Jump to content

2004 Tahoe 4wd stuck


surfercowboy

Recommended Posts

Posted

My wife drives a 2004 Chevy Tahoe with the autotrac 4wd. There are 4 buttons on the switch; Auto 4wd, 2hi, 4hi, 4lo. When the truck is started, all the lights go on on the switch like normal. Then they all go out. Have tried pulling the 4wd fuse behind the headlight switch and lights don't go on. The truck is currently stuck in 4wd, I know because it is howling when driving and grabs when it turns. Also the fuel milage is worse than usual. I have had encoder motor and actuator problems before. Truck is on its 4th encoder motor and 2nd actuator. Have tried unhooking battery, disconnecting encoder motor and that has not helped.

 

Any insight or ideas will be greatly appreciated. My wife is pissed I told her not to drive it in 4wd on the highway, lol.

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

  • Latest Articles

  • Posts

    • I like the idea.  I would pick diesel if I had a choice. I need pictures though.
    • I've installed cheap eBay new aftermarket digitizers before.  They work.  Did a bunch of Cadillac CUE (aka Cadillac's MyLink) for someone years ago.  They all worked fine after the repair.    That number 22740886, that is a component part # for GM.  You can use it to search, but its not something that's obtainable at the dealer level.     So pretty much any of these will work - 2015 Colorado Digitizer for sale | eBay
    • Black bumper and the later years Z-71 style color matched grille.
    • You can install tailpipes that direct the exhaust sideways vs the OEM one that goes straight back. There are several on the market, do you own research. HOWEVER, you need to make sure the Venturi vents are still intact, otherwise it will throw a engine code. There is a sensor somewhere that detects back pressure on the exhaust. And if it doesn't collect the correct metrics, it will throw the truck into limp mode. 
    • "Teardown" is complete. Head surfaces are clean and ready, new intake is prepped and ready. Coolant drained and water pump is removed, radiator is removed, new hoses and pump are ready.   The replacement intake is also from a '95 (with I think 260k, the odometer said). Noticeably less pitting where it covers the rear coolant passages. I'm not sure if that's a tribute to more frequent use, more frequent coolant changes/upkeep, or if the intake was machined at some point. But it appears I found a good one.   My coolant hoses were original, and the lower hose still retained the factory spring inside. It's not really rusty, but it's got deposits all over it. Unsure if I should re-install it (will thoroughly clean it first). Someone said hose technology has gotten better since 1995 (has it?) and I don't need the spring. I think modern EPDM is what made those hoses last from 1995-2026, so it's a question of how much suction can the water pump really pull, and will it collapse the hose without a spring?   I'm stopped and waiting for parts, however.   When I first brought the truck home, the fan was intermittently hitting the radiator shroud. I could see someone had monkeyed with the shroud (put a bunch of cardboard as a spacer between the upper/lower shroud halves. Someone said the motor mounts have likely failed and the engine has sagged. I wasn't sure I believed that. The engine is really solid in its mounts: To remove the old intake I *just* nearly permanently welded to the heads with freshly cured RTV and gasket snot two weeks ago, I literally had to use the arms on my lift and a chain with a bolt attached to the intake to pull it loose. It almost picked the front of the truck off the ground before ....scuuuuuuuuuuup.... I could actually hear the gaskets tearing and it broke loose and the whole truck settled back down. Motor barely moved.   SO, those parts I'm waiting on... The lower radiator mounts/bushings had completely failed. The radiator needs to be insulated from the rad support, and the bushings help the rad stand at the correct height. The plastic "baffle" was also destroyed at some point. Someone had attached the shroud to it incorrectly, overlapping a joint that should have been underlapped, creating another suspect issue potentially causing things to hit the fan. Broken tabs, side is busted off, and it's perma-formed/bent where it was jimmied incorrectly.   The baffle? Unobtainum. Long since discontinued from GM, of course. Aftermarket/capa/chinese? Also unobtanium. In GM's infinite wisdom, it appears there are at least two different variations whether the Blazer is 2 or 4 door, and I can't yet tell if they shared the same part with the S-pickups. Plan B, if I can't find a viable used one, will be to create a bracket to re-assemble the critical joint I need to seal a gap with the shroud. But that will bug me, it won't be...perfect.   The water pump bolts appear to have been installed with...plumber's putty. I guess, sure, if it works...? I've found a few "backyard fixes" like that. Someone's been here before....   If I can't find someone to jam bamboo under my fingernails to fill my free time this week I think I'll install the driver's power window motor and replace the rear door speaker that's inop. I've got a genuine GM "9.5" ohm working replacement. Why GM used a non-standard resistance....nevermind. Of course they did, you can get more sound from a cheap factory amp that way.   And the saga goes on...
  • GM-Trucks.com Clubs

  • Popular Contributors

×
×
  • Create New...