'99 qx4 transmission troubles

[di_rosa]

hi,

i have a '99 qx4 4wd with ~200,000 kms that is making noise from the transmission/transfer case mainly in 1st gear (low speed) even on decel. it's kind of like a grinding/clunking. once it shifts to 2nd, no more noise. i had it up on the hoist and confirmed the noise location roughly to the transmission/transfer case.

another thing to note is that all 4 wheels will spin whether it's in 2wd or 4wd (lights indicating on the dash do show 2wd, but all 4 wheel spin. is that normal?

my friend (mechanic) said he things the solenoid is stuck to switch it into 2wd, and for me to take it to a transmission shop. i'm gonna have them take a look tomorrow, but want to know your expert opinions first.

thanks

[Issac]

Only a beginner here-I would see what the experts have to say tomorrow.But the simple things to check, would be- Is there oil in the transfer case? They had some leaking issues (recall?) a while back. Mine was a inch low when I opened it. No prob, but down.

Also the forces are highest in first gear.

The 4 wheels turning I am not sure what you mean. Like 4 wheel burnout? Or when you turn the front wheel the back turn? The front differential turns when the front wheels turn always. It should not turn the back wheels in 2 wheel drive, but the front wheels will turn the driveshaft on the front.

And also simply check your universal joints. This is enough miles to be due for certain. If you get vibrations at higher speeds, you might look there. Grab and feel for play. Don't need to jack it up even. 5 minutes, all directions.

[di_rosa]

i mean when the car was on the hoist i started it, put it in drive, and all 4 wheels would move, whether it was in 2wd or 4wd

i looked around the transfer case, there were no signs of oil

and i double checked the u-joints to see if they were loose or have any play, no dice

[fueler]

sounds to me like its stuck in 4wd

[di_rosa]

i brought it to Diamond Transmission, and they said it's common on these cars, the transmission cooler plugs up, and grenades the transmission. first thing to go are the planetary gears, which is the light grinding noise i'm hearing mainly in 1st gear, because that has the most load on it.

so, assuming i caught this early enough, what do you think the chances of the transmission lasting long enough if i do a filter, flush and fill, and get an aftermarket oil cooler?

he said it's ~$3k to rebuild, not exactly what i have laying around