2002 Bravada Front Diff Case Busted.

[skdpsmith]

Hello,

2002 Bravada started having the binding turn problem about 9 months ago. We had the transfer case fluid replaced and problem got slightly better but never went away. About month ago I noticed what I thought was a small oil leak. Well the other day I go in the garage and a see oil all over the place where the wife had parked the night before. I found 3 or 4 pieces of broken diff case when I removed the plastic skid plate. I think it is busted on top somewhere and I think the gears are okay.

Anyone ran into this before?

I friend of mine that used to work at the GM dealership here said that there was a recall on the case where they were to install a washer on the rear most bolt to help with alignment and one of the problems was that it could cause the case to crack. I cannot find any info about it on the web though.

Any info would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,
Scott

[Chris Stewart]

Sorry about the busted case, I don't know anything about it. Maybe someone who does know will post.

[wardak33]

I had the same problem too. but mine didn't get to the point where it cracked. As soon as i saw the oil leaking, i took it to someone to see what the problem was. It was a broken seal. Parts=$40, labor cost over $1000. had to drop the whole tranny. i don't know what could've caused yours to crack, but always make sure you have enough oil. I believe there was a recall on it, but to make sure that your car is covered, call any GM dealer, and ask them to look up all recalls for your car. They'll ask you for the last 8 digits of your VIN number. That way they can look up and perform any recalls that were called for your specific car. Hope this helps!!!

[old_master]

Did the differential case crack or the transfer case? Differential is what the axles go into. Transfer case bolts to the rear of the transmission.

[skdpsmith]

Front diff case. Got it all apart - shew! Had to take the oil pan off to get it out. Ring Gear bolt broke and went through the case. Gears look fine. Ordered case from GM today - $673 with new seals, ring gear bolts and fluid.

[skdpsmith]

Question about the hard turning.
How the heck can the transfer case have anything to do with it?

All the transfer case does is engage 4WD right? If its stuck in 4WD it should still turn easy - shouldn't it?

I would think that the problem would be that either the front wheels or back wheels are locked together like the clutches in the carrier were messed up or something. My mustang race car is hard to turn because it has a spool in the rear end and thats what it feels like in the bravada.

Any insight?

Thanks

[Chris Stewart]

Yup, same thing with the locked up transfer case only the gear train isn't as tough as your spool & axles. The '98 & newer lock up solid when engaged. Changing the transfer case fluid to the blue AutotracII, running it a coupla hundred miles then changing it out again reportedly unsticks the innards so it'll operate better.

The '91-'97 transfer case had dependable viscous clutch setup...which Olds should've kept, Borg-Warner was still making them but the techno-freak engineers at Olds wouldn't design them in and was part of the wrecking of the company...%*&(*)*!!!
Sorry gang...

[skdpsmith]

So has anyone on here setup the front end on one of these?

What is the proper way to adjust the adjusters that hold the carrier?

Help - lol.

[matt_o_70]

skdpsmith - I'd really like to hear from you after this is back together. Did the binding turning go away with the front end repair?

I am fairly new to a 2000, it binds when turning. it clicked before I changed the fliud. The Previous Owner had it looked at but was told that "they all do this" I am waiting to hear from someone who has ever fixed this condition..

since fluid change makes it better, I assume that there is a viscous clutch in this transferr case also, to make fluid changes mildly effective? since this is all wheel drive not 4WD - transfer case has to allow some slip.

Anyone on this board have a service manual that shows the drive train in detail?

Can one of you who have owned one long term comment on the binding/dragging? In a working Bravada do you feel the drag of the drive line when turning? It is very noticeable in mine?

[old_master]

If front ride height is not within specs, the CV joints will bind when turning. Same principal as pinion angle; U joints and CV joints have a range that they are designed to operate in, if the angle is incorrect, they will bind. Mismatched tires and/or tire pressure can also cause it to bind.

[skdpsmith]

I got it all back together and the front diff seems to be okay so far. No leaks anywhere - knock on wood. I followed the procedure I found here on the transfer case - change the fluid (blue autotrack II) drive it a few miles then change the fluid again. It is now probably the best it has been since I have owned as far as binding when turning. However it is still doing it very slightly and we have probably driven it a couple of hundred miles since the fluid change too.

I think read on here that the binding could be caused by the encoder motor on the transfer case or the computer? Anyone?

Is there a fuse I could remove to disable the AWD?

Thanks,
Scott

[wardak33]

There is a fuse to disable it, but I don't know which one...I'll find out and post it by today. But your AWD shouldn't be on full time...only when you need it. It looks like there is something definetly wrong with your encoder motor. They are notorious for going bad many times. make sure you get that taken care of immediately, if not, then you're going to be looking for a new transfer case pretty soon.....(another $1300 to spend for you)... I'll make sure to find that fuse for you. all i remember is that it is under the hood on top of the driver side fenderwall, i'll post back to which specific fuse it is, it should say in the owners manual...

[old_master]

The Bravada uses a NV 136 single speed automatic transfer case. Both front axle shafts are always engaged to the front differential. When the front and rear output shafts rotations are different, the shift control module commands the encoder motor to engage the transfer case into 4WD. Being that the axle shafts are always engaged to the differential, it can be difficult to determine what's causing the binding. If when you remove the front drive shaft, the vehicle still binds when turning, I would suspect CV joints, a difference in tire size left to right, or a wheel alignment problem. If the binding goes away, suspect the transfer case, or a difference in tire size front to rear.

[Chris Stewart]

The fuse has been reported as the ATC fuse on other year models.

[wardak33]

just wondering, but have you fixed your problem yet?