iregret

iTrader: (4)

Hey fellas. I just finished my 4L80E and NVG149 swap into my truck. I'm planning on just locking the front end into 4hi. Well, I neglected to do so before I swapped transmissions and transfercases.

No I've got a "Service 4WD" error in the dash.

Can I lock in the front end by applying 12 volts to the solenoid? I'm not sure how to get it locked in now.

How do I make the "Service 4WD" go away?


Thanks!

nonnieselman

iTrader: (10)

Im not sure on the service 4wd. could be the xcase encoder?

But maybe look into the Warn 4x4 cable deal?
i cant rem what its called, but my cousin kept burning thru the thermoacuators in the front end. so he went with the warn manual lock for the front diff. it was more reliable.

i cant find it now tho

iregret

iTrader: (4)

Hmm. I just need to lock the front end and leave it that way. I'm just not sure how to lock it now that my transfercase has been removed.

iregret

iTrader: (4)

Well I've been doing some searches. From what I've read, it's probably not the wiring at the transfercase. It seems that the 4x4 buttons actually fail quite frequently. It may just be a coincidence that this happened.

I'm not 100%, but I don't think there were any lights on any of the buttons. That indicates a failure.

I'll take the buttons apart or at least wiggle some wires. I just need to engage 4 high so the front end is locked. After that I'll be taking the buttons out anyway.

james8997

You need to make sure that front end is locked before you drive it! You'll toast the tcase. Posi lock is what you need.

iregret

iTrader: (4)

I don't know what you mean by posi lock but I know the front axle needs to be locked in before I drive it. That's why I started this thread.

Any idea how to lock it?

Hopefully I can mess around with it tonight.

Onetogofast

iTrader: (9)

Why does the front end have to be locked to drive it? Isn't the transfer case a clutch driven aka limit slip style anyways?

1FSTGMC

iTrader: (1)

This sounds interesting in general, what are you building that you are going to keep it in 4 hi all the time? A wicked awd drag truck?

iregret

iTrader: (4)

Yes it's clutch driven, but not in the conventional sense. It has a viscous coupler that transfers power roughly 60/40 from the rear to front. If the front and isn't locked the viscous coupler will see that as a traction loss and try to transfer 100% of the power forward. When the transfer case does this it's called hump mode. It'll burn up the viscous coupler.

It won't really be in 4 hi, per se. It's a single speed transfer case so there's no high/low range. I'm not really building the truck for any particular purpose. I'm just building what I think would be cool. I think a rcsb AWD turbo truck sounds fun. I was originally going to just leave it four-wheel-drive. But then decided to convert to all-wheel-drive so that it would be safer for my wife to drive.

I'd like it to be reliable enough to be a daily driver. But I don't want to have to rely on it. I've got a daily driver beat up neon.

iregret

iTrader: (4)

Okay well I sold the problem with the front and not engaging. I just removed this part from my old transfer case.



Then I plugged it into my factory harness.

The next problem was the actual switch itself. I took it apart and I noticed that the solder had cracked where the plug meets the circuit board. So I resoldered it.

Then I turned the truck on and engaged 4 hi. I could hear it try to engage the transfer case. It also locked the front axle.

Next I unplugged everything. The plug on the front axle, the two plugs on the transfer case solenoid, and the actual plug-in the dash.

So the front end is engaged but I still have a service 4wd warning in my message center. I don't have any more time to mess with it tonight. I may have to jump some wires from plug the plug on the solenoid to get that light to shut off.