Transfer Case Actuator Motor? i have no clue.

[Blake A]

My 4wd is clicking on and off when I'm in four high. I hear an actual audible click and see the light on the dash go off. Is this the little motor on the back of the transfer case or something bad?

 

[albi1cnobi1]

I could be the motor. The motor has a plastic stop bumper inside that gets brittle and breaks sometimes, causing the motor to "lose it's place" so to speak. But if you're shifting in and out 4wd ok then that's probably not the issue. There are 2 relays in the dash behind the radio, one is the TOD(torque on demand) relay and the other is the 4wd shift relay. The TOD relay is a solid state(electronic) relay so it doesn't click when it engages or disengages so the 4wd shift relay could be the culprit. One other thing it could be is the contact plate on the shift motor or the connector at the t-case could be corroded. The easiest fix would be to pull the connector apart and hit it with some contact cleaner and see if that helps. Good luck and keep us posted.

 

[Blake A]

Is that the connection between the wires of the motor to the Tcase? or do i need to pull it apart?

 

[albi1cnobi1]

Yeah, it should be a square 16 pin connector. There is a catch on one side you have to push in to pull it apart. It's right next to the shift motor.

 

[Blake A]

Okay ill try that as soon as i can, if it doesn't work ill have to let my mechanic look into it. But it ends up being the Tcase motor i can get one for about $70, not a bad price in my opinion.
Thanks for the advice!

 

[albi1cnobi1]

If that's not it and you can get a motor for $70 I would try the new motor. The only other possibility is the shift relay, but that's less likely. Another possibility(however it's not very likely) is the GEM(generic electronic module). And that can be had for around $15 at a u-pull it or $25-30 from a vendor here on the forum.