was in 4wd until I noticed that the steering was too easy around turns and my rear was slipping some on the snow covered road.

[newdude]

My transfer case came in this morning and should be installed by tomorrow evening. Wasn't really clear on the warranty from GM, it listed 100,000 miles or 5 years on engines. Under tansmissions I read two different types of warranties. One for 36,000 miles or 3 years, and another for 12,000 miles or one year, what ever comes first at of them all. I'm thinking it will be the 12k one year warranty on the transfer case.

 

 

Are you getting a GM transfer case (as in from a GM dealer and its one of those certified rebuilds/serta)? If so, automatic transmissions and transfer cases are covered under a 3 year/100,000 mile warranty. Check the link below.

 

http://www.mycertifiedservice.com/PartsAccessories/Transmissions.jsp

[Kodiak450]

Yes, it was shipped from mycertifiedservice.com.

Oh thats good to know with the warranty.

 

Thanks for the info.

[gmtech4]

your warranty is 1 yr xxxx miles its NOT a GM t case ,

 

its not a retaining clip for the pump that fails ,its the pump wear tab that breaks and the pump,"rubs" a tiny hole ..

 

the chain and sprockets go for a crap and when they jumpit feels like the truck is comin apart lol,

 

 

when they get hot the plastic fork guides melt and alignment concerns of the collars prevent decent shifting..

 

i think the electric shift t case still has a detent ball for the shift plate as does the manual t case so strenght wise that way is the same,

 

manual is much better imo as there is 1 less module you have to mess with lol

[sonjaab]

You don't happen to that the "auto 4wd-auto trac " unit do ya?

Those units have a clutch pack that wears out esp. if you snowplow in the auto mode.

On edit: But I guess you have a HD........so no as only 01-04 LDs had the auto-trac option,

Ask me how I know.....................

 

The deal with the pump "clip" wearing thru the case and losing all the fluid is called

"pump rub". Do a search on that one.

Possibly you case went dry thats why you heard a noise.

The leak is hard to spot.

 

Anyhoo even a manual shift trans. case the shifter only engages the case. The front

wheels are still engaged electrically.

 

All 07 and up GM trucks the trans. case is covered by the 5/100 warranty !

 

BTW: GM prob. sends the old/warranty cases out to a authorized rebuilder for

repair because its cheaper than giving you a new one!

They do the same deal with the chromie/alloy rims...........

My PYO 16 inch rims were messed up and GM replaced them with a "remanufactured"

set under warranty.