JoeBlow

My Special Lady Friend took her 01 Tahoe in for an oil change. It has over 200 Kilometers on it so figure 140-160,000 miles. The Jiffy Lubers tried to convince her that her trans case fluid was horribly overdue.

I just sold a 96 Silverado with 245,000 on it and I never changed the fluid.

I was told by a mechanic at an Isuzu place (the trooper had a Chevy drive train) that the trans case never needed changing because there were no combustive by products in it (as there are in motor oil) and that there are no materials floating around (as there are in automatic trans - clutch material so I am told).

My new ride (2001 Silverado with 156,000) is also 4WD.

SO THE QUESTION IS>>>> Do you guys change your transfer case fluid? What gear weight oil is it? Is there an upper (fill) and lower (drain) plug in it? Is it a major pain or fairly easy? Do you think that those guys from that cult actually got to go for a ride on Hale-Bopp??


Inquiring minds want to know since we plan on keeping both trucks a long time.

THanks.

Jeff Lebowski.

Doug Roberts

YouTube Chevy tranfercase bro there's a fix you should do and then flush/fill

cleveland63b

wow whoever you talked to needs some education, yes you need to flush your Tcase just like any other fluid

Oils breakdown and depending on the tcase nowadays there can be clutches inside them.

if i remember right GM recommends every 50k you change the fluid, personally I'd say you got very lucky you didnt have any problems

JoeBlow

Well, IIRC, the trooper had a mechanical box with gear lube as opposed to the Auto Box on the Tahoe and Silverado, so perhaps he was correct.

At any rate, I used the VIN number and the dealer to determine which fluid the truck takes. Her truck has the electric T-Case WITH the AUTO selector button so it takes a specific fluid. AUTO TRAK II. If your truck doesn't have the AUTO (round) button I think it takes AUTO TRAK I.

Your best bet is to take the VIN to the dealer. The fluid was $8.00/litre and it takes 1.9 litres.

I also did the fuel filter since they are located right next to one another.

Easy jobs. One hour total time and that was working on my back, vehicle on the ground and two frosty pops. Plus, I am old and slow. You will need a plastic plunger pump to get the new fluid in.

Have fun.

Doug Roberts

Should have look for the video now you will get a hole in

JoeBlow

I wasted a half hour looking for a YouTube vid only to find one that offered next to nothing in the way of substance.

So, I drained and refilled the case. I have no idea what repair you're talking about.

Doug Roberts

Took 3 sec lol but ok I seen this and waiting to do mine

Doug Roberts

Chevy and GMC Transfer Case Problem - YouTube

elkhornsun

The dealer will know which fluid to use and will recycle the fluid as well. The transmission is every 100k miles.

Never trust a quick lube place with anything, even putting the correct amount of air in your tires.

If you plan to keep these vehicles for as long as possible you need to maintain them properly and that means taking the time to read the owners manuals and if you do not have them then download them.

With every new vehicle I put together a maintenance summary chart with all that needs to be done at each service interval and also keep a separate sheet that details at what mileage various things were done like replacing filters, spark plugs, belts, hoses, etc. as it is usually better to plan these maintenance activities in advance, buy the parts, and then install them at the right time to avoid breakdowns on the road.

goldengirl5

Oils breakdown and depending on the tcase nowadays there can be clutches inside them.