What am I in for?

zim64half · August 25, 2002

Hello all.

This is my first post to this forum - so I hope I'm asking

this in the right place.

I have a 1996 K1500 Silverado. 99k miles.

This weekend after I started to accelerate from a red light,

the truck made this horrible grinding noise right under my seat.

I was in 2HI when it started.

I let off the gas and the noise stopped. then got back into it

and the noise came back. One more time off and on the gas

and I was going about 40 MPH - the noise did not come back.

The entire trip home, the noise would be there at low speeds

only, and only under an acceleration load. If I tap the gas a

few times, it goes away.

When I switch to 4HI - the noise goes away completely, but

every once in a while I will hear a loud clunk under the truck,

usually on acceleration from a stop. I don't really think it is

engaging the front wheels anymore though (4Hi is blinking on

the dash, and it was not hard to turn at slow speeds)

My thoughts are that whatever controls the transfer from 2 to

4 wheel drive is malfunctioning badly.

What I want to know is - is this a common problem, and how

much is it likely to cost me to get fixed?

Thanks!

-Zim

mcali17 · August 28, 2002

I had a similar problem with a 1985 Chevy S-10 Blazer. The problem was a faulty four wheel drive vaccum switch. I think the truck was slipping out of 2 wheel drive and partly into 4 wheel drive, thus the grinding. Even though you have a button, I had the pull lever, I am pretty sure your truck still uses vaccum to engage the hubs. You should have this looked at immeditely. The part for my truck was relatively cheap. It is all the damage you may be doing to the transfer case, transmission and hubs that will get expensive.

95 Silverado · September 3, 2002

You'll probably find the problem is in the transfer case. they are prone to problems with the shifting forks when they get some miles on them. Is yours the manual shift transfer or the push button type?

badhammer · September 10, 2002

after working on these beasts all these years the noise you speak of is a broken snap ring on the gear inside the transfer case pull the case split the cases and it is right there on the shaft. when the snap ring breaks it lets the gears fall into each other and makes one #### of a noise .