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2002 Chevy 1500HD 4-Wheel Drive

ChasK

ChasK

Member
The back story: I needed 4-wheel to back up a grassy hill. Not overly steep, about a foot drop in 12 foot. Put in park, and it sat for 3 days. Went to use it yesterday, and it would not go out of 4-Hi. Lights would flash, some click noises and it would go to 4-Auto. Dash light would flash "Service 4-Wheel Drive". Can this be something simple, or am I taking it to the shop?

I regularly use the 4-wheel, at least monthly. Truck has 260K.

Any suggestions?
 
Check the fuses first, just in case. But the t-case motor is a likely culprit as well.
 
It is the switch more than likely. It takes about 5 minutes to change it out. Go to YouTube and type in Change 4wd switch in 2002 Chevy Silverado and you will see how simple it is to do.
 
On our '02 Trailblazer i found the ATC fuse, and would pull it for 30 seconds, reinstall. Worked for a year or so, then it totally quit. Was told that would reset the transaxle-but ours must have had more problems too.
 
Since you have the "service 4wd" message I would get it checked for codes before making a guess. The transfer case shift control module (ATC) is what sends that error message after it has found a fault. Checking codes is not as easy as it is for engine codes though, you will need a scanner that can read chassis codes particularly the ATC module.
 
(quoted from post at 01:18:49 09/19/18) Since you have the "service 4wd" message I would get it checked for codes before making a guess. The transfer case shift control module (ATC) is what sends that error message after it has found a fault. Checking codes is not as easy as it is for engine codes though, you will need a scanner that can read chassis codes particularly the ATC module.
Click to expand...

Gotta love the electric system, way better than that big ugly metal thing with a knob on the end sticking up through the floor.
 
Yup, only took 16 years and countless thousands of cycles to fail... If it were a NEW truck and it happened ALL THE TIME, I would be right there with you but by and large these systems are reliable.

I have lost count of how many trucks I've encountered where the transfer case shift lever was broken and just flopped around. So they aren't all that and a bag of potato chips either.
 
(quoted from post at 09:49:48 09/19/18) Yup, only took 16 years and countless thousands of cycles to fail... If it were a NEW truck and it happened ALL THE TIME, I would be right there with you but by and large these systems are reliable.

I have lost count of how many trucks I've encountered where the transfer case shift lever was broken and just flopped around. So they aren't all that and a bag of potato chips either.
Click to expand...

Yup, with a manual lever I can visually see where the failure is without having to have a scan tool to interact with the ECM, PCM or whatever CM is involved or do a bunch of shooting in the dark testing to find the problem.

The electric stuff is great when it works. When it doesn't, well.......
 
I don't think I've ever seen a broken transfer case lever, but I have had to service the buttons on my push button 4x4.
This is one of those "convenience" items that's great until it breaks. Is it really so difficult to reach down and physically move the lever? I mean, the end result is the same but there's far less to go wrong with a manual system. And the auto 4x4 thing.....don't even get me started!
Not to get too far off track, I have had to take the switch unit apart and re-solder the individual switches to the circuit board. They had just come loose over the years. I'm sure many shops would just change out the entire unit but it's worth having a look if you have soldering tools. But as already noted, getting it scanned might be the way to go. Although I'm not sure if scanning it would tell you if the switches were bad :?
 
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