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Bulgaria, Sofia
1 Level
686 Review
77 Karma

Review on πŸ”§ Dorman 600-903 Transfer Case Shift Motor for Compatible Car Models by Tim Bunker

Revainrating 1 out of 5

Great replacement. Just not very much

I bought this to replace the transfer case motor on my 2006 Envoy XL. I think the problem with my original motor was actually the encoder (included with the motor but replaced separately). My symptoms were that every time I went from 2 wheel up and then back again, the next time I started the car the transfer case selector said I was in neutral when actually it wasn't. Also, I've noticed that if I put the transfer case in neutral and then raise the rear end and spin the tires, I hear a grinding noise in the transfer case, like it's not quite in neutral. I once tried putting the transfer case in neutral, then started the car and put the transmission in gear and then reverse, and again lots of grinding from the transfer case. I'm pretty sure I could just replace the encoder, but at almost $80 for the encoder I figured I'd just replace the whole motor since the original was pretty rusty anyway. It's been almost a month and all the symptoms are gone. The installation is quite easy. Simply disconnect the wiring harness and unscrew the 4 screws to remove the original. It's easily accessible and really hassle-free. Just remember to set the transfer case to 2 wheels before removing the stock motor. The motor and shaft are "keyed" so they only work in one direction. I'll update this if I run into any issues, but so far so good. It seems to be a reliable device. ** UPDATE April 15, 2014 About a month after installing it started crashing. I drove maybe 20 miles, sometimes more, sometimes less, and the 4WD light came on. About a month later the light was just on continuously. Since this was so new, I was wrong in assuming the problem must lie elsewhere. It was a very cold winter here in Minnesota so I didn't feel like playing around with the 4WD system anyway, although some days it wasn't much fun driving without it. Now that it's warmer I decided to take a look. I noticed that the motor sounded pretty weak when trying to shift. It was as if he wanted to work but couldn't. I turned off the engine and luckily I still had the original engine so I turned it back on and the 4WD light went out immediately and I was able to switch between all positions. I decided to disassemble the motor to see what the problem was and found a pinched connector inside. Basically, where the two motor halves bolt together, there is a machined area and an electrical connection. The problem is that the machining on both halves didn't match so one side of the connector was broken/pinched resulting in a bad connection. For now the only solution would be to cut and solder the wires, but I'm not sure I want to play around with this piece of crap anymore. It's good for the landfill, that's all. I'm still having the same issues with my original motor, but at least it's working while it's working. I will probably look at another brand and most likely choose a refurbished unit. I'll stay away from the other bouncer.

Pros
  • Lots of positive emotions
Cons
  • Repair