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Four wheel drive actuator may me at fault, try park the truck on a slick surface like wet grass, set it in neutral and activate 4hi and 4lo back to 2wd a few times, if doesn't help try tapping on motor actuator located on transfer case while someone activates selector, park surface must be as level as possible, a good tip is to activate your four wheel drive once every few months to avoid it freezing up.If nothing helps then it needs to be diagnos by a tech. good luck
I'm doing the same thing this weekend to my chevy truck. Mine doesn't go into 4wd so i'm guessing this is the problem. I think mine is plugged into the front differential and it should have a 2 or 3 wire connector going into it so shouldn't be to hard to find. Good luck.
There are actually two actuators, one is located in the transfer case and one on the front differential. the one on the transfer case provides power to both front and rear driveshafts, the front actuator must engage so that the front differential locks and provide traction to the front wheels. This means that even if the transfer case is engaged in 4x4 mode the front wheels will not have traction if the front diff actuator is not working.
Yes!! probably the front diff actuator is sticking , the wire that command the disengagement is not making contact properly, or the actuator itself is bad, also if you replace the tires with a size different from the manufactures that can create an engagement problem.
People with 4wd vehicles do not follow the advice of the owners manual,every 3 months they have to activate the 4wd system or the actuators are going to get stuck when you really need them. solution, you will need an assistant if the car is in the air even better, if you trust you mechanic ask him to do this for you. with a rubber hammer hit(tap) the actuator the one in the front differential and the one in the transfer case 75% of the time this trick work, if you need pictures tomorrow when I am at work I email you a couple.
Fuse is located at the end of eh dash on drivers side and the Actuator is located at the front differential and on the passenger side.
When in 4wd mode, a switch on top of the transfer case conducts 12 volts out to the actuator. Wire #50 (brown) is the 12v feed, and it conducts to the light blue wire (#900) to the actuator. When shifted out of 4wd, the switch opens up and no voltage goes to the actuator.
Check voltage at the connector for the front actuator (at the front differential - it looks like a large bullet that threads into the front diff.) If it has 12 volts, the actuator is the problem. If it does not have 12 volts, check the transfer case switch and the power feed to the transfer case. I'll assume it is the actuator, if the plug to the actuator is getting 12 volts when in 4wd. The way this actuator works, is it is a sealed chamber that gets heated by voltage. When it heats, the pin in the end swells and pushes a shift fork in the front differential. The shift fork engages a spline on the passenger side of the differential, and boom! you have 4WD.
GM offered an upgrade to this actuator that is a motor instead of a heated device. However, it requires a small harness addition, a spacer, and a new actuator. It is about a $150 to $200 option.
Good luck. The actuator is usually the problem 90% of time but recheck all of the wire harness just to maker sure there is no short before replacing any parts. The actuator may not be fully engaged or disengaged and the fork to the spline may be what is causing the grinding.
88-UP C/K ACTUATOR UPGRADE VEHICLE SERVICED: 88-99 CHEVROLET FULL SIZE PURPOSE: IMPROVE AXLE CONNECT ENGAGEMENT TIME AND COMPONENT RELIABILITY.
SYMPTOMS: NO FRONT DRIVE AXLE ENGAGEMENT WHEN SHIFTED INTO 4X4.
Obtain the following GM part numbers: (1) 26060073 Actuator (1) 88959465 Harness/Spacer Kit
Does the 4wd icon on the dash blink when you try? The most common problem I have seen is the 4wd actuator sticking. Its mounted towards the rear of the transfer case on the drivers side(US). It has about a 3inch electrical plug on it. Locate it and with the truck running have someone push the 4wd button while you lightly tap on the actuator motor. They can sometimes stick from lack of use. If it doesn't free up it may need to be replaced which is rather involved. The transfer case would need to be removed and opened up to replace. Good luck.
Its possible the 4wd actuator on the transfer case is sticking from lack of use. Its a black plastic part located on your transfer case on the drivers side rear with a electrical connector attached. Tap on it lightly while someone activates the 4wd button. Have truck running in neutral with foot on brake. (dont get run over). If it goes into 4wd, then just remember to cycle it into 4wd and back again once or twice a month to keep it from sticking. If all this doesn't work a dealer will need to look at it.
i posted the solution. the tech tapped on the actuator located on the differential and it started working again. seems it was hanging up. the tech said that it should eventually replaced as it is liable to do it again.
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