When your front wheels engange it should lite up your 4-WD light on the floor. More than likley what is wrong is that your thermal actuator has gone bad. So you'll need to replace them you can buy one from the stealer for about $130 or a "posi Lok" from a 4-WD mag. I bought the one from the stealer and it was a cinch to replace.

 

I read in a magazine or somewhere about how those year model truck wont engage except for about after 5 seconds or so of driving cause that actuator has to warm up,and if you wait till after you get stuck, then your sh*t outa luck and there is some mod you can buy to install on the truck, to where when u shift to 4wheel drive. Its engaged right then.Cant remember where i saw it. Just engage well before you get stuck or go thru anything serious. Just lock it in, and then go.
Derek

 

Make sure you get an electric actuator, vs. your old thermal type. The electric ones are not as prone to failure as the thermal ones are.

 

For the small-ish difference in price, I'd personally go with the posi-lock which is a mechanical linkage between a control knob mounted in the cab and the front differential... This gives you ultimate control over when the front differential engages and when it does not engage...

Electrical is "ok" but you still have to worry about the connections corroding, etc... With the posilock you can still rig it to engage even if the cable would happen to break in order to get you out...

 

yeah i was in the same position more or less about a year ago and i decided toi go with the posi-lok...i am very impressed with it. If i ever own another CDS IFS trick i am definately going to toss the posi-lock in it.

 

Kain is wrong (not bashig just being straight forward), maybe someone gave you the wrong info but my truck engages no matter if it moves or not, once in a long while it wont proparly engage (will start spinning the rear only and some thumping noise will be heard) but as soon as you stop it'll pop in, kinda sucks but not too concurned, like kain said, it takes about 5sec to engage.
i still have the factory thermo so i can't voice my opinion on any other two.
when you shift the t-case don't put it in nutral, eather a gear, any gear or P, and don't be spinning tires till it engages, you can also shift on the fly, as long as both axles move at the same speed you can shift in at 80mph if you wish to (DANGER!! DO NOT ATTAMPT TO SHIFT INTO LOW RANGE AT ANY SPEED BUT 0 mph - just in case).
the florecent (sp?) orange colored thing you have for the rear drive is supposed to show up under front too when it engages.
and your truck is a K2500, K stands for 4x4, C stands for 2wd.

 

Well, guess i used my words the wrong way. I know it'll engage stopped or rolling. Just that, when u shift, it wont actually engage till like 3 to 5 sec where the front wheels will actually lock in. I'll start being a lil more carefull as to what i say and how i say it. But I guess its the posi-lok that you can install to where it locks in then with no 3 to 5 sec wait? Is that correct?

Derek

 

That is correct the posi-lok will do that but so will the new electric actuator. I upgraded mine to the electric one and it works great no problems. I talked to several of my friends who work full time on full sized chevys that are used most only on dirt roads and they have used both options in the past and they perfer the electric ones. But personally I'd save my money and buy the electric one. It works great.

 

My actuator went out last winter. I went to the stealer and bought the replacement electric one and its been fine ever since. Thanks to the help of those on here I was able to get this fixed in my own garage without much trouble. That brown wire can be a pain, especially if the wires on your transfer case are caked with mud/dirt/grime.

 

on my 95 tahoe shift in the floor. when i put it in 4 low in nuetral it sometimes grinds gears. why does it do that if it has to warm up and then go in. most of the time when i out it in 4 low i have to put it in park. but 4 hi i usually just roll

 

The grinding is the gears in the t-case, has nothing to do with the front axle disconnect. I have always stopped, shifted into neutral, and shifted the t-case into 4 lo, then went, never had grinding or any problems.

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bigred, if you read your owners manual it says not to shift from HI to LO in neutral, i put it in park, but you can do it in any gear you want to as long as its not neutral. the grinding noise is coming from the t-case as you try to bash spinning gears together.

willis, man or auto tranny?

 

well i dont let it set there and grind but when putting it into 4 low from 2 wheel or 4 hi i put it in park

 

4l80e auto and thats what I do when shifting from 2hi to 4lo.

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make sure to throw the lever really quick don't hesitate.

 

well maybe it differs form a truck to a truck, ive got to fight my lever to get it into LO, but rearly use it, 4 HI though i could shift it in with my pinky now, used to have to fight that too.

 

Hmm, mines nice and smooth for all of the ranges. Just used to drive me nuts waiting for that gollly gosh darn front end ot engage

.

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I know I've been over this before, but I forgot. :\
Since the idiots at aammco transmission rebuilt it, it won't [censored] into 4hi while rolling or any movement... You have to stop and QUICKLY throw it much like 4LO... Otherwise it won't go in and just GRRRRRRRRIIIIIIINDDDS. Pisses me off, oh ya, 95 Hoe 4L60E, all stock. Any idea what ain't quite right here? Last time I tried it which was like a year ago it went in if I stopped like I said.

 

Hmm, I never tried shifting into 4hi while rolling. I just put the truck in neutral and shift into either 4hi or 4lo, never had a problem.

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Huuh? Not even on the road while at 50mph? Did all the time in Washington whenever ya got to a snowy/icey road...