99 Tahoe 4x4 Problems

[99hoeon33s]

Well it all start when i bought this 99 tahoe about 4 months ago for a little of nothing then after i got it home i crawled under it and noticed the cv shafts were removed and the front driveshaft then I spoke with the previous owner he said that the steering felt as if it was binding so he removed the cv shafts and it was fine but my main problem is sometimes when i start my truck all the lights on the 4x4 button come on and just stay on all of them and my truck tends to hesitate and not shift properly until they go off I have experience with car and trucks just lacking on this auto 4 wheel drive stuff i have also pulled my codes on the transfer case which i had quite a few but i dont remember them at the moment i will see if i can find them here in a min if you have any input at all please let me know thanks ahead of time

John

 

[99hoeon33s]

Help?

 

[lesterl]

IDK on that, might be a bad servo to drop the front end in?

 

[Jounier11]

I'd go to a 4x4 shop let them test drive and see what they say!

 

[2000CCSB]

I would start by pulling that 4x4 switch and start the truck and see if its hard to shift.
If it is still hard see if you can buy a new switch from the parts house and try it out if that doesn't change anything then take the switch back "I'm cheap like that" then start looking into what is the matter with the electronics in/on the T-case. Sounds fishy But from what you have told us up top that is where I would start

CrewCab Steve.

 

[99hoeon33s]

Thanks alot i will start looking into it more because it only acts up once in a while but when all buttons are lit it acts like its nt getting any gas and takes off from second gear an does anyone know why the front end would bind up and cause some1 to remove the cv shafts

 

[2000CCSB]

Well although uncommon the P/O could have blown the rear diff and replaced it with a diff that has a different gear ratio like a 3.42:1 or 308:1 and that would confuse the auto t-case when rolling it might think the wheels are slipping so it trys to engage 4x4. Not sure about this but is possible. The different ratios would most deffently make it bind. Infact it may not even move with out breaking something.

 

[99hoeon33s]

Yea it doesnt have the front cv shafts or a front driveshaft in yet but i did replace the rear end a little after i gt it but i replaced it with the same 3.73 gears

 

[lesterl]

If you are getting a 2nd gear feel on takeoff, I would suspect you are loosing power to the transmission as it will limp in 2nd gear or 3rd (I forget) if it doesnt have power..... Might be something to check out..... Could be a bad igniton switch, IIRC I had to replace one on my 1998 Jimmy for very similar issue......

 

[2000CCSB]

silly electronic trucks always something funny. The ignition switch is bad so it wont shift right. lol that doesn't make sence does it?

 

[99hoeon33s]

But it only happens when all 4 4x4 lights come on and stay on once they cut off it starts shifting perfect again

 

[2000CCSB]

dude pull that switch and see if it stops doing it or does it more often. can someone chime in on if you can drive the truck with out the auto4x4 switch plugged in. IDK for sure but that is where I would Start is the switch. And as far as you changing the diff did you look to see if the one you took out was the original?? because if it wasn't then that might have been the bind they were having and now once you figure out this auto 4x4 problem should check for a bind your self. hope I'm helping here.

 

[99hoeon33s]

Umm the diff looked original and next time it starts actting up ill try unplugging the switch

 

[lesterl]

If the Ign switch starts to fail, hard to tell how the switch for the 4x4 will react since it may not have a sense for what is going on with the trans..... On the Jimmy I gots cheap, pulled the switch apart and used a point file to file down the contacts, and bent all the contacts so they made better, ran great when done, that one was also notoroious for carbon buildup in the Throttle body unit and when you went to accelerate the throttle would snap open fast.... doesnt take long to figure out need to clean that out either.....

 

[Jounier11]

Yee you can drive without the switch but dash will say in red really annoying red "Service 4WD" what i would also do is replace that actuator as for the switch you can get a new one from genuine GM for about 56(not including handling) and free shipping genuine GM has the lowest price for that switch i looked on ebay and nothing autozone has it for 100$ so i'd go on here: http://www.gmpartsgiant.com/parts/gm-switch-19168765.html GoodLuck

 

[jjaawilco45]

Hello everyone, New to the forum. I have a 99 tahoe with 180, xxxviii miles on it. The problem that I'm having is similar to a thread at the top of this message. When I have it in either 4 low, or high, there seams to be some real resistance or binding going on while trying to turn. Going in reverse seems to be twice as bad. I don't have any issues selecting different modes of 4wd(2h,4h,4l, or auto 4wd). I don't have any issues with take off power, as some here had discussed (..... feels like taking off in 2nd gear. ...) I don't hear any popping or cracking that would tell me that a C.V. shaft bearing has goon bad. Driving in 2h, forward or reverse seems to be as it has always been

looking forward to your ideas
Thanks

 

[lwcools]

Hello everyone, New to the forum. I have a 99 tahoe with 180, xxxviii miles on it. The problem that I'm having is similar to a thread at the top of this message. When I have it in either 4 low, or high, there seams to be some real resistance or binding going on while trying to turn. Going in reverse seems to be twice as bad. I don't have any issues selecting different modes of 4wd(2h,4h,4l, or auto 4wd). I don't have any issues with take off power, as some here had discussed (..... feels like taking off in 2nd gear. ...) I don't hear any popping or cracking that would tell me that a C.V. shaft bearing has goon bad. Driving in 2h, forward or reverse seems to be as it has always been

looking forward to your ideas
Thanks

What kind of surface are you driving on? the 4x4 (hi or lo) will give that binding feel because the front end locks, and the wheels are trying to turn at the same speed when they can't (outside wheel rolls faster than the inside). In 2wd the problem goes away because the front end is open and not pulling anymore. Basically, put it in 4wd on something good and slick (clay-mud is my favorite) if the binding sensation goes away or is reduced dramatically then you probably don't have anything to worry about. If it's still there, you got a whole slew of things to look at, but most of them are easy to deal with.