Well 6 months later I ended up taking this one back apart. The input shaft bearing snap ring groove in the front case half had slack in it causing a small rub issue that was putting aluminum into the fluid. I pulled it back apart and put a new front case half along with all new snap rings and a new pump. I also missed showing that the snap rings for the input shaft and the front output shaft have a groove in them at the ends that must be oriented correctly to allow the fluid past them. Make sure if you are doing this to keep an eye for detail. Most of the snap rings just go on any way but those two are special. This case had over 200k miles and the previous owner never serviced it is why so much was bad inside it.
Thanks for putting this together. I attempted to put an NP243 6-pinion planet into an NP261. It fit, but I discovered that the output shaft front end was too large to fit into the NP243 bearing in the planet so I ended up putting my 261 planet back into it. I didn't bother attempting to swap output shafts. And then I discovered that my chain/sprockets were too loose, so it's coming apart again to replace that. :-( I stayed with the 261 chain, but maybe I'll try to 243 to see if it's any tighter.
So the only different parts needed are the 261/263 chain and sprockets, 261/263 oil pump and pickup, and the 6 pinion planetary? The rest were replaced because of wear, correct?
I used the 261/263hd chain and sprockets because they are thicker than the light duty chain and sprockets. The oil pump needs to match the spline of your main shaft I believe there is a 32 and a 49 spline pump. Also your speedometer tone wheel must also match your main shaft 32 or 49 spline.
So if you buy a new main shaft make sure the oil pump and speedo gear you are planning to use match the spline count of the main shaft. The input shaft must match what trans you are using. There is one for a 4l60 and one for a 4l80. I used the 6 pinion planetary which is also a hd part. The light duty uses a 4 pinion planetary gear
Hey Billy, im kinda trying to do the same thing you did. So i have a question for you. Is it possible just to swap the inputs shafts from the 1500 on to a 2500 case? That way a can just use a complete 2500 case with just changing the input so it will work with my 1500?
Yes you just swap that input shaft and you will have everything already. I would do the merchant automotive pump or the pump saver plate while you are in there to stop the pump rub issue tho.
i have a 2004 Silverado 2500hd. when i push the 4 wheel high button or low button the light will blink, the motor will move and then reverse and the light will go out. It does not go into 4 wheel h or 4 wheel low and will not go into Neutral .
The snap ring that's goes at the rear of the case wore the back half of the case on this one. This case had 223,000 miles on it and wasn't serviced by the previous owner. I replaced the rear case half and ended up buying new snap rings because these where all worn and didn't fit snug.
@@thatturbotruck Toward the end of the video, you pointed out unused splines on the old shaft and no splines on the new shaft and noted that the old snap ring wouldn't fit over that spot and that you were going to get a new (bigger) one to fit. But then we didn't find out what happened. Your comment in the video essentially said that the ring was "too snug" but your comment above says the "ring was not snug enough" and now I'm even more confused.
@@alafrosty I see now. There was a small piece of video that I took showing that and it was corrupt so I lost it. The snap ring did end up working it was just really tight compared to what it was on the original. (Probably because the original was worn out). I learned on these to buy new snap rings. I guess they lose tension after being installed and removed a few time. That and my snap ring pliers sucked so I had to keep trying to get them off. The new snap rings fit a lot better than the originals did. They fit the grooves nicely compared to the worn out ones. I will have to borrow or buy a GoPro for the next one I do so it's easier to see the entire build.
@@thatturbotruck Thanks a lot. I kinda figured that was the case, but didn't want to assume. I really appreciate you taking the time to shoot it and post the video. Thx.
@@gmcsierraz7173 output shaft is the same on 1500 and 2500 version the input shaft is separate from the output. So the 1500 and 2500 driveshaft yokes will both fit it.
@@gmcsierraz7173 is it the one on the output shaft bearing that you rove the rubber cap to access? If so that's the output shaft retaining snap ring. It's kind of an odd looking one. Or is it another one?
Well 6 months later I ended up taking this one back apart. The input shaft bearing snap ring groove in the front case half had slack in it causing a small rub issue that was putting aluminum into the fluid. I pulled it back apart and put a new front case half along with all new snap rings and a new pump. I also missed showing that the snap rings for the input shaft and the front output shaft have a groove in them at the ends that must be oriented correctly to allow the fluid past them. Make sure if you are doing this to keep an eye for detail. Most of the snap rings just go on any way but those two are special. This case had over 200k miles and the previous owner never serviced it is why so much was bad inside it.
Thanks for putting this together. I attempted to put an NP243 6-pinion planet into an NP261. It fit, but I discovered that the output shaft front end was too large to fit into the NP243 bearing in the planet so I ended up putting my 261 planet back into it. I didn't bother attempting to swap output shafts. And then I discovered that my chain/sprockets were too loose, so it's coming apart again to replace that. :-( I stayed with the 261 chain, but maybe I'll try to 243 to see if it's any tighter.
Great work!!
Slowly working in it. It will get better with time 👍
So the only different parts needed are the 261/263 chain and sprockets, 261/263 oil pump and pickup, and the 6 pinion planetary? The rest were replaced because of wear, correct?
I used the 261/263hd chain and sprockets because they are thicker than the light duty chain and sprockets. The oil pump needs to match the spline of your main shaft I believe there is a 32 and a 49 spline pump. Also your speedometer tone wheel must also match your main shaft 32 or 49 spline.
So if you buy a new main shaft make sure the oil pump and speedo gear you are planning to use match the spline count of the main shaft. The input shaft must match what trans you are using. There is one for a 4l60 and one for a 4l80. I used the 6 pinion planetary which is also a hd part. The light duty uses a 4 pinion planetary gear
Luckily I just finished building an np263 for a customer so this is fresh on my mind lol
Hey Billy, im kinda trying to do the same thing you did. So i have a question for you. Is it possible just to swap the inputs shafts from the 1500 on to a 2500 case?
That way a can just use a complete 2500 case with just changing the input so it will work with my 1500?
Yes you just swap that input shaft and you will have everything already. I would do the merchant automotive pump or the pump saver plate while you are in there to stop the pump rub issue tho.
Thanks for the info!
i have a 2004 Silverado 2500hd. when i push the 4 wheel high button or low button the light will blink, the motor will move and then reverse and the light will go out. It does not go into 4 wheel h or 4 wheel low and will not go into Neutral .
That's probably the transfer case encoder motor.
That's usually what happens when they go bad and they are fairly common.
Currently have it trouble with the s spring on output
What happened with the snap ring in the end? Did you just use the old one, or was a new one actually larger?
The snap ring that's goes at the rear of the case wore the back half of the case on this one. This case had 223,000 miles on it and wasn't serviced by the previous owner. I replaced the rear case half and ended up buying new snap rings because these where all worn and didn't fit snug.
@@thatturbotruck Toward the end of the video, you pointed out unused splines on the old shaft and no splines on the new shaft and noted that the old snap ring wouldn't fit over that spot and that you were going to get a new (bigger) one to fit. But then we didn't find out what happened. Your comment in the video essentially said that the ring was "too snug" but your comment above says the "ring was not snug enough" and now I'm even more confused.
@@alafrosty I see now. There was a small piece of video that I took showing that and it was corrupt so I lost it. The snap ring did end up working it was just really tight compared to what it was on the original. (Probably because the original was worn out). I learned on these to buy new snap rings. I guess they lose tension after being installed and removed a few time. That and my snap ring pliers sucked so I had to keep trying to get them off. The new snap rings fit a lot better than the originals did. They fit the grooves nicely compared to the worn out ones. I will have to borrow or buy a GoPro for the next one I do so it's easier to see the entire build.
@@thatturbotruck Thanks a lot. I kinda figured that was the case, but didn't want to assume. I really appreciate you taking the time to shoot it and post the video. Thx.
Do you know if the 32 spline will drop right into the 1500 t case without any other mods?
Yes it will
No problems with the driveshaft ?
@@gmcsierraz7173 output shaft is the same on 1500 and 2500 version the input shaft is separate from the output. So the 1500 and 2500 driveshaft yokes will both fit it.
@@thatturbotruck thank you for the replies!
What’s the U clip in the rear case called?
Not a snap ring. I believe Its a oil pump clip? It’s in the little groove right in the beginning of rear case
@@gmcsierraz7173 is it the one on the output shaft bearing that you rove the rubber cap to access? If so that's the output shaft retaining snap ring. It's kind of an odd looking one. Or is it another one?
@@thatturbotruck it’s another one. The closest one I can that looks similar is the oil pump clip. Mine looks like it was cut in half.