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Stuck Truck- Please Help!

B

Blue Stomper

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Okay- I pulled up to the light tonight and pressed the gas a little too hard- All of a sudden I heard a clank and it felt like the shaft feel off. Then after giving a little gas it would simply rattle the shaft a bit and move the truck in extreme slow motion. I got towed home and started checking it out more. The shaft is in place but now when putting it into gear, there is no more clank- instead the shaft spins just barely when giving throttle- as if there is minimal contact with the transfer case and the shaft. Trans fluid is full and I smell no burn on the dipstick. I'm thinking its the Transfercase but my neighbor who had a K5 thinks its the torque converter. I have an 87 K5 350 TBI bone stock with 97k miles. Everything runs 100% and I hope you guys can help me out- I'd rather not let my wife talk me into junking it- love this truck.

Oh and about 50 miles before this happened (2 weeks ago) i used the 4 wheel drive during the snow and everything was fine. About 100 miles ago the cat back exhaust had fallen off (rotted) and I had to drive about 20 miles home while the pipe was banging against the shaft. After I cut out the pipe the truck was fine. I wasn't sure if either of those could be related to my problem.

I don't know 4x4 drivetrains very well so feel free to talk to me as if I know nothing. Oh and the problem is the same in 2 or 4 wheel drive and in forward or reverse.
thanks
 
The trans and TransferCase are stock with what it came with- no clue- it is the 1987 with the 350TBI autolocking hubs.
 
You are describing the same thing that happened to my 76 years ago. It was my transmission that let go.

I have no clue how to help determine whether its your xfer case or transmission.
 
It also shifts perfectly into all the gears- it just doesn't want to move the shaft. I've had transmissions go on plenty of the cars Ive owned but it never felt like this- it just clanked and lost the ability to turn the shaft. Usually trans problems in my experience will happen over time, or at least will have a burn smell at the dipstick. At minimum the other gears- 1,2,d,od or R would do something if it were the trans- i would assume.

there is also NO fluid leak anywhere that I have seen- maybe by tomorrow there will be on the ground- we'll see. The 4x4 shift doesn't make any difference- shifting into neutral, 2 wheel or 4. Although when the problem first happened and i was trying to see if i could drive the car in 4x4 mode- it was very hard to push the knob back into 2 wheel when it was in 4x4. I'm leaning on it being the transfercase but have no experience with this at all.
 
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Try putting it into 4wd and see if you can turn the front drive shaft by hand.
Wait a minute! Did you say the rear drive shaft spins as soon as you put it in gear without the truck moving? If so, its your rear end or, if you have a spline on the drive shaft, it may be stripped out. Only half the shaft would turn then.
If not, try the four wheel drive. If it moves then, then its something in your transfer case.
I don't know of a definite test to tell if its the t-case or transmission without taking something major off.
But trying 4wd will at least get us some more data.
 
Fordum said:
Try putting it into 4wd and see if you can turn the front drive shaft by hand.
Wait a minute! Did you say the rear drive shaft spins as soon as you put it in gear without the truck moving? If so, its your rear end or, if you have a spline on the drive shaft, it may be stripped out. Only half the shaft would turn then.
If not, try the four wheel drive. If it moves then, then its something in your transfer case.
I don't know of a definite test to tell if its the t-case or transmission without taking something major off.
But trying 4wd will at least get us some more data.
Click to expand...


The shaft does not spin correctly- it engages slightly if i give it allot of gas- its not the rear- that I can tell easily. And again, it has the same symptom in every gear AND when you put in in 4x4 or 2 wheels. It feels like something has disengaged- its somewhere between the flywheel-Trans-TransferCase-Shaft....I'm not sure how to diagnose between these items.
 
Make sure the t-case is not in neutral. Don't trust the linkage, make sure the shift arm on the t-case moves into each position. You may also be stuck in 4-low. Check those things first.
 
This may work to isolate the problem between the transfer case and transmission:

Lift the left rear and right front of the truck (no lockers) - these are the primary drive wheels (IIRC). Keeping one tire on each axle on the ground forces the drive forces through the drive line and out of the differential (prevents other tire on the same axle turning opposite direction).

Make sure the transmission is in park and the transfer case is locked in 2HI.

Turn the left rear tire. The drive line should not move. The tire should not spin. The transmission park gear should prevent any movement in the driveline. If the drive line moves - your transfer case is not locked to the transmission.

Try the same in 4HI and turn the front tire. Se if there is any drive line movement.

Do the same with the truck's transmission in neutral. In 4WD - turning the front wheel will also turn the rear wheel.

I am assuming you checked the transfer case's shift levers to make sure nothing came loose? All the motor and transmission mounts secure and tight? A bad mount may be kicking the transfer case into neutral???

EDIT: - can you roll/move your truck with it in park and emergency brake off? If you can - the transfer case is not locking. If not, the transfer case is locked to the transmission and the problem is in the tranny.
 
[
EDIT: - can you roll/move your truck with it in park and emergency brake off? If you can - the transfer case is not locking. If not, the transfer case is locked to the transmission and the problem is in the tranny.[/quote]


I plan on trying this tomorrow. However the parking gear and neutral work fine- when you put the truck in park with no E-brake- it does not roll.
 
Blue Stomper said:
I plan on trying this tomorrow. However the parking gear and neutral work fine- when you put the truck in park with no E-brake- it does not roll.
Click to expand...

Then it's not the Tcase.
Your problem is in the tranny.
I had a similar problem once and I am going to guess you have the same, check your Flexplate, it probably broke off.
 
Blue Stomper said:
Someone else said torque converter- would that jive with this?
Click to expand...

Yes, the torque converter is bolted to the flexplate so that would make sense, it would also explain the noise you heard and some of the symptoms you listed. Pull off the dust sheild (cover that is located on the bottom of the bellhousing) and look at where the flexplate bolts to the crankshaft. You will need a good light but you should be able to get a decent look up there.
 
This happened to my camaro with a 700r4 in it. Was coming up a slight hill and and slam and all the sudden when I would pin it to 5000rpms it would go like 5mph. Twas the trans.
 
blazer problems

if your truck has a adapter inbetween the tranny and the t case you could of stripped the splines out in the adapter and that could bo your problem. find out what u have for a tranny a t case and let me know if u dont know post some pics of the tranny pan and t case shifter and back view.
 
Damn, Park, why the heck didn't I think of that. He says it won't roll in park, so that makes it Tranny.
J.
 
Ok- spend the day trying to figure out the problem and took everyone's advice. 1. I checked the differential engagement and its fine. Shaft spins correctly when I lifted up and turned the rear d-side wheel.
2. I removed the driveshaft- the spline going to the transfer case is okay
3. I removed the flexplate/torque converter cover and they are both spinning fine and I see no irregularities- even when put into gear
4. I split open the transfer case and the chain looks okay and nothing strikes me as unordinarily. Although when I had my helper try to place it into Neutral or 4 wheel-low, it didnt want to go unless you muscled it a bit. I also noticed that the spindle gear that hooks to the driveshaft has some play in it- but I wasnt sure if that is normal since the case is split open.

I don't know what I'm looking for if the transfercase went bad- to be honest the fluid looked new, no shavings, nothing seemed broken. As per the transmission- the fluid also is new and smells fine with no burn- I'm starting to think its the torque converter. Any method in checking the transfer case and/or the torque converter. Also keep in mind Im doing this with no lift.

thanks
 
sounds like you sheared your transmission input shaft. a buddies dodge race truck did that last fall. big bang/clunk. then if you floored it it would just creep along. got the tranny out and the input shaft was sheared. now thats completely inside the torque converter, you cannot see it without removing the tranny and pulling the converter off. if its the input shaft. everything else will look, feel, smell, function as normal. but when you throttle up no power will transmit through from the engine crankshaft to the transmission. only like a parasitic drag moves the truck if you floor it.
 
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