4 Wheel drive

[2003 4X4 S10]

My 4 wheel drive is now not workin at all....any suggestions??

[jman85]

your not gonna like this but buy a dodge diesel best trucks ever made

[sas10]

3 problematic areas of the s10 4x4 system would be all the vacuum lines. they run from driver side valve cover to top of t case then back up front to vacuum actuator. way to check if its a vacuum line is if your heater direction control is working. put it on feet and if it blows out every where a vacuum line is leaking. second area in the 3 problems would be the vacuum switch on top of the t case. 3 lines plug in to it on top. the switch has sometimes rust and stick. u can pull it out and see if the ball on the bottom moves. there stiff but still should move. third common problem would be the vacuum actuator under the bat. box is leaking.

those are 3 common problems. i would guess one of these 3 is causing the problem. hope this helps

[2003 4X4 S10]

Well if I get a Diesel it will b. A DURAMAX son...Durasmacks it Cummins lacks it...lol

Nd idk if its a vacuum issue....see a few weeks ago I cranked my t bars nd the cv axles slung a bunch of grease out...I cranked my bars b ack down of couarse...u think that might hav anything to do with it??

[Theory_EK]

Quote: Originally Posted by 2003 4X4 S10

Well if I get a Diesel it will b. A DURAMAX son...Durasmacks it Cummins lacks it...lol

Nd idk if its a vacuum issue....see a few weeks ago I cranked my t bars nd the cv axles slung a bunch of grease out...I cranked my bars b ack down of couarse...u think that might hav anything to do with it??

Probably not....Its probably the rubber is torn on the vacuum actuator under the battery. Just remove the battery and battery tray and check.

[jman85]

I donno my dads had three cummins power out da ass n last forever my dad toys with powerchokes n duramax's

[sas10]

Quote:

Nd idk if its a vacuum issue....see a few weeks ago I cranked my t bars nd the cv axles slung a bunch of grease out...I cranked my bars b ack down of couarse...u think that might hav anything to do with it??

your CV axles will work with out any grease... not for long but they will work so that's not really an issue of the 4x4 not working. might wanna look into getting new boots tho. like Theory_EK its probably the vacuum actuator under the bat tray. vacuum is very problematic. i have no idea why this is blue an underlined....i tryed to fix it after i copied theroy_EK's name and now this is how it looks lol.

[sas10]

well it was blue on my screen... but its a link to theory_ek's profile..it dont do in now so all better.

[Theory_EK]

If your boots are torn its easier to just replace the axles.

[2003 4X4 S10]

Quote: Originally Posted by Theory_EK

If your boots are torn its easier to just replace the axles.

Ok ill check that acuator tommorro...nd its under the battery tray??

nd yeah im gonna replace the whole axle if i do it...just cuz u gotta take it out to do the boots anyways so might as well save some future hassel nd change the axle...haha

[Theory_EK]

Quote: Originally Posted by 2003 4X4 S10

Ok ill check that acuator tommorro...nd its under the battery tray??

nd yeah im gonna replace the whole axle if i do it...just cuz u gotta take it out to do the boots anyways so might as well save some future hassel nd change the axle...haha

Yep just disconnect the battery. On mine it has one bolt holding a wedge in place against the battery undo that to get that battery out. Then theres gonna be like 3 1/2" bolts on the battery try. Undo those and pull the battery tray out, then you see it.

It'll probably look something along the lines of this:
http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=...1t:429,r:0,s:0

[2003 4X4 S10]

Aight thanks alot man...im gonna check it out when I get home...chances r that's what it is cuz someone mayb u was sayin the heater controls wouldn't work properly if it was tore or bad, nd when I put the heat on the floor it still blows out the vents nd very lil out on the floor! Ha so hopefully that's it...then ill proly change my cv avles next...

[2003 4X4 S10]

How much vacuum should i hav at the selonoid thats in the top of the t case?? Anyone know? My acuator looks fine but there is no vacuum gettin to it...so i checked at that switch and there is very VERY little there...i mean like almost no vacuum...

[sas10]

well u should get a good bit. like u should be able to feel it sucking. well if your heater controls arent working then its for sure a vacuum leak. trace the vacuum hose from the tcase switch to the motor and look for a hole or burn mark. mine always burnt right behind the block in front of the firewall. somewhere in that area. i would check while the truck is running so u can feel the leek. the vacuum all starts on the driver side valve cover so worst comes to worst start there and work from there. good luck

[2003 4X4 S10]

I found the line off the throttle body that runs to that t that is beside the abs moduel...it was all dryrotted, so I replaced nd I got the heater controls workin but so far still no 4wd...so im gonna trace the line that comes off the t case nd check it out...cuz there is very little vacuum at that solenoid on the t case....cuz there was no vacuum at all at the acuator...nd that solenoid is what sends the vacuum there....

[sas10]

when i had vacuum problems i replaced the vacuum line to the t case then from the t case to the actuator. my lines looked pretty bad. so im guessing that could be an issue with your truck

[2003 4X4 S10]

Quote: Originally Posted by sas10

when i had vacuum problems i replaced the vacuum line to the t case then from the t case to the actuator. my lines looked pretty bad. so im guessing that could be an issue with your truck

You would b correct! just found my problem...i had a huge gaping hole rubbed in the vacuum line to the t case! i spliced it together for now...but im gonna replace them all here pretty soon cuz they are pretty rough lookin!!

[sas10]

thats good you got it fixed! 4x4 and blower controls now. always happy to help and now that u basicaly checked every thing im sure u learned alot about the vacuum controled 4x4 system. thats how i learned just by going through it to find the problem. nothing like learning hands on.

[2003 4X4 S10]

Quote: Originally Posted by sas10

thats good you got it fixed! 4x4 and blower controls now. always happy to help and now that u basicaly checked every thing im sure u learned alot about the vacuum controled 4x4 system. thats how i learned just by going through it to find the problem. nothing like learning hands on.

That's exactly right I sit n my auto classes n college nd read books nd listen but I don't "learn" anything til I get to actually do it! Lol and yes heater controls work nd all! Thanks for all ur help! Very informative! I crawled out from under my truck pretty much black nd feelin victorious! Lol my uncle kept sayin replace that switch n the t case...nd I was like that ain't the problem there's no vacuum!! Lol so I had my dad blow on the lines til I found a hiss! Lol

[gvano24306]

I Had this same problem, S10 forum for the WIN! I have an '03 S10 PU.

The rubber "boot" over my 4WD actuator was torn, thus no vacum to pull the cable to the front drive train. It was VERY easy to fix, took about 2 hours. (coulda taken less if I had prepped the battery resraint bolt with WD40 the day before)

It was easy to diagnose to the actuator or vacuum leak. If your push button lights are changing normally and you can hear the celenoid engage in the xfer case; and using the proper method, (check your owners manual for process) put your truck in 4 low. If everything works except the front end does not engage; you probably have a vacuum leak.

My actuator was just worn out. After seeing the 'boot' torn on the actuator, the problem became immediately apparent. I bought the replacement at O'rielys for $50. Part#600-102.

Amazon.com: Dorman 600-102 4WD Actuator: Automotive

Amazon.com: Dorman 600-102 4WD Actuator: Automotive

This is an easy "do it yourself" fix for an amateur mechanic... First, prep battery restraint bolt with WD-40 a day in advance. (save yourself some cussing) There is a square bolt in the wheel well, this is the bottom of the battery restraint bolt. You may have to get a freind to hold this bolt while you removing the top nut. Then remove the battery. There are two bolts holding the battery tray to the front body behind the headlight. Remove these. Pull the battery tray, and there's your actuator. If the 'boot' is torn, it will be immediately apparent.

Remove the actuator bracket by removing the two restraining bolts from the wheel well. The rest is gravy and self explanitory...

After zooming up a snowy grade in 4WD, I had my confermation that the issue was resolved...

Good luck and stay tuned...

[rsw912]

ive kinda got the same problem but i have vacuum at the canister under the hood but when i shift into 4wd still not vacuum at actuator and i have already replaced the switch on transfer case! But if i hook up the line for the canister to the actuator The 4wd will start working. what do i look for the there. The cable or what?

[J_SIN]

start a new thread. you'll have a lot better odds getting help.

[sas10]

Quote: Originally Posted by rsw912

ive kinda got the same problem but i have vacuum at the canister under the hood but when i shift into 4wd still not vacuum at actuator and i have already replaced the switch on transfer case! But if i hook up the line for the canister to the actuator The 4wd will start working. what do i look for the there. The cable or what?

sounds like vacuum leak between canister and switch or switch and actuator.

[ace_cobra]

So what could it mean if am always getting vacuum at the actuator. I also removed the switch on the tcase, and it stops vacuum and allows vacuum correctly. Could it be internal with the tcase?

[sas10]

if the switch is new and operating correctly and there is still vacuum at the actuator in 2wd the part in the tcase that pushes on the ball on the bottom of the switch might need adjusted if it has adjustments.

[ace_cobra]

and what exactly is that peice?

[sas10]

its a piece of steel that has a low and high spot on it, it rolls under the switch pushing up on the ball at the bottom of the switch. or it can allow the ball to drop. this is what stops and allows vacuum to pass through going to the actuator.

[squarehead]

Just bought an '03 ZR2, and been having issues with popping and banging from my front end. doesn't do it in a turn like CV joints, but a lot when taking off from a light after re-engaging 4x to get moving across the intersection. And when going down the road w/ 4x engaged, it will sometimes pop in a very consistent, evenly spaced time period. about every 5 seconds. And it doesn't do it all the time. Had it back in to the dealer I bought it from, and no noise. Even took the mechanic for spin and couldn't get it to do it. Picked it up today and it started again ten min. out from shop!! Going back in Monday to try and get it to do it again with a mechanic in the truck. Any thoughts? I'm wondering if the 4x is engaging/dis-engaging causing it to bang. When re-engaging as I am still rolling up to a light at about 15-20mph, I've noticed it sounds like it goes in a little hard. Not bad, but noticeable. Thanks!!