2002 trailblazer LS 4x4
I have a 2002 4wd trailblazer with very low milage and I'm the original owner. I get no engine warning lights but this problem originally occurred while attempting to back-up in 4lo. I had no choice. I had parked it in 4lo due to the fact that we got blasted with snow and to get into my spot I had to have it in 4lo. Previous to this, I drove around the parking lots to make sure that 4hi and 4lo worked. I shifted to 4lo by-the-book then went and parked. Next morning as I tried to back out my truck began to crow-hop and bind which freaked me out. It felt as if it beneath my butt or very close to it. Sat there and turned the switch to 4hi while in neutral-no luck, then awd-no luck.
I had no choice but to back up enough that I could drive it forward over a median and out of the parking spot. I could go forward just fine, tried 4hi,awd,and 2hi. It backed up just fine in 2hi so I left it there and drove maybe 350 miles total from day to day but the issue happened again out of the blue while starting up in 2hi and backing up. I got out of it the same way as before. Several days later I drove into a torrential rainstorm with puddling on the highway I switched from 2hi to awd without issue. When the storm abated I switched back to 2hi, drove maybe 10 miles home, parked it in 2hi and now the crow-hop and binding has returned while trying to back out right after I start it up. I immediately stopped at the first sign and it has been parked for a 5 days as I systematically try to diagnose it following several guidlines on here.
Mind you, I am not a mechanic so I really don't know where to start other than what I've gleaned from trailvoy.com but if I read and watch a video on what to do or how to replace a part I can do it laying on my back on a driveway, truck on jacks with 2 feet of clearance above me.
I get no warning lights. I have dropped all of the fluids which only have 22,000 miles on them. : tranny front and rear differentials, and transfer case. All were fine. The tranny fluid was still red but it smelled a little burned. The transfer case switch works. There were no metal shavings when I dropped any of the fluids.
I did the self-check from please read me before making a post on trailvoy.com. The listed issue which I have is that the front left wheel turns as does the front drive-shaft when the truck is on jacks and the switch is in 4hi, ignition on but truck not started. Step 3 seems to me to have a conflicting issue as to whether or not it is a front axle disconnector an internal transfer case failure. Could anything this radical have happened as a result of parking my truck in 4lo? Seems to me that there could be something much simpler and less invasive which has failed but for the life of me I don't know how to repair it, the logical order to begin a systematic check, or where to look. I have a chiltons manual which is pretty much useless. I mean, this issue came out of nowhere.
Aren't there steps in between, simpler ones, which I can perform first? And if I need to check whether or not a part is getting an electric signal, how do I do that?
For the first time in 2 years I've not been in recovery from an orthopedic surgury whereby I'm totally disabled. I can accomplish tasks and I can do anything suggested but it takes me a lot longer.
Long post but I'm really stuck here.
Thanks.
Bikerider
The Response: I've already gone through these checks and passed.
1) have you changed the transfer case fluid (even though you have low mileage)?
2) is the Service 4WD light on in the dash?
3) do the 4WD selector switch lights work correctly (short period of flashing then solid when switching modes)?
If there is no Service 4WD light on and the switch lights are behaving correctly, I can only assume the problem is most likely at the front disconnect. This area is not well lubricated and can become bound up.
I suggest posting your problem at G M T N a t i o n . c o m / f o r u m s (no spaces), most of the experts from here went there.
I have a 2002 4wd trailblazer with very low milage and I'm the original owner. I get no engine warning lights but this problem originally occurred while attempting to back-up in 4lo. I had no choice. I had parked it in 4lo due to the fact that we got blasted with snow and to get into my spot I had to have it in 4lo. Previous to this, I drove around the parking lots to make sure that 4hi and 4lo worked. I shifted to 4lo by-the-book then went and parked. Next morning as I tried to back out my truck began to crow-hop and bind which freaked me out. It felt as if it beneath my butt or very close to it. Sat there and turned the switch to 4hi while in neutral-no luck, then awd-no luck.
I had no choice but to back up enough that I could drive it forward over a median and out of the parking spot. I could go forward just fine, tried 4hi,awd,and 2hi. It backed up just fine in 2hi so I left it there and drove maybe 350 miles total from day to day but the issue happened again out of the blue while starting up in 2hi and backing up. I got out of it the same way as before. Several days later I drove into a torrential rainstorm with puddling on the highway I switched from 2hi to awd without issue. When the storm abated I switched back to 2hi, drove maybe 10 miles home, parked it in 2hi and now the crow-hop and binding has returned while trying to back out right after I start it up. I immediately stopped at the first sign and it has been parked for a 5 days as I systematically try to diagnose it following several guidlines on here.
Mind you, I am not a mechanic so I really don't know where to start other than what I've gleaned from trailvoy.com but if I read and watch a video on what to do or how to replace a part I can do it laying on my back on a driveway, truck on jacks with 2 feet of clearance above me.
I get no warning lights. I have dropped all of the fluids which only have 22,000 miles on them. : tranny front and rear differentials, and transfer case. All were fine. The tranny fluid was still red but it smelled a little burned. The transfer case switch works. There were no metal shavings when I dropped any of the fluids.
I did the self-check from please read me before making a post on trailvoy.com. The listed issue which I have is that the front left wheel turns as does the front drive-shaft when the truck is on jacks and the switch is in 4hi, ignition on but truck not started. Step 3 seems to me to have a conflicting issue as to whether or not it is a front axle disconnector an internal transfer case failure. Could anything this radical have happened as a result of parking my truck in 4lo? Seems to me that there could be something much simpler and less invasive which has failed but for the life of me I don't know how to repair it, the logical order to begin a systematic check, or where to look. I have a chiltons manual which is pretty much useless. I mean, this issue came out of nowhere.
Aren't there steps in between, simpler ones, which I can perform first? And if I need to check whether or not a part is getting an electric signal, how do I do that?
For the first time in 2 years I've not been in recovery from an orthopedic surgury whereby I'm totally disabled. I can accomplish tasks and I can do anything suggested but it takes me a lot longer.
Long post but I'm really stuck here.
Thanks.
Bikerider
The Response: I've already gone through these checks and passed.
1) have you changed the transfer case fluid (even though you have low mileage)?
2) is the Service 4WD light on in the dash?
3) do the 4WD selector switch lights work correctly (short period of flashing then solid when switching modes)?
If there is no Service 4WD light on and the switch lights are behaving correctly, I can only assume the problem is most likely at the front disconnect. This area is not well lubricated and can become bound up.
I suggest posting your problem at G M T N a t i o n . c o m / f o r u m s (no spaces), most of the experts from here went there.
