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transfercase blues

guz71

guz71

1/2 ton status
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Sep 17, 2006
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lubbock/houston
Sorry for the length but im puzzled and frustrated. Last year I had my np203 taken apart and put back together using the milemarker shaft replacement kit. Seemed to be fine, wheeled and notice anytime I gave it decent throttle or spun the tires at all in 4wd, it makes a God awful kwapoping noise. At first I thought u-joints but I had just had a new shaft built for the front and rear(noise definately at the front of transfercase). Later the transfercase ripped out of the transmission because it was so heavy and it was unsupported correctly and was literally bouncing around. So I finally built another crossmember(added to the factory one that bolts to the adaptor) so now the transfercase is snug and it does not move at all now. Put my new alcans on and moved my axle forward so I had a brand new front shaft made with 10 inches of slip. Put it all together and put in 4wd and the same damn story. Any throttle in 4wd and it makes that horrible popping noise. I noticed that the front out put has a quite a bit of play when in 4wd(can turn it about a 5th of a revolution).On the street in 4wd it will pop a few times but once i get goin its fine and i can romp on it. If I go up a steep hill thats loose and roll (even if its in neutral or reverse) down using the brakes and letting the front tires slide a bit it makes that loud popping noise as well.The front axle was built by boyce and only has about 8K miles on it, I know its not the problem. I am truly stumped.....any advice would be great. I think I am going to hunt down a 241 and put an sye kit on it, but thats some coins and probably would have to modify the shafts again, which doesnt thrill me a whole lot. I dont know if I want to take apart the 203 either, mainly cause it has a million peices and I have the feeling that I wont find the problem anyways. Its my daily driver and performs just fine in 2wd So I dont want to tear it down and be in operable for a while.
 
Learn to use paragraphs ;)

Why do you have a 203 in an '89 Blazer?

Just because Boyce rebuilt your front end doesn't mean its not the culprit. First things first, check the pinion yoke for side to side and in/out play (it should have none). It should have a little rotational play because of the backlash in the gears and carrier.

I would blame something in the t-case too but it could be transmission :dunno:
 
i had a 203 and hated that thing. the worst part was that dang thing is so heavy and awkward its a pain to put back in the truck after working on it. id get rid of that boat anchor if i was you. somone might want it for a doubler
 
I checked the pinion for movement and theres none but there is some rotational play from backlash in the ring and pinion(normal amount). I didnt mean to come off like that about the axle, but ive looked at it and gone through it and everything is fine with it. When I got the truck, it had a th350 and 203 in it. Due to money reasons, I swapped in the 700r4 and kept the 203, also figured I would eventually do a doubler and its baically the same dimensions as a 203 itself so it would be ready to go. its heavy and a pain to move for sure. I am ready to ditch it, I would like to run the doubler since I am set but the kit and a 205 would set me back some coins.
 
I agree with the chain may be slipping. Is the t-case under warranty? You are CERTAIN you have the same gears in each dif? Silly question I know. I was glad to get rid of my 203 also. Twin stick 205 and I'm happy:wink1:
 
i too think it is the chain. same noise happened to me in '99 in a remote area in hunter ligget and my myself. i was not happy but i got it home.
 
did some reading today and came across an article:
"Many of you with 203s are running around without a front driveshaft and with the shifter in Hi-Loc since that’s the free method of overriding the full-time 4x4 feature. But after a while you’ll probably notice a clunk emanating from the case. Whether your rig is a Dodge, a Chevy, or a Ford, the NP203 will develop internal wear when subjected to this type of use. Minimal driving isn’t a problem, but continual driving in the Hi-Loc position without the front shaft installed causes the internal coupler on the differential to develop a lot of slop, eventually causing a banging noise and then destruction."
sounds just like what is going on with my transfercase. I wouldnt put it past the previous owner to have done this for a long time. Theres no telling what kind of life the 203 had before it was swapped into the blazer anyways. I was getting ready to hunt down a chain and replace it myself, but I just have the feeling its more than the chain and I dont want to dump anymore money into the t-case. Time to start pinching pennies for a doubler kit.
 
my transfer case was making this noise, I thought it was the front end for a long time because that is where it sounded like the noise was coming from, I guess it was just the front output, I never could find anything wrong with the front, my t-case finally grenaded this past weekend. got $15 bucks for it at the scrap yard LOL.
 
yea I was kind of thinking about trying to find another one, even though they go dirt cheap what are the odds of finding one that is in better condition. Unless I come upon a screaming deal, I think Im just going to sit tight and save up for a doubler kit.If I just sit tight and save my money, I will be able to do all of this at the end of the year hopefully. Wish I could do it now though, got a wheeling trip planned in a couple of weeks. I think Ill be ok for one more trip if I just take it easy and stay on the easier trails.
 
what are the chances of finding one in better shape? Pretty good I would think. I paid 75 bucks for a 203 after I blew mine up. I never opened my old one but I heard all kinds of stuff rolling around in it after I was done. Anyway new one is in the truck and working fine. Me and a buddy even farmboy engineered a twin stick design to eliminate that stupid stock shifter
 
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