Transfer Case Motor - 1999-2006 5.3L Chevy Silverado (Sierra, Tahoe, Yukon, etc.)

On this episode of Fear No Fix, Jim and Chris replace the Transfer Case Motor in a 5.3L Chevrolet Silverado (model years 1999-2006*).
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Fix Details:
Tool list and general repair steps here:
www.bluedriver.com/sites/defa...
Socket set: amzn.to/3vYpfGm
3/8 torque wrench: amzn.to/3feIl4e
Flat head screw driver: amzn.to/3y4RiWy
Vice Grips: amzn.to/3tHeiHM
Pry Bar: amzn.to/2SJFKrA
Wheel chocks: amzn.to/2Qcohad
DTCs (Diagnostic Trouble Codes) associated with this fix:
• C0327
Required grease part #:
GM P/N 12345879 (Canadian P/N 10953511) GM Spec 9985830
____________________________________
* Fix may also apply to the following vehicles:
1999 - 2006 GMC Sierra
2002 - 2006 Cadillac Escalade
2000 - 2006 Chevrolet Tahoe
2000 - 2006 GMC Yukon
2000 - 2006 Chevrolet Suburban
2001 - 2006 Chevrolet Avalanche
2007 Silverado Classic
2007 Sierra Classic

[@darylbauer5184]

Hi ! Great video ! very informative and easy to understand ! excellent photo work and lighting ! most vid's don't have this quality ! btw I'm a retire service tech with over 55 years and your vid is one of the best i've seen !

[@christygwin2231]

88888888888888888888088080780708888888080008880708070800800800808008 0798007807887808000809808 poo 808 poo 8088080888808 poo 808 po

[@abc0583]

Hi,does all wheel drive cars have transfer case?.?if yes which are those cars?

[@ici_coop]

@darylbauer Agreed!

[@jeffreyorr3646]

Chevys push button four wheel drive should of been a recall, even after you fix it, it’s just a matter of time befor it goes out again!

[@pillowbugg]

4x4 on the fly will do that, if you stop, neutral, then engage 4x4, then drive, it wont.

[@edjohn7802]

234,896 miles on my 01 silverado and I had to change this motor tonight. Worked like a charm! Love my Chevy

[@bugger1649]

@@pillowbugg thanks I'm guilty of on the fly 4x4 switching 17 chevy Silverado

[@jtcfittd]

@@edjohn7802 what was the symptoms of your Chevy before knowing you had to change it

[@jeffstewart1182]

I just changed my transfer case motor in 30 min and it cured all my 4x4 issues. Thank you for posting this.

[@aaahtex902]

**you guys are amazing = fixed it w/o removing or replacing anything = put in Neutral, push same time 2WH & 2WL then {for me} 2WH, then 2W!!!** **THANK YOU A MILLION TIMES!!!**

[@SnakeDog99]

Just fixed mine! You are able to do this without removing the drive shaft. If you don't want to deal with it you can, it ends up being mostly manual twisting and turning on the good old hand wrench and playing Tetris. I opted to do it that way versus worrying about the bearings on the shaft. Worked like a charm Thank you for this amazing video that really helped.

[@emilyboland8997]

Tried that shit, but kudos to you! I ended up just ordering the drive shaft boot clamps, grease, and ear pliers to avoid the hassle (after multiple failed tetris attempts)

[@wisconsingrown]

Thanks much guys!fixed and back on the snowy roads!

[@richardshepan4630]

Thanks for the video! I was working on my 05 Silverado over a two day period following your video. I had issues rotating my transfer case manually (8:30 in video). Turns out it was due to my vehicle being in park. I shifted the transmission into neutral and it rotated with ease and new motor lined up perfectly.

[@02bown]

Thank you! Took on the task yesterday and because of this video I was a success!

[@TyWhalin]

The best video I've seen concerning the 4WD transfer case encoder motor. The portion about changing the selector was very useful. Very descriptive video with good step-by-step instruction.

[@kentney]

This is the best overall video I've seen for this job! Easy to follow and accurate information. I didn't remove my drive shaft during my installation and that of course made for a little more work and access problems, but also saved me the work of taking down the drive shaft.

[@KCOLBURN_8]

This video is fantastic. Me and my uncle changed mine yesterday and followed this video just about step by step. Thanks guys.

[@raserx63]

Just finished doing this on my 05' Tahoe Z71 and referred to this video several times. Very informative !

[@frankoneyjr.4515]

Daniel B. Martin Absolutely ! I did it to mine and I have been driving around in 2 wheel drive 4 quite awhile now ! Planning on converting to manual shift this spring !

[@calvinearl4676]

Thanks for the info! I was about half way through the job and when my buddy pulled up your video, but it still helped. I want to add a couple things I learned - the first is, the Tcase motor I got from O'Reillys was not a perfect fit for my 2002 Duramax; I had to do some light grinding on both the motor and the Tcase to create clearance. I also had to relocate the cable clamp slightly on the Tcase motor. Second, my Tcase shaft would not stay in exactly the right position, wanted to spring back a bit. So I was able to rotate the output of the Tcase motor to match the shaft, by briefly powering the red and black wires with 12v. If you go too far, you can reverse the battery polarity to rotate it back. It took a few iterations of this to get it close enough to go on the Tcase.

[@craigkrage2689]

Thank You for providing this video. Very well done.

[@Flight2493]

Thanks guys I was about to give up until I seen this video and I'm having the same problems as mention keep up the good work

[@alcopone104]

Best transfer case motor replacement video

[@marykey2496]

appreciate the straight forward step by step approach.

[@ericmetzger9448]

I'll be doing this tomorrow . I feel much better about doing it thanks to you guys

[@LemurMonitors]

That's great to hear! Good luck!

[@golfmanmatt]

Best video on this and how to get transfer case in neutral, thanks

[@21FEEZY]

Because of a couple of comments saying that this can be done without removing the drive shaft I decided to try it and you can do it without removing the drive shaft. One bolt is real close to the drive shaft I found the best position for the drive shaft and rotated it a little here and there but it is possible. Great video!

[@cesma25]

Thank you guys I'm safe money for your videos easy steps 🙏🏻👍👍👍

[@vincentscolechase3810]

best video I have seen ON THIS and I have looked at ALOT! Greatly appreciate your to the point, factual and have great video work.

[@sgthunt118]

You guys made it look so easy, the whole time I was doing mine today I was thinking that it wasn't going to fix my problem it was that easy - only problem was reinstalling the driveline, that was a pain on the 7.4 liter It's the same transfer case motor as the one on my 2000 Silverado 2500 6.0 liter parts truck, "free" parts, woohoo! Bolts right in. Thanks for a the great work. Sub up

[@ryol1610]

Get video, one tip would be to shift the 4-wheel drive before putting back on the DS to make sure it works correctly.

[@edjohn7802]

Thanks guys! Nice job. Changed mine this evening. Very informative video. 234,896 miles and my 4wd finally stopped. This fixed it👍🍻

[@jakedeforge5109]

Show me the video on that four-wheel drive on the four-wheel drive can you find me the video

[@nkeel]

Worked perfectly. Thanks!

[@maxpower9631]

nice video guys, very thorough....best I've seen....gotta do my 05 Silverado...nice

[@lynskeyti9940]

Great video, very instructive. Thanks

[@voodoo511]

Just did mine today, piece of cake after watching the videos on it. Thanks

[@LemurMonitors]

Your very welcome, Glad we could help. Fear No Fix!

[@mikelovan8570]

How long did it take you?

[@johnhoekstra1199]

Great video guys, thanks.

[@leifremley3656]

Awesome video! Thanks a bunch, it worked perfect.

[@LemurMonitors]

It's not too bad, is it!

[@jkline999]

Thanks for posting. On my 2004 Tahoe, getting the driveshaft off was a real bear-- used a large screwdriver to pry the rubber boot off while I pulled with the other arm. Also, the little guide bushing on the top that you destroyed-- my aftermarket part would not fit over it-- had to take it off the transfer case so the tcm would mount. The job, after testing the switch and getting organized took me 4 hours though. Things went better when I jacked up the left side of the car and rested the tires on 6x6 blocks. I also used a hose clamp on the rubber boot after trying to get the old one to clasp.

[@teamground0229]

Thinking of buying one of these trucks, wanted to find out what I would be up against if I needed this repair. Chris - like your honesty about the driveshaft bearings! One of those "ask me how I know" moments I bet.

[@LemurMonitors]

I'm still slipping on them

[@Brian-dz4jc]

Good job guys I love your videos keep it up !

[@markdawsey8702]

Great video. I had to change mine out today, and it made it very easy to do. Thanks!

[@LemurMonitors]

Happy we could help!

[@daveyJ213]

Great video guys; very informative!

[@CHIBA280CRV]

Fantastic job fellows thanks.

[@camerondawson376]

Great video! got it done in about 2 1/2 hours.

[@JoeCnNd]

Chris reminds me of murr from impractical jokers. Great work.

[@user-donita123]

You guys are great!!!

[@albertocuellar1832]

Gracias por la ayuda solo fui por la parte y lo ise en menos de 16 min ya estaba en la arena dándole ala tahoe thanks for the help.

[@rickbacon5853]

Fantastic video guys!!!

[@brockmccauley3760]

This help me a lot guys

[@spikemicheal2430]

This is gotta be the best diy explaining videos made! Great job! Thanks!

[@john-kneebee2143]

WoW Braveo !!! Well Done !!!! and thank you !!!!

[@jakeowens1770]

You guys kickass, Thanks!

[@josepolanco9006]

great detail can you guys do one for service brake booster

[@jimfryar1]

Nice video, good explication, and good camera angels.... only one question, why remove the front DS? Thanx

[@LemurMonitors]

You might be able to skip this step but it's going to be a pain getting to the bolts and removing the motor

[@passthetunaporfavor]

I took the transfer case motor apart and installed a new encoder ring for like $ 30 . That was several years ago. Been working fine since then.

[@dtnel]

Bluedriver isn't the only tool that'll read this code. The DIC will show "Service 4wd" but also any snap on as well as my base level Autel scan tool along with my Bluedriver scan tool all read the codes. Great videos!

[@alexbudd8257]

This video just saved me from trashing my band new motor. Y’all know what’s up

[@peteysquirrelchaser9028]

Hey guys, just did this today. Had C0306 code, checked power & ground at TCCM under load, all good. Also had good continuity through motor so it was kind of a parts cannon job when I did it. Once I pulled the old shifter it was obvious it was done for and was the problem. Only thing I did differently was left the front driveshaft in. The middle mounting bolt for the motor had to come out with the old motor and go in with the new one but not a big deal otherwise.

[@tonalddrump2981]

Thank you for this comment. I knew there had to be a way to do this without dropping rhe drive shaft.

[@peteysquirrelchaser9028]

@@tonalddrump2981 If you're stuck in 4WD you might not be able to pull this off, you need to be able to rotate the front driveshaft a bit to finagle the bolt out by the U joint.

[@tonalddrump2981]

@@peteysquirrelchaser9028 Thank you. Probably saved me a lot of skinned knuckles and elbows and a whole lot of cussin.

[@peteysquirrelchaser9028]

@@tonalddrump2981 So did you get the job done? Did your front driveshaft hafta come out?

[@tonalddrump2981]

@Petey Squirrelchaser still haven't gotten around. Work is eating my days. Sunday is my next shot. 🤞

[@mdavis717]

Would this be the same process for manual shift 4wd? Our 99 gmc 4hi feels like 4 lo.

[@brianhouting5017]

I will try this on my Hummer 2. A machanic told me before I watch this video it could not be fixed. Wait till I drive up at his shop after I fix it. I will have no problem telling him he needs to learn how watch KZbin when he does not know how to fix something on just about any car or truck.

[@fish4fun354]

Could I still drive with a bad encoder motor till I can get around to changing it? Should drive just fine just might not be able to go in 4x4?

[@theshutterdynamic]

Love it! Thank you!

[@dslamcracker4848]

Watched this whole video. Very good. But when I got under my 03 tahoe i didnt need to drop the drive shaft. There was just enough room to take the 15mm right to the old unit. Moved it into neutral by hand. New one slipped right in.. service 4x4 seems to be gone .

[@junkname9983]

Great video. Really helped me locate the problem on my vehicle. The wiring harness on my transfer case encoder as you called got loose and fell on top of the drive shaft and then the drive shaft chewed it through. Is that harness sold separately or do I need to get an entire motor assembly? The dust boot was also destroyed, can that be bought separately as well?

[@josephhacker6508]

You might be better off going to a Juno yard and getting the connector

[@DGOUTDOORS01]

I have a 99 Silverado 1500 LS 5.3L 4L60e and I'm having issues with my 4x4 switch not lighting up and also the 4wd not engaging right. I took the motor off the transfer case and it doesn't make any noise or doesn't turn. And also my front differential spins freely but it didn't before when I took the front driveshaft out. Please help me out

[@charlesharrison7705]

I thought it was called an actuator? Good video!

[@exiledbantuking]

Before you do anything make sure the transfer case is grounded correctly ! Then power and ground to devise see it the device works as an isolated device if not ! Now change it ! Save some time and money !

[@hardhouseinc]

Yes, good point. clean and reconnect your ground near drivers door sometime will do it

[@cloudoftime]

Thanks for the info. In the video you say that if the truck is in 2wd you can spin the shaft. What if it is stuck in 4wd?

[@chadwiley5201]

Do press 2 &4 wd with it running and in neutral

[@CatriMatri]

@bluedrivwe At 11:25, what is that on the left of the screen? Seems to have around 4 metal lines going to it. Mine is having a rattling sound coming out of it.

[@mark98070]

Would a loud buzzing noise coming from the shift motor be evidence that the part was bad? Mine is stuck in 4hi, the only way I could drive the truck (without binding) is to pull the ATC fuse

[@DragnBarZ]

I replaced this part and my truck still doesn’t recognize neutral, so I can’t switch into 2hi or 4wd auto. Any suggestions?

[@timothyvagle5017]

I'm putting in a rebuilt transfer case in my 2004 Silverado, how do I put the transfer case in neutral before installing the ecoder motor

[@paulofallon7256]

Great video. Unfortunately my motor didn’t seat correctly. Put it all back together and did a test drive. Seemed to work fine. Went to go into reverse and it grinds. If I switch to auto 4WD I can use reverse. Can switch to 2WD and it’s fine. Bottom line is something isn’t right. Not sure how to proceed. Any suggestions would be appreciated. If I take encoder off but keep it plugged in and put into 2WD can I then turn transfer gear to match up? Help and thank you.

[@LemurMonitors]

Hello Paul! I checked with some of the mechanic techs we have on staff and they got back to me with this: They will have to try again, other wise there is a a problem somewhere else in the drive train. "If I take encoder off but keep it plugged in and put into 2WD can I then turn transfer gear to match up? Help and thank you." this should work but you are better off trying to put it all in neutral before the install as this is the way it is supposed to be done. this is also a difficult to diagnosis with over a text, where this is most a mechanical problem you really need to look at at to see how its behaving to figure out the problem, wish i could be more help. Hopefully this helps!

[@zacheryhutchison154]

Is this the same process for an 05 GMC 4.8l

[@rodneymccluskey6248]

The ground on the frame up under the driver door I cleaned it up and make sure bolts was taught had to put a nut because it was cannot find the connector up under the brake booster

[@Maxwell-ui3ls]

Had to get these done today January 12 2021

[@dawinner777]

I put a new motor in and it shift then quit. But I didn’t have front drive shaft on yet. Does the drive shaft have to be in for motor to shift the transfer case ?

[@nigelio3]

Do you need to disconnect the battery while doing this?

[@traviskellogg867]

I have a 2000 Sierra 1500 4wd. When I switch from 2wd hi to 4wd hi, the light will flash, then stop flashing as though it has engaged in 4wd. However, the front wheels are not being engaged. The front drive shaft will turn, but the front axle shafts/tires are not rotating. I did learn that there is a front actuator motor which I'll be checking on tomorrow after work. My question is this: when is 2wd hi, is the transfer case supposed to disengage with the front drive shaft too? Or is the disengaging done with the actuator motor on the front differential?

[@assiedadtoo]

love the video, but I have a question. what does it mean when you hit the breaks and it automatically puts it in 1st gear or 4 low and says it's still in 4low and it's in 1st gear. is it my transfer case?

[@daviddamico6292]

very very good and lots of detail where you talked about not being able to line up new motor with trans case it would be hepfulll to tell why, IT WOULD HAVE BEEN EVEN MORE HELPFULL IF YOU SAID TO HAVE THE 2 REAR END WHEEL OFF THE GROUND wHY ? MY NEW DOOR MAN MOTOR CAME WITH THE PINION IN 3 OCLOCK NOT 6,( WHICH WOULD HAVE BEEN NEUTRAL,) IF THE REAR END WAS OFF THE GROUND I COULD HAVE TURND DRIVE SHAFT TO JIGGER THE LINE UP(MOVE PINION IN TANSFER CASE.. ANYWAY JUST ANOTHER WAY TO ADUST, probably should have taken it back to store, but was late and saw on an

[@saifalkaabi9121]

In 1:00, Chris said that some SUVs and Chevy avalanche and the 4WD is not working there’s a good chance this is the culprit too, and search in the internet about “culprit” I didn’t find anything and I actually have a Chevy avalanche and the 4WD is not working on it so is it the transfer case or the thing he said “culprit”?. When I put my truck in gear it brings a noisy sound from under the tuck and the car wouldn’t move. Can you help me please ?

[@MsJd3626]

Why won’t my front drive shaft turn? Do I need to lift the Tahoe? It is currently stuck in 4hi and will not shift into neutral. Any advice?

[@harveypolanco8516]

Are all the transfers case the same from 2000 Chevy to 2004 and if the wires are different will the still work if I remove the same parts you change on the video

[@heatherdashrae2]

Awesome video, I had a transfer case replaced about 3 yrs ago on my 03 Tahoe, now that 4WD repair message is showing, and the lights on the 2WD button are off. How much would you say a job like this should cost?

[@LemurMonitors]

It will depend on your local shop and whether you go OEM or aftermarket, but book time is under an hour and the motor can be had as low as $100ish (non-oem)

[@damnok5449]

@@LemurMonitors what do i need to do trk wont go in 2 gear and no lights on 4wd switch please help

[@leonardrabbittrabbittleona6340]

It could just be the push button switch is bad on the dash. Replace that and see what happens. Or it could be the transfer case motor / actuator is bad. As in the video. Good luck. Just had my transmission replaced and went thru all the same stuff. 99. Chevy suburban.

[@StingrayLS7]

My 2002 Chev Blazer lights on dash indicate it is 4 low or 4 high looks normal even when in low range you can feel the difference but the front end is not engaged not helping in the snow any ideas or help would be nice thanks

[@hell1120]

Manual shift lock out hubs works every time.

[@humbertoguerrero1345]

My 4x4 works ok initially, the problem is that after a few minutes the "service 4wd" message appears ... what could be the problem? This is a great video by the way.

[@KB19910]

I have a 2004 Chevy 1500. While driving in 2hi I lost power. Coasted over and stopped. Put the truck in 4 hi and it drives. Won’t do anything but rev in 2hi. Any thoughts? Will this fix it

[@ronnierandolph3056]

Mine won't shift back into 2hi or 4hi? But my indicator on the cluster also is not showing what gear its in. Will that cause the issue of not changing into 2hi or 4hi?

[@damnok5449]

How do i line up front drive if I made no marks??

[@rabbithomesteading3797]

Very helpful! I haven't done it so cant say for sure...but I almost bet you could use a nice heavy duty zip tie, cut off at the zip ties head nicely for a clean finish. I would guarantee it except for the very small possibility which would probably never happen in that location of tall grass/weeds... getting caught in the head spinning around of the zip tie. Very unlikely tho. I think I need to replace mine as it will work when I climb under and tap it some. Seems sticky or something and if I don't tap it it wont shift but every time I hit shifter buttons and quickly jump under truck and tap on it with my leatherman it shifts. I haven't used it all summer and now snow is here I tried it and doing the service 4wd. So I would also recommend maybe.. I think If you just use it every once in a while I might not of had this problem. That's just me thinking I really don't know but it wont hurt and I do believe it may help to use it every once in a while. Great video! I didn't look at it to close and now I learned I need to pull the driveshaft to replace it. And good tip of shifting it to right spot mechanically I wasn't sure you could spin that shaft or you saying to plug it in and shift case motor to its gear. Cool to know! Thank you!

[@ronholder4373]

When I look up that part number for the grease it say’s it’s discontinued so what should I use?

[@7557tnman]

So after you place the transfer case in neutral, did you put the vehicle back in park? Thanks

[@guermandmitriev6446]

What's about transfer case on my 2000 ,3500 GMC,6.5L.,1 tonn. When I switch chaft manualy to full wheel drive- my truck speed only slaw,35,40km, or just rear drive. No hight drive . Would you answer me,what's wrong,how to check,or need replaced transfer case? Thank you

[@JavierPadron]

My Service 4x4 light comes on but everything still work fine. 🤔🤔 What eles sets of the light to come on?

[@JavierPadron]

@@KaleidoscopicPalindrome ditto mine went out to... I replaced selector switch and im back in order now. Luckly didnt get stuck in 4low like you...

[@Khime84]

What uf you have a 200 z71 with a manual transfer case?

[@NewYorkMudBoggers]

I have the tranny and transfer case in neutral but the drive shaft won't turn freely. What's wrong

[@woodlandfox2669]

Mine is stuck in 4L. Do the same steps still apply?

[@TheMemo1776]

from 2001 to 2006 all the same? need to buy one for 2003 tahoe. all the one they i find for sale r 2001

[@nickcaddenhead4394]

What position of the spline is 2Hi ?

[@p.c5642]

I changed the piece but now my car is in neutral. What did I do wrong?

[@zirbs08ify]

I attempted to replace mine today. Watched another video before this and plugged the new one in, and hit 2wd button. But the notch on the motor rotated all the way to the top and it is way way off of lining up to go back in. My selector switches in the truck won't give me an option to go to a different position now. Is there a way to get the motor itself to go back into the neutral position? Also tried putting the truck in neutral and manually rotating to spline on the tcase itself but i can only get one small click either way for an adjustment. My truck will also not go into reverse or drive right now either. How do I get that issue fixed? Its a mess right now. Thanks in advance.

[@brianrandle5797]

Mines doing the same thing now how did you fix that problem??

[@cjrambo8805]

Hey bro I'm having a hard time with my 2005 Chevy Silverado 1500 4x4 we took off the tcase motor to try get it out of 4 low and it won't go back on having a hard time 😢