towing with chevy 4x4

northstar1960 · 09-02-2015, 02:27 PM

A bit of info for anybody towing or driving a chevy or gmc 4x4
there is a little issue called pump rub . In the transfer case there is a pump to push fluids around after time where the pump is held in place with the rear transfer case cover it Will wear through creating a hole in the cover .
You will lose all your oil and ruin your transfer case .
I was lucky in that it must have just occurred . I was under the truck getting ready to replace the rancho 9000 front shocks that went bad [under warranty ] i noticed oil from the transfer case back . pulled the fill plug off and was able to get in about 3/4 of a qt . wiped all down went for a short drive and again oil dripping on the right side of the case . It took awhile and after a internet search found this pump rub problem . Sure enough went out and found a pin hole in the rear case just where they said it would be .
i was lucky i did not ruin the transfer case . ordered the parts and a fix for the issue so it won't ever happen again . $465. for everything to do the job .
could have gone cheaper but felt this kit was the best option from merchant automotive . new rear case , pump fix and all the seals and gaskets need to complete the job .

Soa heads up for anyone towing or driving a 4x4 chevy with some miles on it . even the diesels have this issue

KenHwy61 · 09-02-2015, 02:54 PM

Thanks for the info. I had the pump rub problem on my 04 2500 and it cost me $2000 for a new transfer case and had to wait for weeks because of short supply. This affects GM trucks from 1997 until the 2007 model change. This is a common problem that is usually goes unnoticed until it is too late and usually after the warranty is expired. This also has to be a huge money maker for GM as well. There must be 100s of thousands of these trucks each with a transfer case destined to fail. More info here.

SilveradoSierra.com • Transfer Case Pump Rub Statistics : Transmission/Drivetrain

fvstringpicker · 09-02-2015, 03:12 PM

Check with Merchants Automotive for an transfer case pump upgrade kit. Its about $75.

northstar1960 · 09-02-2015, 08:25 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by fvstringpicker

Check with Merchants Automotive for an transfer case pump upgrade kit. Its about $75.

that alone will do you know good if you have the hole in the case . i ordered the whole kit . it will be great preventive maintenance

northstar1960 · 09-02-2015, 08:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by KenHwy61

Thanks for the info. I had the pump rub problem on my 04 2500 and it cost me $2000 for a new transfer case and had to wait for weeks because of short supply. This affects GM trucks from 1997 until the 2007 model change. This is a common problem that is usually goes unnoticed until it is too late and usually after the warranty is expired. This also has to be a huge money maker for GM as well. There must be 100s of thousands of these trucks each with a transfer case destined to fail. More info here.

SilveradoSierra.com • Transfer Case Pump Rub Statistics : Transmission/Drivetrain

never heard of it before yesterday . i was the lucky one and caught it before all the oil was pumped out . got the unit out today and all looks good other then the hole in the rear case .
i could have gone a cheaper route but feel i will have this truck awhile and don't want to do this again

18CrewDually · 09-02-2015, 09:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by northstar1960

never heard of it before yesterday . i was the lucky one and caught it before all the oil was pumped out . got the unit out today and all looks good other then the hole in the rear case .
i could have gone a cheaper route but feel i will have this truck awhile and don't want to do this again

By chance did you capture any pics? l guess I can Google it for some images.

northstar1960 · 09-03-2015, 11:02 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 05CrewDually

By chance did you capture any pics? l guess I can Google it for some images.

pulled the transfer case out yesterday . did not take pics but you can look it up . It's how i found out . went out and sure enough a pin hole right where it was shown on-line . put a small screwdriver right through it making a pin hole into one about a 1/8" with no effort . Again i was one of the lucky ones that caught it right as it happened . perfect time for the shocks to go bad other wise i might have missed it and had to get a whole new transfer case .
sucky part is i have to wait till the parts come before i can get it back together . would be here monday but with labor day i'll be waiting till tuesday . time to replace all the u-joints in the drive shafts

18CrewDually · 09-03-2015, 12:26 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by northstar1960

pulled the transfer case out yesterday . did not take pics but you can look it up . It's how i found out . went out and sure enough a pin hole right where it was shown on-line . put a small screwdriver right through it making a pin hole into one about a 1/8" with no effort . Again i was one of the lucky ones that caught it right as it happened . perfect time for the shocks to go bad other wise i might have missed it and had to get a whole new transfer case .
sucky part is i have to wait till the parts come before i can get it back together . would be here monday but with labor day i'll be waiting till tuesday . time to replace all the u-joints in the drive shafts

I don't know what year yours is but the newer Chevy trucks I've done ujoint on with the aluminum driveshaft had clip less caps from the factory. To remove them you need to heat up the ears to melt out the nylon that was injected at the factory to retain the ujoint caps. While still warm the old ones will press out easily. The new joint will utilize clips.

No more shoveling · 09-03-2015, 08:14 PM

To all you Chevy owners, there is a shop here in Hastings NY called North Country Gear. The guys that work there are former New Process Gear people and they specialize in GM transfer cases. New Process Gear was the OEM supplier to GM for transfer cases until Magna Corp. bought them out and moved all manufacturing and assembly to Mexico. These guys have replacement parts and complete transfer cases to sell. I believe they do have a web site and I'm sure they would be less expensive then a GM dealer.

2012 Ram 3500 Limited 6.7 Cummins
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f5moab · 09-03-2015, 09:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by KenHwy61

Thanks for the info. I had the pump rub problem on my 04 2500 and it cost me $2000 for a new transfer case and had to wait for weeks because of short supply. This affects GM trucks from 1997 until the 2007 model change. This is a common problem that is usually goes unnoticed until it is too late and usually after the warranty is expired. This also has to be a huge money maker for GM as well. There must be 100s of thousands of these trucks each with a transfer case destined to fail. More info here.

SilveradoSierra.com • Transfer Case Pump Rub Statistics : Transmission/Drivetrain

Money maker for GM? They did not make the transfer case. Maybe they should have forced New Venture into a customer satisfaction recall and they failed on that.

I can see New Venture gear making money on the selling of replacement cases, and I can see dealer mechanics, and aftermarket mechanics making money on the repair.

KenHwy61 · 09-03-2015, 09:32 PM

I assumed the Chevy dealer gets their OEM parts from GM but I could be wrong. What bothers me most about this is the fact auto makers continue to build vehicles, some times for years, with components they know are prone to failure.

fvstringpicker · 09-03-2015, 11:19 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by northstar1960

that alone will do you know good if you have the hole in the case . i ordered the whole kit . it will be great preventive maintenance

Is there any chance you can have the pin hole welded?

No more shoveling · 09-04-2015, 06:19 AM

Sorry F5moab but these transfer cases were a GM design not a New Venture gear design. We had to build to GM specs. There were many issues we were concerned with on GM cases but their engineers wanted it their way. Now all their cases are manufactured and assembled in Mexico. The only smart company ( Chrysler ) would not move there transfer case business to Mexico. They moved it to Borg Warner. Fords heavy duty transfer cases were also moved to Mexico but I believe once the contract with Magna Corp. ended Ford pulled out of Mexico leaving only GM.

No more shoveling · 09-04-2015, 06:24 AM

fvstringpicker if you have the magnesium case, which is the one with the most issues I would not try to weld the pin hole. Have you ever seen magnesium burn ?

f5moab · 09-04-2015, 06:53 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by No more shoveling

Sorry F5moab but these transfer cases were a GM design not a New Venture gear design. We had to build to GM specs. There were many issues we were concerned with on GM cases but their engineers wanted it their way. Now all their cases are manufactured and assembled in Mexico. The only smart company ( Chrysler ) would not move there transfer case business to Mexico. They moved it to Borg Warner. Fords heavy duty transfer cases were also moved to Mexico but I believe once the contract with Magna Corp. ended Ford pulled out of Mexico leaving only GM.

Read what I wrote. All I did was question the fact someone said it was a money maker for GM. I did not question who designed it, or where it was made.

If NVG made the case, and replacement cases were supplied by NVG which I assume there were, then GM only made a parts retainment fee as the unit passed through GM parts. Dealers made money if they did the replacement. But many replacement cases were probably purchased (not sure) from places other than GM, and replacements were done by non-OEM mechanics.

Still not sure why Mexico was even noted. Especially since in my case, the two silverados I have owned, both made in MX, have had better quality than any of my past GM vehicles; other than my 2003 Vette, that were made in the states.

Have a nice day....

muddyrode · 09-04-2015, 07:09 AM

never heard of it either got 218,000 miles on my 98 and still going strong just starting to show a little rust but it's the old truck and it gets used and abused these days
it the (farm truck)

northstar1960 · 09-04-2015, 10:51 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 05CrewDually

I don't know what year yours is but the newer Chevy trucks I've done ujoint on with the aluminum driveshaft had clip less caps from the factory. To remove them you need to heat up the ears to melt out the nylon that was injected at the factory to retain the ujoint caps. While still warm the old ones will press out easily. The new joint will utilize clips.

That i know been that way on chevys for a couple decades at least . the rear on my truck has clips the front needed to be heated ,did that last night

northstar1960 · 09-04-2015, 10:55 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by fvstringpicker

Is there any chance you can have the pin hole welded?

That might fix the leak but not all the wear that took place inside . since it all has to come out and apart it's new rear case and pump plate up grade so it won't happen again . the truck only has 120,000 i expect to use it another couple yrs before i up grade

hollandti · 09-04-2015, 01:42 PM

Thanks Northstar for the info, although I can say I was a little uptight until I checked mine at daylight this morning. My 2006 Durmax did not have a hole. I got my parts coming to replace mine as well. Although it was a toss & turn night, I still "Thank You" for the heads up. I wish you a ton of luck getting yours back together soon!

northstar1960 · 09-04-2015, 06:38 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by hollandti

Thanks Northstar for the info, although I can say I was a little uptight until I checked mine at daylight this morning. My 2006 Durmax did not have a hole. I got my parts coming to replace mine as well. Although it was a toss & turn night, I still "Thank You" for the heads up. I wish you a ton of luck getting yours back together soon!

your welcome. it's good to know these things before all hell breaks loose and you get stranded on the road with a 2000 dollar +++ bill . i wish i had known about this , i would have taken care of it yrs ago . but again lucky in the way it happened to me and spreading the word will help save some soul from being stuck on the road . i think spending the money and getting it taken care of is a must do, no since taking chances
Glad i could pass on some info to help . just waiting on parts now . it's was about 3 hrs getting the unit out . so how they call it a 3 hr job is beyond me . new u-joints while i'm at it , a good clean under the truck and painting all rusted parts like drive shafts ,and transmission support plate etc . make it better then when you start

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