FRT DRIVE SHAFT

[Hummie2]

Originally Posted by Drainbamaged

I busted my front Differential on sunday and I thought the same thing. Take the front Drive shaft off so i can make it home or to the shop. Well the bolts are only on the front differential side. The rear of the drive shaft is a slip yoke which if you take out will drain all the fluid out of the transfer case. I don't know about any other years but I would think that hummer wouldn't change the design and leave it the same for all years.

Did you actually try and pull the front shaft or just look and think it was a slipjoint similar to the rear shaft? On my '03 the front shaft has a male spline on the T-case end of the prop.shaft that engages an internally splined hollow output shaft of the of the T-case. I CAN pull the front shaft if necessary without loosing oil. I carry a "Limp Home Kit" just so I can pull the front prop.shaft and both halfshafts in case of a blown frontend. BE SURE to retain the front wheelhub bearings some way if you do pull the front halfshafts as the wheel bearings/seal assy. can seperate if operated without the halfshafts in place!

I still wouldn't recommend running without the front prop.shaft very long as the rear axle would be left to carry 100% of the load as opposed to its designed 60/40 torque split with the front axle. The H2 is a heavy truck and has a relatively light rear axle that would certainly wear much faster if left to handle 100% of the torque load. What gains in fuel economy (if any) would be more than offset by the costs of increased axle maintenance.

[JohnB.GWU.]

Originally Posted by Alan06SUT

We need the "beating a dead horse" icon on this forum. It wont do a damn thing. Its a brick and weighs a lot, and wont get "good" mileage no matter what. I also did the "maual hub conversion" on a 1975 K5. It had a full time NP203 Transfer case. I put in a kit that made the Tcase part time, and added warn manual hubs. The only difference was that the front tires didnt wear as much, but the rears probably wore down more. Mileage was the same.

I guess thats a somewhat definitive answer to the gas mileage argument of converting a full time 4wd system to part time.

I live in NJ and would not disable the full time 4wd feature but someone in a sunshine state perhaps, who doesnt always need 4wd could use such a conversion.

I bet if dealerships offered such a conversion, if GM let them or whatever, people could be talked into buying it.

Yes its heavy. Yes it has the aero of a brick. And yes all three of mine have never gotten over 12.8 avg mpg. but its a helluva lotta fun to drive, so who cares to sum it up. this is just a convo topic, not a war.

[Drainbamaged]

I just looked at it and figured that it was like my blazer which i did take the front drive shaft off and fluid poored out. If this is true then I could take my drive shaft out and drive the 15 miles to the dealer. It is an 03 and the Diff case just cracked open but it did not sieze or destroy the gears from what i can see.

[OrangeCrush]

Originally Posted by Hummie2

I carry a "Limp Home Kit" just so I can pull the front prop.shaft and both halfshafts in case of a blown frontend. .

How do you drive the truck without the front shaft? I removed mine when I was trying to find a vibration problem thinking I could drive it down the road and eliminate one more problem but it wouldn't go into gear.

I know there is a way to trick the truck into driving without a front driveshaft, I just don't know how.

Mark

[drmiles]

You have to switch the transfer case to 4 high lock. Other wise the front shaft just spins without the front driveshaft connected.