I undertook a GMT800 project...

[Fless]

This seems like the perfect situation for Go Fund Me.

 

[iamdub]

The gas cap thread was me lol. Ended up returning the new one, I was able to just replace my stock seal on it cause I did t want to replace that whole assembly just so the stupid hanger plug thing would fit.

I thought it was a change in the threads and the new caps wouldn't thread into the filler neck due to the design change. If it's just the tether, that's the least of my concerns. I have thin stainless cable and aluminum beads to make a quick and permanent solution for that! So, you found direct-replacement caps? Have a part number handy?

 

[ivin74]

This seems like the perfect situation for Go Fund Me.

X2

 

[iamdub]

That was probably the pigtail from the encoder motor. Any chance the connector is good, or even there? If so, maybe I could look at one here to see what the internal connections are.

The connectors have a body attachment above the front propshaft and slightly to the left of the tcase; someone probably didn't re-attach it and it got caught in the propshaft, which is always turning (except when stopped and in tcase neutral, I think).

So, there's a short double-ended harness that one end plugs into a socket on the encoder and the other end plugs into that vehicle/body harness?

I felt down inside where the wire was coming out of that top left corner of the encoder but couldn't tell what I was feeling for. I assumed that part was hard-wired with the pigtail coming out with the connector to the body harness. Someone's been in there before and that's exactly what happened- it wasn't properly routed or secured and the wire snagged the U-joint and was reeled in.

 

[Fless]

So, there's a short double-ended harness that one end plugs into a socket on the encoder and the other end plugs into that vehicle/body harness?

I felt down inside where the wire was coming out of that top left corner of the encoder but couldn't tell what I was feeling for. I assumed that part was hard-wired with the pigtail coming out with the connector to the body harness. Someone's been in there before and that's exactly what happened- it wasn't properly routed or secured and the wire snagged the U-joint and was reeled in.

The encoder pigtail is hardwired through a rectangular rubber strain relief. I don't know how the connections are made inside the housing.

Added pic:

 

[iamdub]

I don't think the encoder motor would/should cost you much at a yard. You can get the internal encoder ring and rebuild that part yourself if it's defective, but the motor itself would have to be good. I see rebuilt ones online for $110 to around $300, so they're not cheap. Dorman is the only place I know that you can get a new one.

I'm sure it worked before because he told me how he realized that, while driving it on the highway back from where he bought it, he had it in 4 HI. He said he put it back in 2WD and by the time he got home, it wouldn't go back into 4WD any more. No lights or anything. I'm thinking the PO had the O2 sensors replaced and they mis-routed the wires, and somewhere along the trip home is when the harness snagged the prop shaft.

If we find an encoder motor from the salvage yard, I'll compare the guts to make sure it looks as good or better than the original. A new one is definitely not in the budget. Really, 4WD isn't even needed and he's focusing his funds elsewhere. This is just one of the items I wasn't so sure about and wanted to be well-prepared for when we hit up the 'yard.

 

[iamdub]

The encoder pigtail is hardwired through a rectangular rubber strain relief. I don't know how the connections are made inside the housing.

Added pic:

View attachment 224164

That clears it up. I need to find the whole assembly. Thanks for the help!

 

[Fless]

Pull the encoder motor before going to the junk yard and look at the part that the motor turns (green square in the picture). It'll either be star-shaped or have two flat sides. The older ones have the flats; his is probably the star-shaped style.

 

[iamdub]

Pull the encoder motor before going to the junk yard and look at the part that the motor turns (green square in the picture). It'll either be star-shaped or have two flat sides. The older ones have the flats; his is probably the star-shaped style.

View attachment 224165

...And thanks yet again!

That surely would've been my luck- unknowingly getting the wrong one.

 

[Doubeleive]

did you check the wheel hubs? i'm guessing those may be questionable based on the condition of said project.