ferm/spare, got a tahoe question
 

i've got an 02 4wd 5.3 tahoe. been hearing about "pump rub" problems in the transfer case. seems the pump rubs a small hole in the case, oil leaks out and transfer case implodes. they make a wear plate to prevent this from happening. with 185,000 miles and 12 years old, do i need to be proactive on this, because reactive is a lot more money?
thanks

its not as big an issue on the half tons as it is with the hds, but it is a known problem area. i have the plate in mine, and wouldnt take a chance and not run one. that being said, i know trucks with well over 250k miles and never even had the fluid changed. if you do put one in, you will need the plate, a tube of grey rtv, transfaer case mounting gasket, and an output shaft seal.

had to replace a case half on mom's 03 5.3 suburban.... used an aftermarket improved case ....

If you park in a clean garage and keep an eye out for drips on the floor you don't need to worry as much... it will usually only be a few drops at a time but eventually the case is empty and that is when it dies.
Check your fluid level once in a while.. only takes a couple minutes

mine has 180,000 now and as far as i know its oringal. no problems so far.

got up under there while they were changing the oil, no leaks , no drips, no errors. as my mech if we need to go ahead and out in the plate at this point. he said he had not seen that many with this issue and like smoke said, keep an eye on the ground where i park.

we'll see

It's not a huge issue with gassers, but it IS a big problem for diesels.

I live in flat lands, the only thing I own that 4wd is the buggy