4 Wheel Drive/SUVs: Grinding when going into 4 wheel high, transfer case, rig

Question
I slipped my 1994 suburban into 4 wheel high tonight and going in and coming out of 4 wheel drive it made an aweful grinding noice. Its been doing this off and on for years. Whats going on?

Answer
Billings,

I'm assuming that you are talking about going into low range, and out.  If your rig is an automatic, you need to slow down to 1-3 mph, shift the tranny into neutral, and shift the transfer case into low range rather fast.  This usually will help the transfer case shift smoothly.  Some manufacturers recommend coming to a complete stop before you shift into low range.

If you are talking about high range, then you have a gear, or synchro problem in the transfer case.

See if you can locate an owner's manual, and see the recommended method of shifting your vehicle into low range.

Carl