Ok so my cousin has an 89 jimmy 4WD thats just been sitting for a year or two, I own an 89 camaro and im in need of something thats gonna handle snow better than my thirdgen

He has been letting it sit because he got it stuck in 4WD (cant remember high or low) and he kept driving it around, then one day it just wouldnt move i havent had an actual chance to take a look at it but i think the transfer case is bound, im not big on TC's i touched on them when i was in college but i just rebuilt one and i cant remember for the life of me how to diagnose them

What are the problematic areas that would cause it to get stuck in 4wd, and would the case be bound up if it did get stuck? Ive heard, but im not sure... that you can throw it in reverse and hit the gas it will un do itself? does that sound right? im pretty familiar with the he said she said game ive gotten it with my camaro from day one lol "oh your fuel pump is out? cut a hole in the body" noooo... some things work and others...not so much

in any case id appreciate any info you guys could offer to me, i need this thing up and running before december, apparently we're supposed to get snow in the next week and i dont wanna wreck my camaro lol

TIA

 

anybody???

 

Details are needed. Your original post is quite lacking and your impatient 'bump' is utterly devoid of any facts pertaining to your problem.

Fullsize or s-series? If fullsize, does it have manual hubs or automatic? The backing up part makes me think you are in a fullsize w/ automatic hubs. Automatic hubs are junk, but won't cause you to be 'stuck' in 4wd. They'll just cause you to be stuck in the mud when they don't engage.

Manual or electronic shift 4wd? I'm thinkin' manual, but can't remember when the electronic came in for the s-series. If fullsize, that is kind of moot. What do you have for a transfer case in your truck? Look on the back of the transfer case for an identification tag.

When you say it is 'stuck', what specifically is happening?

Also, please be more patient when waiting for responses. Use the time to browse the forum; maybe do a search or two (or ten!). There is a LOT of information about 4wd problems out there and some other threads may give you an idea of information you left out (like answering the questions I asked above before being asked...?). And always read the descriptions of the forum sections and choose appropriately as it could be the difference between getting timely responses and waiting.

 

my bad, ive gotten used to TGO where its dang near instant, i dont know a lot about it im pretty sure its the s series (smaller correct?) with a manual 4wd and i believe its vaccum lines conrtolling it, i havent had a chance to get underneath this thing yet, like i said its my cousins, he said one day it wouldnt shift out of 4wd, he kept driving it like that and then the axles locked up and it wouldnt move, i can get the # on the TC tomorrow, and ill also check for the hub style, i just wanna get this thing figured out, unfortunately i dont have a battery for it or i would try to get it running and see what its doing exactly

as for the backing up that was just a tip from my co worker, he used to manage a 4wd shop in tacoma so i figured hed be able to tell me ill get all that info and post it up if you could keep an eye on this thread i would really appreciate it, my time frame for getting this thing rolling has had a drastic cut since the snow is supposed to roll in within 2 weeks

 

Ok. Check out the 4x4 No Worky.... Maybe this will help.... thread and see what turns up.

Backing up was a method of getting the automatic hubs (used on some fullsize trucks) to unlock which kind of confused the issue here. It really doesn't apply to the s-series method of front axle engagement which takes place internal to the front axle itself, not at the hubs.

 

Correction its a 91 with auto hubs, couldn't find the number on the tc, talked to my cousin and he said it will move if you hit the gas but it stuggles, I looked at the 4wd shifter and its in 2wd so I don't think the tc is to blame, could it be in the front diff or axles? I don't have time to do a full check on it right now plus its pouring down rain and I've got to get it up into the garage before I can do anything

So its in 2wd, moves but has a lot of resistance, and its got auto hubs

Any ideas?

 

this is one of those questions that is so hard to answer without the truck in front of us. it can be ANYTHING trans, tcase, rearend, front end, brakes, or all of the above.

ive bought a parts truck that reverse was locked up on the trans. really weird. would drive forward no problem but reverse was like the brakes were on. something could have fell apart in the rear drums causing it to lock up. something could be busted inside the rear end. its gonna suck but your gonna have to spend some time and trace the problem one thing at a time

 

I understand its difficult to diagnose thru the net, I've been dealing with that for years with my camaro, I can tear down a thirdgen and fix it with no issues but I also know all the testing procedures with that

So here's my plan : jack up the vehicle up on the front, spin the wheel, if its got reistance, check the brakes and then pull the front drive shaft, if it is consistant with resistance ill know that its somewhere in front of the drive shaft, be it the hubs, diff, brakes etc, if it frees up ill know if from the tc back, does this sound correct? He said he ran it out of gas, then when he filled it up it did this but that makes no sense whatsoever...

So does that "test" sound about right? My buddy said the hubs are probably shot and to swap to manual hubs because they last longer? I'm not a big 4wd user, when I had my 81 k10 I think I used the 4wd like twice so I don't think ill need to switch unless its really worth it