mccustomize
Explorer
Do you still have the rubber boot for the slip yoke on the tcase output? Mine flapped around making a clicking sound upon the initial drive.
Our Dual-Sport GMC Sierra
- Thread starter chaos616
- Start date
amgvr4
Adventurer
Looks good. This is pretty similar to what I just did on my f250. I think you could go with a 500/400 for your springs and be pretty happy. I have 450/400 on my super heavy diesel and they are a little soft in transitions but spot on other wise. They gave me exactly the ride hight and travel I wanted. I have 5" of up and 7" down. If you are looking for a great deal on bigger tires I would recommend the newer 37" military take offs. They are great tires and an unbeatable price. It is still pretty easy to find 16.5 aluminum wheels for next to nothing on Craig's list. Having just completed my swap I know how rewarding it is to finally be done with a project of this magnitude. It is fun to go back through your thread and remember what it was like when it seemed it would never be done! Keep up the good work. We like 'um built not bought!
chaos616
Adventurer
ober27, thanks I am, i'm pretty happy with how it all came out in the wash.
mc, no i don't, i have already swapped it for the np261 with the northwest fab kit on it, which is the other issue, its leaking a tiny bit right at the seal, not sure what that means. The northwest fab SYE is a nice bit of machining, however i don't particualarily like the seal system, but how else would you do it really, hopefully i can find out today what the issue is.
toyotech, yes I am getting H1 24 bolt paired rims with E range bfg baja military take offs 37" tall, They should fill it out all pretty nice i was thinking.
amgvr4, hey impressed with your setup on your obs, very nice. Interesting your using lightish springs, I think i'm going to definitly swap, currently i have 450/650, the 450 is fine, but I think i need either a 550 or a 600 because 650 is way way to stiff. You said it in the last two sentences, there were times and occasionally still are when i feel it'll never really be done (true to a point) but at least I can hopefully wrap up the suspension some time in the next decade...
Cheers, i will update more as i change things, and if anyone has any suggestions as to the t-case issue please let me know. I know Larry posted here a bit of into on t-cases I wish there were more options than are available, i just like the strength of the bigger t-cases but non of them come with solid yoke hardly. Eventually maybe my best bet is if i do the cummins 12v swap I will get a 2wd transmission and then do a divorced t-case (np something or other maybe doubler if I feel the need, well see).
mc, no i don't, i have already swapped it for the np261 with the northwest fab kit on it, which is the other issue, its leaking a tiny bit right at the seal, not sure what that means. The northwest fab SYE is a nice bit of machining, however i don't particualarily like the seal system, but how else would you do it really, hopefully i can find out today what the issue is.
toyotech, yes I am getting H1 24 bolt paired rims with E range bfg baja military take offs 37" tall, They should fill it out all pretty nice i was thinking.
amgvr4, hey impressed with your setup on your obs, very nice. Interesting your using lightish springs, I think i'm going to definitly swap, currently i have 450/650, the 450 is fine, but I think i need either a 550 or a 600 because 650 is way way to stiff. You said it in the last two sentences, there were times and occasionally still are when i feel it'll never really be done (true to a point) but at least I can hopefully wrap up the suspension some time in the next decade...
Cheers, i will update more as i change things, and if anyone has any suggestions as to the t-case issue please let me know. I know Larry posted here a bit of into on t-cases I wish there were more options than are available, i just like the strength of the bigger t-cases but non of them come with solid yoke hardly. Eventually maybe my best bet is if i do the cummins 12v swap I will get a 2wd transmission and then do a divorced t-case (np something or other maybe doubler if I feel the need, well see).
calicamper
Expedition Leader
Geeze that thing is going to be a Crawler in disguise. LOL
Hey before you mess with the weight of the springs / leafs pack some weight in it see if that changes the dynamics your not going to be doing big trips empty with no gear.
Hey before you mess with the weight of the springs / leafs pack some weight in it see if that changes the dynamics your not going to be doing big trips empty with no gear.
chaos616
Adventurer
amgvr4, yeah i did pick some up already, but since i'm from minnesota, its pretty close to there, I may have to stop by and pick some tires up next time i get near that part of the country, would be nice to not pay shipping anyway. Thanks for that and I willk try them next time.
calicamper, its like those sleeper things, except not fast but gnarly, i like it. Good point on that, i will throw my winch on the front and my junk in the back and well test it out, at least that way i'll know if i do want to go a bit softer but more exactly how much.
Cheers,!!!
calicamper, its like those sleeper things, except not fast but gnarly, i like it. Good point on that, i will throw my winch on the front and my junk in the back and well test it out, at least that way i'll know if i do want to go a bit softer but more exactly how much.
Cheers,!!!
chaos616
Adventurer
divega, thanks i appreciate it!
Issues:
1: the main springs in the dual rate system are a bit stiff making it difficult to flex fully, will try softer springs
I'm thinking even with the suggestion of try with weight, which i will I will probably go to a 550 as it is really pretty stiff, upon another attempt to flex it wont go past 3" away from the bump stop.
2: added a leaf in the rear, also a bit stiff, will get the rest of the stuff added and see how stiff it still is
3: transfer case (np261 with Northwest fab SYE) started making some noise like a clicking on rotation, not sure will investigate ore tomorrow
Ok, it wasn't the transfer case thankfully, wasn't looking forward to another teardown. What was clicking was the brakes, so the inner brake pads sit in their little slots in the trunion and get pushed on by the caliper, well there are anti rattle clips to go there, opps, shoulda installed them, the brake pad was clicking just a little. Got them installed and all is well. That being said the transfer case is still leaking out the front output shaft seal and i will fix soon.
4: may need some tuning on the fox shocks to get the damping correct, will fix with time and testing
5: abs (need to get tone rings and stuff to complete)
I have read things about this, anyone have any good suggestions, dlux fab has a good kit, although fairly pricy, otherwise you can get the sensors and rings, any suggestions on how to mount the sensors on the spindle, i have googled and it seems the dlux fab kit is one of the nicest.
6: 4x4 auto system needs to be shut off but I need to figure out the wiring for the 4 lo to get it to work proper
The t-case does have another sensor so i think i just need to jump it to the harness to get the system to ground out in 4 lo.
7: yukon hardcore lockouts work but don't engage smoothly like they are just stiff
????????????????????????????????????, i have no clue any experience with these anyone?????
Issues:
1: the main springs in the dual rate system are a bit stiff making it difficult to flex fully, will try softer springs
I'm thinking even with the suggestion of try with weight, which i will I will probably go to a 550 as it is really pretty stiff, upon another attempt to flex it wont go past 3" away from the bump stop.
2: added a leaf in the rear, also a bit stiff, will get the rest of the stuff added and see how stiff it still is
3: transfer case (np261 with Northwest fab SYE) started making some noise like a clicking on rotation, not sure will investigate ore tomorrow
Ok, it wasn't the transfer case thankfully, wasn't looking forward to another teardown. What was clicking was the brakes, so the inner brake pads sit in their little slots in the trunion and get pushed on by the caliper, well there are anti rattle clips to go there, opps, shoulda installed them, the brake pad was clicking just a little. Got them installed and all is well. That being said the transfer case is still leaking out the front output shaft seal and i will fix soon.
4: may need some tuning on the fox shocks to get the damping correct, will fix with time and testing
5: abs (need to get tone rings and stuff to complete)
I have read things about this, anyone have any good suggestions, dlux fab has a good kit, although fairly pricy, otherwise you can get the sensors and rings, any suggestions on how to mount the sensors on the spindle, i have googled and it seems the dlux fab kit is one of the nicest.
6: 4x4 auto system needs to be shut off but I need to figure out the wiring for the 4 lo to get it to work proper
The t-case does have another sensor so i think i just need to jump it to the harness to get the system to ground out in 4 lo.
7: yukon hardcore lockouts work but don't engage smoothly like they are just stiff
????????????????????????????????????, i have no clue any experience with these anyone?????
87GMCJimmy
Adventurer
Looks AWESOME!!!!! Now definitely a expo/crawler rig once you get some bigger tires!!!! Making me really wish I still had my '07 so I could copy your build!!!!!
chaos616
Adventurer
Hey Mike!
87, thanks, yeah it should be good when i get it all worked out.
ISSUE:
***8: Alright I am putting this here to see if anyone has had any or similar issues to what I'm experiencing.
For starters, both my ABS and 4x4 are not hooked up, as in the e-tcase is not hooked up and the ABS is unplugged at the frame. While driving the truck around town (the transmission level was pretty good as far as i could tell) the truck was fine except for some dash lights. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary except downshifting in 4Lo caused the truck to bounce on the drivetrain, as in the torque converter seemed like it was engaging and disengaging every second or so.
Moving on, test highway drive, all is well (2HI) until about 40 miles on when the engine light came on, RPM's went up and transmission started heating up more than it really should have. I have a larger transmission cooler on the truck so it never got over 200 and stayed around 180. Stopped in next town as I assumed transmission fluid was low. Went to turn off the highway and the truck shifted really hard (research later told me it was the truck transmissions safe mode so it didn't slip anymore than it had to). Once it was shut off for a bit and restarted all was well again. Jumped on the highway was ok for about 5 minutes and the RPMS again jumped, truck shifted really hard and transmission was warm.
Got to destination and picked up some transmission fluid, parked truck for night and checked next day, was maybe a little low but nothing too concerning, filled 1.5 qt (later to find this was about 1 qt too full) Truck acted exactly the same on the way back home. By the way these transmissions are difficult to get a good acurate reading on for level of fluid.
At home did a bunch of research and kept testing and asking around, figured out it might be the torque converter. Code P0894 (Torque Converter slip detected) code is the engine code that poped up. Seems like you can feel it slip in OD at speed, but not driving around town. Is definitly slipping though with the higher RPM and emergency mode the transmission goes into.
Symptoms worsen with a few drives around town, starts doing it more often. Drained all the transmission fluid and everything looked really good, no burnt smell or dark colors. Looked at and tested Torque converter solenoid and it was functioning properly, new seals and put it all back together and checked transmission fluid level 3 times. Its good. Same symptoms.
I started going through possible sensors, like hooking up the leads (tone ring pickups) on the abs wiring, ABS warning light came back on after a bit but truck acted exactly the same. Then I decided to hook up all the 4x4 e sensors like the transfer case shift motor assembly and front differential electric servo as well as the push buttons inside. Went to test drive and now the torque converter sounds like a really squeaky dry clutch rubbing when taking off from a stop. Never made that noise before I hooked up the 4x4 components.
So: I know i might be missing something but what. I like the 4L80E fine but prefer a manual transmission anyway. As far as I'm concerned there are too many electronics on this transmission anyway and am considering taking the whole thing out and putting in a nv4500 for now so at least i can reliably drive the truck. That being said has anyone had this issue after a SAS and with this setup. Is just a torque converter to blame or is it more electronic based. Seems odd everything would work perfectly beforehand and all of a sudden it would fall apart so badly. Also has anyone swapped in a NV4500 and how hard is it. Seems like i will be droping some money on the swap but otherwise its pretty elementary. Anyone have a nv4500 they wanna trade for a 4l80E?
87, thanks, yeah it should be good when i get it all worked out.
ISSUE:
***8: Alright I am putting this here to see if anyone has had any or similar issues to what I'm experiencing.
For starters, both my ABS and 4x4 are not hooked up, as in the e-tcase is not hooked up and the ABS is unplugged at the frame. While driving the truck around town (the transmission level was pretty good as far as i could tell) the truck was fine except for some dash lights. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary except downshifting in 4Lo caused the truck to bounce on the drivetrain, as in the torque converter seemed like it was engaging and disengaging every second or so.
Moving on, test highway drive, all is well (2HI) until about 40 miles on when the engine light came on, RPM's went up and transmission started heating up more than it really should have. I have a larger transmission cooler on the truck so it never got over 200 and stayed around 180. Stopped in next town as I assumed transmission fluid was low. Went to turn off the highway and the truck shifted really hard (research later told me it was the truck transmissions safe mode so it didn't slip anymore than it had to). Once it was shut off for a bit and restarted all was well again. Jumped on the highway was ok for about 5 minutes and the RPMS again jumped, truck shifted really hard and transmission was warm.
Got to destination and picked up some transmission fluid, parked truck for night and checked next day, was maybe a little low but nothing too concerning, filled 1.5 qt (later to find this was about 1 qt too full) Truck acted exactly the same on the way back home. By the way these transmissions are difficult to get a good acurate reading on for level of fluid.
At home did a bunch of research and kept testing and asking around, figured out it might be the torque converter. Code P0894 (Torque Converter slip detected) code is the engine code that poped up. Seems like you can feel it slip in OD at speed, but not driving around town. Is definitly slipping though with the higher RPM and emergency mode the transmission goes into.
Symptoms worsen with a few drives around town, starts doing it more often. Drained all the transmission fluid and everything looked really good, no burnt smell or dark colors. Looked at and tested Torque converter solenoid and it was functioning properly, new seals and put it all back together and checked transmission fluid level 3 times. Its good. Same symptoms.
I started going through possible sensors, like hooking up the leads (tone ring pickups) on the abs wiring, ABS warning light came back on after a bit but truck acted exactly the same. Then I decided to hook up all the 4x4 e sensors like the transfer case shift motor assembly and front differential electric servo as well as the push buttons inside. Went to test drive and now the torque converter sounds like a really squeaky dry clutch rubbing when taking off from a stop. Never made that noise before I hooked up the 4x4 components.
So: I know i might be missing something but what. I like the 4L80E fine but prefer a manual transmission anyway. As far as I'm concerned there are too many electronics on this transmission anyway and am considering taking the whole thing out and putting in a nv4500 for now so at least i can reliably drive the truck. That being said has anyone had this issue after a SAS and with this setup. Is just a torque converter to blame or is it more electronic based. Seems odd everything would work perfectly beforehand and all of a sudden it would fall apart so badly. Also has anyone swapped in a NV4500 and how hard is it. Seems like i will be droping some money on the swap but otherwise its pretty elementary. Anyone have a nv4500 they wanna trade for a 4l80E?
chaos616
Adventurer
Hey Henryj, Yeah I considered that and replaced the VSS and nothing really changed to be honest. I was thinking maybe it was a bad reading causing the transmission to think it was slipping, however now with the loudish scraping noise (sound of a very slipping clutch) and the VSS changed I don't think its that. What i am having issues with is figuring out how the PCM uses all these sensors, its like data goes into the PCM and then magic comes out. It could unfortunatly be 1 of 20...30...maybe more sensors, i have no clue.
That being said, i have taken the plunge and gone for a NV4500 completely rebuilt new, have the rest of the parts and will do the swap in the next couple of weeks. I will update with issues. This will aliviate two things, 1, the transmission issues with sensors and stuff. 2, the 4Lo working correctly as now it does not matter.
Bad thing is it will hopefully not cause the engine to go wacky (I will have it tuned for a manual vehicle tune) but I don't know yet. Pretty excited as I have always loved Manual vehicles.
Cheers,
That being said, i have taken the plunge and gone for a NV4500 completely rebuilt new, have the rest of the parts and will do the swap in the next couple of weeks. I will update with issues. This will aliviate two things, 1, the transmission issues with sensors and stuff. 2, the 4Lo working correctly as now it does not matter.
Bad thing is it will hopefully not cause the engine to go wacky (I will have it tuned for a manual vehicle tune) but I don't know yet. Pretty excited as I have always loved Manual vehicles.
Cheers,
chaos616
Adventurer
Ok, I have some updates, and I have some pictures of the build, not many as I was rushing to get things done for the trip to TX, however I do have some "glamour" shots of today, as we went in the hills to try everything out...we promptly drove up a hill and got stuck.
Here are a couple of the truck:
Here was teh first challenge, a small but fairly muddy hill that was really washed out, there was a nicer path but that wouldn't be so fun would it.
Then I let brittany drive and spotted for a bit.
Then brittany got us stuck, we were unstuck at this point, the rear end got stuck in that big ditch.
Then we used the winch and got unstuck, worked well, thankfully there was a tree nearbyish, the tree is in the picture off in the distance a bit.
some shots in the river (hey its as good as it gets here in nevada
Had to try a few little hills, This one was about 4' high at about 45 degrees, short but good.
Then brittany wanted a pretty picture
So far the truck has reacted well to the changes, cruise doesn't work cause i didn't hook up the clutch switch yet, mostly cause i'm still figuring it out.
NV4500 is awesome, its real robust, i asked about it more and it seems it was from a commercial grade (gmc 4500 or 5500???) truck and shifts in kind. It shifts smooth, but fairly slowly, it drives like a truck transmission,
I recieved my front driveshaft, and it seems to work well, maybe a bit short, but it will be fine as I exteneded it another 6" and it was still engaged. The lockouts were not engaging right, so I opened them up, come to find i put way too much grease in them and after them being cleaned out and only slightly greased they work much much better.
I will get the pictures up soon of the build process just having a tough time finding my cable to get the pictures off my phone.
Cheers,
Here are a couple of the truck:
Here was teh first challenge, a small but fairly muddy hill that was really washed out, there was a nicer path but that wouldn't be so fun would it.
Then I let brittany drive and spotted for a bit.
Then brittany got us stuck, we were unstuck at this point, the rear end got stuck in that big ditch.
Then we used the winch and got unstuck, worked well, thankfully there was a tree nearbyish, the tree is in the picture off in the distance a bit.
some shots in the river (hey its as good as it gets here in nevada
Had to try a few little hills, This one was about 4' high at about 45 degrees, short but good.
Then brittany wanted a pretty picture
So far the truck has reacted well to the changes, cruise doesn't work cause i didn't hook up the clutch switch yet, mostly cause i'm still figuring it out.
NV4500 is awesome, its real robust, i asked about it more and it seems it was from a commercial grade (gmc 4500 or 5500???) truck and shifts in kind. It shifts smooth, but fairly slowly, it drives like a truck transmission,
I recieved my front driveshaft, and it seems to work well, maybe a bit short, but it will be fine as I exteneded it another 6" and it was still engaged. The lockouts were not engaging right, so I opened them up, come to find i put way too much grease in them and after them being cleaned out and only slightly greased they work much much better.
I will get the pictures up soon of the build process just having a tough time finding my cable to get the pictures off my phone.
Cheers,
Larry
Bigassgas Explorer
Wow! Somehow I missed the updates you posted up in December. Awesome, just awesome!
That front 10.5” axle is so drool worthy. It makes a Dana 60 look like a Dana 30. Seems like my 10.5” 14 bolt drags on something just about every time I am on the trail, especially when aired down. Anxious to hear if there are clearance issues when using it on the front. Also anxious to see how the interior shift levers came out. Good call on moving to a NV4500 and manual tcase. Doubt you will regret that…ever!