nv4500 growl

[Jim P]

Last night I went to our local fair and when leaving, the traffic was bumper to bumper so I put it in low gear and was just crawling along. Whenever I was going up a grade, there was a growling noise coming from what seemed like the driveshaft. When I would rev up the engine a little, the growl goes away. It also does it in second gear at idle but like first gear, the growl goes away when the engine is reved up a little.

Does everybodies nv4500 do this or does mine need attention?

[dieseldummy]

Jim,
Every GM pickup I've been in that has the 4500 growls like that in first and second gears idling. I don't know if they are supposed to, but it doesn't seem to hurt. I always figured that it was due gear mesh. Hope this gives ya some confidence.
Justin

[catmandoo]

mine has 415,000 miles and it has done it since i got i figure it's just something about the 4500!

[Jim P]

Thanks for the replies guys.

I was just hoping the transmission was not going out because I am getting ready to tow my fifth wheel camper to Bowling Green, Ohio for the annual tractor pull.

Do any of you guys go to the "tractor pulling capital of the world"?

[Hubert]

How is your transmission now after how many miles ??? Does the groan get worse?

I have a 97 K2500 5spd NV4500 ~120,000 miles. I know that growl groan. Mine has done it since I bought it at ~68,000 miles. Usually at idle uphill or braking in 2nd gear in traffic or slow through a parking lot etc. What I would consider normal it has been quiet with normal driving.

However, recently I have been driving a dirt/gravel road with a steep hill I idle up in 2nd gear. The groan and growl is fairly loud going up the hill but quiets when I top it and pick up speed. After a couple of weeks now the groan is getting worse and is more common on launches in ordinary driving. I checked fluid and its full; transfer case too.

What causes the groan? A bearing or gear mesh? Is it bad to let it groan or should I change speed to reduce the groan? How do you know when its too bad? I am fearful mines starting to sound like a bad gear because its pretty rythmic at low RPM. Shifts fine though and doesn't jump out of gear or anything - smooth just getting noisy.

[G. Gearloose]

When I had a 6.2/M465 combo it had a good buzz/growl as you described, worse at low rpm, high load conditions. Did a clutch and the old one had all broken cusion springs, so the inner hub and outer disk was metal on metal.
New clutch disk made everything quiet. But it doesn't last long. These engine shred those springs pretty quick.

Perhaps your symtoms are related?

[Jim P]

My truck still makes the growling noise but it has not gotten any worse.

[a5150nut]

My 94 used to give off harmoinc noises from the shifter at highway speeds. Drove me crazy. I put a piece of foam pipe insulation over the shifter and it quieted it down quite a bit.

[catmandoo]

i'm at 450,000 and still growls like the day i got it.