NV4500 4X4 Need help, broke down on the side of the road.

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dwragon

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Ok, I am towing a midweight load, get to a light, go to pull of, grinding in all gears, switch to 4WD compound granny, will pull, apply gas, goes to grinding again,put into neutral, sounds normal. Put in gear, driveshaft is shuddering. Is this a broke clutch, input gear, or???
 

Erik the Awful

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Putting it in neutral decouples the tail shaft; the input and counter shafts still turn at engine speed. I'd suspect a broken tail shaft.
 

dwragon

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Got home, my brother in law drove a total of 400 miles to get me back home, so dont always say horrible things about your inlaws....Would that broken tailshaft be in the main case, or the 4wd unit?
 

dwragon

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Hi All, OK, so i am in a 1994 chevy 3500 4X4 dually NV4500 w/ OD 5th, go to pick up a woods B320 batwing bushhog with a utility trailer. We load the bushhog on the trailer, no park brake so i put the truck in 4wd low, and granny gear. I leave and get about 2 miles down the road (Really crappy Texas potholes turned upside down road where I had to engine brake on a few declines.) stop at a light, go to take off with normal ease, pop and grind, no truck movement. Finally put into granny gear and 4wd low, by caressing it I managed to crawl out of the intersection (Cop now on scene directing traffic.). After all the traffic passed put it back into granny gear and 4wd low, managed to crawl off the median by caressing it again about a quarter mile with a gentle slope downhill, matching engine rpm to my speed, shifted to 4th, still pulling, got it into a strip mall parking lot where there was an orealy's, where it again started the grind, driveshaft jerking back and forth, not turning.

Someone else here said it might be a broken shaft, but if so, is it in the main case or 4WD unit, or is it the center busted out of the clutch disk?
 

Schurkey

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How do you know the driveshaft is shuddering? You can't see it from the driver's seat when you're under load.

If the TRUCK is shuddering, I'd suspect a failed transfer case, but there's plenty of things it "could" be.
 

454cid

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What does a parking brake have to do with 4lo? Why were you in 4lo on pavement? We dont have center differentials that allow for fulltime 4wd operation. I've never been inside a transfercase to have an idea of what would break.
 

dwragon

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My truck has an 11 ft bed frame with an 8 ft utility bed on it, so I can later mount a welder and compressor, I looked through the back window while letting out the clutch to see if the driveshaft turned, to check if it was a busted rear end gear and saw the driveshaft shuddering. I am hoping it is just the center ripped out of a cheap clutch disc, and catching, but as it hasn't dropped down and causing vibration, I think it's inside the transmission not the transfer case but I have a spare transfer case to try tomorrow before I pull the tranny, to see the clutch disc.
 
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Schurkey

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1. Please don't start multiple threads for the same issue.

2. I'd remove at least the driveshaft, see if the splines on the yoke and output shaft are broken; and if the rear bushing is wiped-out. If that all looks good, you're probably gonna have to get someone to run the truck in gear while you listen for damaged parts at clutch/trans/transfer case. Or just remove transfer case for disassembly and inspection. If it's OK...remove trans for disassembly and inspection of trans and clutch.
 

Schurkey

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Please don't start multiple threads on the same issue.

No telling what broke. Listen to trans/transfer case/rear axle for noise while someone else operates vehicle. Or remove transfer case for disassembly/inspection. I suspect the transfer case is what shattered--but it could be the clutch, trans, or rear axle.
 

dwragon

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1. Please don't start multiple threads for the same issue.

2. I'd remove at least the driveshaft, see if the splines on the yoke and output shaft are broken; and if the rear bushing is wiped-out. If that all looks good, you're probably gonna have to get someone to run the truck in gear while you listen for damaged parts at clutch/trans/transfer case. Or just remove transfer case for disassembly and inspection. If it's OK...remove trans for disassembly and inspection of trans and clutch.
1, I didn't mean to, I couldn't find my original post, and this forum, to me is not set up very well, I would have set the areas up the same as a gm tech manual.
2. I will do what you said tomorrow, as I spent today's time getting head stripped bolts out of the rear end yolk today, as well as working on a multitude of other things on my farm.
 
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