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Replace Transfer Case

22K views 7 replies 6 participants last post by  ICoull 
#1 ·
My 02 Trailblazer LT ran into a 4x4 problem around Christmas, and has been out of commission since. A friend of a friend mechanic put it on a lift, and says that it needs the transfer case replaced :worried:. I tend to believe him, because he says he can't do it. What does it take to replace the TC, how many hours and about what cost should I expect from a local garage, and is it even feasible to attempt this myself? Is there any way to "lock" it into 2hi and forget 4x4 for now? Thanks for your help!

John
 
#3 ·
removal

its easy!!!!!! get you some jack stands, crawl under drain the fluid, pop them drive axles out, get a jack or a buddy to help support while you take the bolts out and slide the trans case backwards off transmission and your done. it took me about 2 hrs. and to install is reverse order. and get you some autotrac 2 qrts, it will take some creativity to get that in the trans case.
 
#8 ·
its easy!!!!!! get you some jack stands, crawl under drain the fluid, pop them drive axles out, get a jack or a buddy to help support while you take the bolts out and slide the trans case backwards off transmission and your done. it took me about 2 hrs. and to install is reverse order. and get you some autotrac 2 qrts, it will take some creativity to get that in the trans case.
It will possibly confuse some to refer to the drive SHAFTS as drive axles in the above quote. It is the driveshafts that you will be removing to remove the transfer case.
 
#5 ·
If you can find a good used one it is not that costly, if you do it yourself. Leave the adapter collar on the transmission though. You will get a small amount of transmission fluid that will come out when you unbolt it. You should replace the gasket between them. Also watch out when you remove the front driveshaft, the bearing cups may fall off the universal joint. To fill the transfercase with fresh fluid, use a suction gun or fill an oil can with a pump handle. It takes awhile with the oil can but it works, as there is not room to use a funnel.
 
#7 · (Edited)
Thanks guys! Roadie, it's making a grinding/whirring as wheel speed picks up. It actually, after a month of no driving, kicked out to where it wasn't making the noise. Then, as my buddy was trying to help me diagnose it even further, put it back into 4wd and it immediately started making the noise again. The front differential has a leak, and was pretty much dry as when I figured out what was going on, so that probably caused the problem. The FOAF didn't give me specifics aside from there's not much to do without replacing the transfer case...

Edit: Let me further explain - Began hearing some noise the day after Christmas, and was thinking it was just ice/snow in the wheel well, as often happens up here in Minnesota...found out differently as we needed 4x4 to get out of a parking lot after sledding, but instead, only had rear wheels engaging, and an awesome grinding/whirring noise from up front. Checked out my front differential, it was dry, and I couldn't get the noise to stop, no matter where my 2wd/A4wd/4wd/lo switch was, but could still hear the actuator working...
 
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