Howdy fellas, I've got a 94 Bravada with the SmartTrak system. As I make turns left or right, about 25% of the time, I get a repeating popping noise. When I put it from reverse to Drive, I get a loud bang. And just this morning as I was leaving the hunting woods, going up steep hill, I got the same popping noise, but I wasn't turning.

I took it to a shop, and the guy told me the chain in my transfer case was slipping over the gears. He told me I needed to replace the T Case or rebuild it b/c the chain was most likely stretched and the more it pops, the more it grinds down the gears. Makes sense to me.

My questions is, if the Bravada is almost identical to the Blazer/Jimmy, could I swap the busted Bravada T Case for a Blazer T Case and then have the ability to turn off/on the 4wd instead of having AWD? This would save a lot of wear and tear on a 200,000 mile vehicle and hopefully help on my gas. Thoughts?

Also, has anyone ever rebuilt a T Case before?

Thanks for your help, Jonathan

 

I dont think you can do that,

 

I dont think you can stop the AWD but rebuilding the Tcase is doable. Im not sure where your wrenching skills are but it can be done if your experienced.

 

The bravada awd t-case is different from the blazer 4wd t-case. Your t-case uses a viscous clutch (wiki it or do a search here if your curious) where as the blazer case is simply a gear and chain set with a shifter mechanism to direct power flow. If you were to do a t-case swap from a blazer you'd also need the front diff and the associated vacuum system for it. Not saying its impossible, just that it'd be a pain in the ***, especially getting that front diff out and in... those suck!!!
I'd recommend getting a lower mileage bravada case from the junk yard. Much easier to unbolt the drive line and drop the case (may have to unbolt cross member I'm not certain on that). 200,000 mile huh? That gives me something to shoot for...

 

Changing the transfer cases out isn't as hard as most people describe it and you would NOT have to change the front diff. You don't need the vacuum system. if you did why would the make the Bravada's without it. and why would people do the posi-lock cable mod. If you use a Blazer or Jimmy case you would either have to reprogram you ecm and add the 4wd computer (TCCM) from the Blazer/Jimmy or you can convert it to a manual 4wd with a shift lever like this guy did - Zr2USA.com > How to: Manual 233
You do NOT have to change out the front diff's, most people on this site will tell you they like the BRAVADA front end BETTER than the Blazer/Jimmy front end. there are less things to go wrong on the Bravada front end and it uses the SAME DRIVE-SHAFT so you wont have any problems putting in the Blazer or Jimmy transfer case. as for the people that posted false information on here, don't post about stuff you AREN'T properly educated on. If you look at my posts you will learn a lot about Bravada's I DO my research and will back up my facts with EVERYTHING i own.

 

Guys, thanks for your help. After realizing that I have neither the time nor money to really invest in this vehicle like I would like, I just decided to replace the Transfer case. I found a used one on E-bay for $275. It came from a salvage yard. I was told it was from a 95 Jimmy and would fit my 94 Bravada.

So, here are a few things I learned in this process.
1. Have a universal Joint (knuckle) and a few extensions handy for getting into the tight places around the transfer case. The bolts are a little challenging.
2. there is a 3/4" support rod that runs down the drivers side to the T-case. I assume this is to prevent it from torquing and breaking bolts. There are 2 bolts that hold the bracket onto the t-case. Before you can remove the upper bolt, you have to remove a bolt that holds the bracket to the support rod. This MUST be removed b/c the bolt blocks you from getting to the bolt on the transfer case. And don't try to remove the support rod from the vehicle, it's not easy.
3. CHECK EVERYTHING on the new transfer case before installing. I checked all the model numbers, but failed to check the bolt pattern for the mounting plate to the front drive shaft. The last thing I did before filling up the t-case with fluid was to try and install the front driveshaft. The bolt pattern didn't line up. Luckily, the mounting bracket was held on with a large 1+" nut. I had to use an impact driver to remove it b/c I couldn't hold onto any of the outputs strong enough to break the nut lose by hand.
4. There is a gasket between the t-case and the transmission. I checked 3 stores and no one could get one, much less even find it in their system. I used black gasket maker...this gasket pretty much just stops dust from getting between the 2 parts, no fluid actually makes contact to the gasket.
5. The T-case hold 3 pints of fluid, or 1.5 quarts. You will need some kind of hand pump to get the fluid in at the top of the t-case.

The hardest part of the whole thing was literally lifting the transfer case into place and sliding it onto the spindle. This thing is freakin heavy to try and lift by yourself, but it can be done. I hope this helps someone else.

 

So how does the half shaft disengage from diff when shifted into 2wd? Wouldn't the shaft always be turning while in 2wd?

 

it is a full time differential, so yes the shaft will always be spinning just like it was from the factory. in order to make it part time you need to replace the front differential with a part time unit.

 

I have a 1998 Blazer that had the same issue, turned out to be the Wheel Hub Assemblies that caused my problem! Just a thought!

 

I have a 94 and when in 2hi my front shaft doesnt spin at all, i can grab it and free spin it. The point of the vacuum locker in the front is to increase mpg's and maybe to help with turning. The bravada front diff is much more durable becuase it's designed to be awd. If you change to a 4x4 transfer case you would need the TCCM and buttons, or even better get a manual shift lever for it. I would check your front hubs, and cv axles. If the splines are worn they can slip when power is applied to them.