Chevy & GMC Vans

The last couple of weeks I’ve been getting the dreaded clicking from the tccm on startup. This hasn’t been every day and the service light has also been occasional. The weather is calling for a Nor’easter on Wednesday so I figured I’d take a look.
Dropped the front prop shaft and pulled the encoder motor. On the work bench I pulled the gasket/spacer and found the standard scale buildup. Removed all of that the other a putty knife. I scored the face making two lines so I could reorient the motor indent. I poured a couple of oz’s of light machine oil into the recess. I worked the mechanism stop to stop with a 1/2” ratchet for a minute or so. Reassembly was fine except for the prop shaft. With the van in the air you can turn the front wheel to reorient the flange. With all four wheels on the ground you have to take a couple of stabs at the proper placement on the splines to match the bolt holes on the flange.
Ignition on and no clicking so here’s to hoping that’s all it needed was a little TLC.
Two wheel Gravely maintenance tomorrow and I’ll be ready for the 6”-12” they are calling for

Hi Captain,

Good job on that encoder.

I hope to spend more time and $ with my 2003 Astro in Jan and Feb. 2021.
4.10 re gear from 3.42 to better spin the 30” tires. And Eaton tru Trac Torsen style in rear.

Merry Christmas

AP

I LOVE TRUETRAC!!! 4.10 re-gear sounds nice. I’ve got the 3.73’s which work pretty good. Maybe one day I’ll lift the van high enough to fit 33”s and will re-gear with 4.56’s
Or just enjoy what I have and stop looking for ways to finally find out just how far you can go before it blows up in your face

Hi Captain,

In mid March, I have an appointment to have my 2003 Astro re-geared from 3.42 to 4.10, and Eaton Tru Trac added to rear. Daylight savings time starts 14 March so the shop will have more daylight.
The weekend before the re gear, I need to remove the 3 aluminum skid plates , front approach plate, front diff, and T case to save them some wrenching time.

Astrophysics