Chevy Blazer Owner Seeks Advice with Troublesome Transfer Case

Chevrolet Blazer has four-low, but the high gear of the four-wheel-drive system won’t engage.

If you aren’t into fishing, hunting or hiking, the best way to enjoy the great outdoors is to go off-roading in your four-wheel-drive Chevy truck or SUV. Regardless of where you live, the odds are good that you don’t have to drive far to find some mud, sand, rocks or woods to conquer. Unfortunately, the one downside to going off-road is mechanical failure, which can happen without notice.

That is exactly what happened to “Alejandro Maldonado” when he took his Chevrolet Blazer out for a day in the dunes. While playing in the sand, he got stuck and after he was pulled free, the four-wheel-drive system wouldn’t go into high gear. Unsure of the problem, he turned to the forum for more help.

Chevrolet Blazer Problem

When the OP introduced his problem to the forum, he provides some brief details on what he was doing when the four-wheel-drive system in his Chevrolet Blazer started acting up.

So I took my blazer out to some sand dunes ,and it was going fine , I got stuck and got pulled out , but afterwards High gear didn’t want to engage, only 4×4 Low? What happened? Did something break ? Is it an expensive fix?

The OP also included a picture of his Chevrolet Blazer stuck in the dunes with a rescue vehicle arriving to lend a hand. Unfortunately, once the Chevy SUV was free, four-wheel-drive high gear would not engage and he doesn’t know why.

So far, the only person to reply asked if the Blazer has a mechanical or electronic transfer case, but no ideas have been offered thus far.

What Might Have Happened?

Based on the information provided, it seems that one of two things happened to this Chevrolet Blazer. While romping through the sand dunes, something could have happened that damaged some portion of the four-wheel-drive system. This would explain why the vehicle got stuck to begin with, as losing four-wheel-drive in deep, loose sand would definitely cause a problem.

The other possibility is that when this Chevrolet SUV was being pulled free of the sand dune, something was damaged that rendered four-high inoperable. Of course, there is also the option that the four-wheel-drive failure isn’t connected to the off-roading fun or the emergency pull, and it just happened to fail during this trip to the dunes.

In any case, the OP needs help diagnosing a four-wheel-drive problem, so if you are familiar with common issues with the Chevrolet Blazer drive train, click here to visit the thread and help this member.

Photo: courtesy of Alejandro Maldonado

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Patrick Rall

"Before I was old enough to walk, my dad was taking me to various types of racing events, from local drag racing to the Daytona 500," says Patrick Rall, a lifetime automotive expert, diehard Dodge fan, and respected auto journalist for over 10 years. "He owned a repair shop and had a variety of performance cars when I was young, but by the time I was 16, he was ready to build me my first drag car – a 1983 Dodge Mirada that ran low 12s. I spent 10 years traveling around the country, racing with my dad by my side. While we live in different areas of the country, my dad still drag races at 80 years old in the car that he built when I was 16 while I race other vehicles, including my 2017 Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat and my 1972 Dodge Demon 340.

"Although I went to college for accounting, my time in my dad’s shop growing up allowed me the knowledge to spend time working as a mechanic before getting my accounting degree, at which point I worked in the office of a dealership group. While I was working in the accounting world, I continued racing and taking pictures of cars at the track. Over time, I began showing off those pictures online and that led to my writing.

"Ten years ago, I left the accounting world to become a full-time automotive writer and I am living proof that if you love what you do, you will never “work” a day in your life," adds Rall, who has clocked in time as an auto mechanic, longtime drag racer and now automotive journalist who contributes to nearly a dozen popular auto websites dedicated to fellow enthusiasts.

"I love covering the automotive industry and everything involved with the job. I was fortunate to turn my love of the automotive world into a hobby that led to an exciting career, with my past of working as a mechanic and as an accountant in the automotive world provides me with a unique perspective of the industry.

"My experience drag racing for more than 20 years coupled with a newfound interest in road racing over the past decade allows me to push performance cars to their limit, while my role as a horse stable manager gives me vast experience towing and hauling with all of the newest trucks on the market today.

"Being based on Detroit," says Rall, "I never miss the North American International Auto Show, the Woodward Dream Cruise and Roadkill Nights, along with spending plenty of time raising hell on Detroit's Woodward Avenue with the best muscle car crowd in the world.

Rall can be contacted at QuickMirada@Yahoo.com

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