Ok, so I'm pulling stumps the other day with my 97 1500 4x4, 360 (5.9) Auto king cab and my transmission dropped out. It had been popping (and not the normal 4x4 popping) and one loud crash later it was done. It engages into gear but doesn't give a very powerful bump. It just revs in both drive and reverse, (and in first and second), and it has no park. After getting the wood splitter off the truck and back up the hill... (My achein back....) I crawl under it and have my wife pull into rev, drive, then park. When it is trying to engage into park I get a creaking sound like its trying to engage but can't.

So I head off looking for a "new to me" transmission and I find one in a boneyard near me for $650 no core. Before I drop the trans and spend 650 I decide to call a couple of the local transmission shops to see if I can get some over the phone diags. The first shop I talk to is the best in town and that's not what the radio says, that's what my buddies at the local parts stores say. They see a lot of volume and their lead tech has been rebuilding for around 40 years now. He gets on the phone and after hearing the problems he says....

"Sounds like a transfer case. You were in 4x4 when it went out?" I answer "Yes". He continues... "When you toss this truck in park it locks all 4 wheels. It sounds like the transmission is engaging and your transfer case is jacking the whole mess up. Swap out the transfer and you will be good."

Now I have had the low speed grind out of the TS since I bought the truck 3 years ago so this made sense to me. I just ****** it into 4x4 high and back into 2wd and it goes away for a couple of weeks. I had a tranny guy drive it when I first bought it... (Same guy I just talked to on the phone) and he told me to drive it till it dies then change the transfer.

I call the second best tranny shop in town and after explaining I am told...

"No way its your transfer case. Your park engages from the rear of the transmission. What I need you to do is bring it on down. Ball park on a rebuild is $1200 to $1600 depending on how far I have to go." I say... "Well bud I can R&R the tranny for you. How much will that save me off the build?" His response is..."Well, about $50 bucks..."

REALLY?! I hate transmissions. So I have been reading these forums since I bought my 85 100, which I still have, 6 years ago. I have searched through and can't find anything like this so I finally signed up and posted. Here is my question...

Transmission or transfer case. I can get either used pretty close to me but it won't matter if I buy the wrong one because my wife will literally hang me from the back of her Nissan and drag me down the road a few miles. Money is kinda tight coming up on Xmas.. lol. Thanks in advance guys .

Sorry for the wall of text.

 

I would check the lever for the transfer case. Make sure the transfer case is not in neutral.

 

Yeah, try shifting the t-case into various ranges. See what ya get. Sure sounds like it is either in neutral, or, finally gave up the ghost.

 

Well if it's the trany the xcase is coming out anyway so I would pull the xcase (about 2 hrs work or less) and bench test it.

If you can put the truck in park and the wheels lock up then its acting like the xcase is working, if it was not then the wheels will not lock up. The parking sprag is in the trany not the xcase.

As posted try other xcase ranges see what you get.

 

That does make a lot of sense now that someone else has said it. I didn't even think about it being in neutral. I checked the shift linkage to the tranny but not the TC. Thanks guys. I'm heading out to the shop tomorrow to rebuild the carb on my 100, I will check the TC then and get back. Hoping for the TC. Much... MUCH cheaper. I wonder, if I ****** it down into 4 wheel low what would happen. The reason I'm saying is that its perched up on a hill right now. I don't know how I'm getting it down to a flat spot.

 

Are you anywhere close to me? if its the xcase I will have a spare 231dld this week.

 

A few years ago I lived in MN. lol. But now I'm in sunny NC. How much would you take for it. I wonder if it would be cheaper to ship it than to drive down and ****** one out of the boneyard

 

All I would want for it is $150 but shipping to down there will negate any savings I can offer you. It weighs in at 60lbs, you can use Salmonarm, BC, Canada, to figure out the shipping if you like. It should be out this Wednesday or Thursday, it works fine and not beaten on, rebuilt approx a year ago.

 

OK... So I'm an idiot. I went back up in the woods to the truck this morning, pulled i out of neutral and drove it out of the woods. Wow... Thanks guys. I would have never thought about the truck being in neutral if you had not told me to check the 4x4 shifter.

 

Gotta love the easy fixes eh?