Anyone ever heard of a MY 2002 + G500 transfer case going bad?

JCH4

Observer
Anyone ever heard of a MY 2002 + G500 transfer case going bad? I have the T/C neutral problem + diff locks will not engage. I have been dealing with this for a long time. The Mercedes dealership says we need a new transfer case for $6,500.00, however, I am worried this may not be the correct diagnosis. I have read numerous posts about the module and electronic motor but they are saying the actual $$$ transfer case. Any opinions, experience, or advice appreciated! I don't want to just throw $6,500.00 at it if not necessary. My G500 is 2003 with 155,000 miles.
 

NYCRover

Observer
A complete transfer case failure is somewhat rare from what I've heard, but the ones that have occurred happened in the 170k+ miles range. Most of the time a new transfer case module and motor seems to do the trick for the TC neutral issue. How do they know for sure it's the TC itself if they haven't tried the obvious fix? Anyways with yours being a '03, you should proactively replace these two items if it hasn't been done already.

Lastly on your diff locks- do you hear the vacuum pump going when the light on the diff locks are yellow? if they don't fully engage (turn red) but the pump is going, you probably have a vacuum leak somewhere. Does your center diff lock engage or is it all of them? sometimes the rear diff lock needs some slippage or takes some time to fully engage.
 

DUTCH

Curmudgeon
Since this forum is expedition focused, you may not get the most thorough answers to general repair questions here. Just a suggestion, but these kinds of questions will usually get more and better answers about repairs on a forum specific to the G-Class in general, like Pointedthree.com or others. P3 has been around for a long time and has a much more extensive archive of messages on a variety of repair subjects - including this one - than EP.
 
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McBride

Adventurer
Dutch's advice is good. If you are a new G owner and are in the process of learning about and sorting out your G (we've all been thru it) then you need to join up at P3 and get good at using the search function. You'll find an archive of threads and (commonly) photo DIY threads on just about any issue that has ever afflicted a G Wagen since its inception. It's a good group of guys and many of them are savant in their knowledge of all things G.

You'll get some good feedback on tech stuff here but not in the same quantity.
 

JCH4

Observer
Since this forum is expedition focused, you may not get the most thorough answers to general repair questions here. Just a suggestion, but these kinds of questions will usually get more and better answers about repairs on a forum specific to the G-Class in general, like Pointedthree.com or others. P3 has been around for a long time and has a much more extensive archive of messages on a variety of repair subjects - including this one - than EP.

Thank you. I will post there also.
 

DUTCH

Curmudgeon
One of the quickest way to see if the transfer case has gone bad would be to drain the oil and examine the magnetic drain plug for debris, followed by filtering the fluid through a clean piece of cheese cloth and look for particles there.
 

otiswesty

Regular guy
A guy in my area is selling one on Ebay right now out of a 2003. Let me know if you are looking for a good used replacement. Mileage on the donor vehicle is 132K.
I will be picking up some other parts from him tomorrow. Lucky to have some one parting out Gwagens around here.
 
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