Stuck in 4 low

[ltljon]

Can't my 99 Silverado out of low 4. It makes a sound at the small servo/motor near the tranny but then quits & the "Service 4wd" light comes on.
It is the pushbutton type on the dash & all those lights go off after it quits trying. Tried unhooking batt to reset but don't help. All fuses good.
Any ideas?

[ukrkoz]

Originally Posted by ltljon

Can't my 99 Silverado out of low 4. It makes a sound at the small servo/motor near the tranny but then quits & the "Service 4wd" light comes on.
It is the pushbutton type on the dash & all those lights go off after it quits trying. Tried unhooking batt to reset but don't help. All fuses good.
Any ideas?

replace switch. those switches go notorious bad and very fast, i had my replaced at 60K ONLY.

also, if you want to, you can disassemble the switch and clean contacts with pencil erasor.

put key into ignition; bring gear shifter down to the 1st gear; unlock steering column and lower it as low as possible; i always start on the far upper left corner of the dash panel; grab it and pull hard, it'll pop out of clamp. work your way around it in this manner, careful not to crack cheap plastic; then wiggle it out over the steering wheel(haynes tells you to remove steering wheel, silly). from that point on you just unclamp the switch.
it's some $60 plus part dealership.

i am assuming you do follow the 4LOW protocol, don't you?

i'd scan for codes also.

if you wrere in 4low, must have been some offroading done? get her on the ramps and check for obvious damage, disengaged connectors, stuck debris and such.

[ltljon]

Originally Posted by ukrkoz

i am assuming you do follow the 4LOW protocol, don't you?

If you mean trans in neutrel, yes.

I wasn't actually 4 wheeling, just needing to back slowing up a steep hill next to the house to unload some stuff to a storage building.
Thanks a bunch, I'll check out the switch.

[ukrkoz]

Originally Posted by ltljon

If you mean trans in neutrel, yes.

I wasn't actually 4 wheeling, just needing to back slowing up a steep hill next to the house to unload some stuff to a storage building.
Thanks a bunch, I'll check out the switch.

should have done it in 4HI. 4LOW is for very short distances, pretty much, when you are stuck in mud, snow, or have to rip someone else out of stuck situation. good chance is it's not the switch then, A LOT of gears and torque and tension and things happens in the transfer case in 4LOW.

[j cAT]

Originally Posted by ltljon

Can't my 99 Silverado out of low 4. It makes a sound at the small servo/motor near the tranny but then quits & the "Service 4wd" light comes on.
It is the pushbutton type on the dash & all those lights go off after it quits trying. Tried unhooking batt to reset but don't help. All fuses good.
Any ideas?

because the switch was working prior to this 4wd lo attempt I would say that the encoder motor is bad....or transfer case ....get DTC for 4wd ..and report your findings ..If encoder motor your looking at 800.00 or so... for replacement ,,, others have done it for much less by themselves..



how many miles do you replace the transfer case fluid??? and do you use trac II ????

[ltljon]

Truck has 165k on it but I've only put about 30k.
Never changed the fluid. Took the switch out but no change.
Gotta guy coming tomorrow with rollback to fix this & the 4wd since it never actually worked right since I bought it. The guy I bought it from is gonna cover the expense of fixing whatever is wrong with 4wd itself but I'll pay for anything else that may be wrong with it. (can't beat a warranty like that)
I just occassionally used Low when I needed to creep up a hill & never had a problem til now.
I'll keep ya'll posted as to the outcome.

[ukrkoz]

Originally Posted by ltljon

Truck has 165k on it but I've only put about 30k.
Never changed the fluid. Took the switch out but no change.
Gotta guy coming tomorrow with rollback to fix this & the 4wd since it never actually worked right since I bought it. The guy I bought it from is gonna cover the expense of fixing whatever is wrong with 4wd itself but I'll pay for anything else that may be wrong with it. (can't beat a warranty like that)
I just occassionally used Low when I needed to creep up a hill & never had a problem til now.
I'll keep ya'll posted as to the outcome.

nice! more sellers like this, amen!!
well, point is not to take the switch out. point is to, ahhm, replace it. btw, what do the lights on the switch do when you are trying to shift out of 4LOW?
but i am like jcat. i don't think it's switch, as it's obviously engaging electric shifter motor - just does not do the trick. you have several parts that might go wrong there, shift motor, speed sensor, control module. that's why oldtimers buy them trucks with manual shifter, none of that hassle.

when you get it fixed, remember - to crip up the hill no need to go into 4LOW, just 4HI and easy on that gas pedal. creeps just fine, i know.

but then again, you got me thinking. if it never worked quite right - it still might be the switch. i think you can install a new one and return it if it does not work. simplest route of all to do. just don't get it all greasy, he-he.

[j cAT]

Originally Posted by ltljon

Truck has 165k on it but I've only put about 30k.
Never changed the fluid. Took the switch out but no change.
Gotta guy coming tomorrow with rollback to fix this & the 4wd since it never actually worked right since I bought it. The guy I bought it from is gonna cover the expense of fixing whatever is wrong with 4wd itself but I'll pay for anything else that may be wrong with it. (can't beat a warranty like that)
I just occassionally used Low when I needed to creep up a hill & never had a problem til now.
I'll keep ya'll posted as to the outcome.

after the fix make sure that the fluid is blue ...not gray or red or very bad black...in color...this fliud will need replacing at 30,000mi if you use or don't use 4wd....fluid will turn slightly gray this is when I replace... also the 4wd lite should flash 2x in/out of 4wd ,,the more flashes means that fluid or transfer case has problems...

[grego10r]

encoder motor is bad 100% just got the same problem u can take the motor off tcase and swich it to 2hi for now but get new encoder motor

[ltljon]

I finally got it fixed but since then had my computer stolen so just now catching up on things I needed to do.
Anyways, it was an electic switch/motor on the end of the tranny or trasfer case. The mechanic said it was an easy fix but just had to pull the drive shaft so he couldn't do it in the yard like he'd planned. No biggie, towed it in & had it ready in just a few hours.
Thanks for all the great help & suggestions, I'm sure I'll have more issues as time goes on!