There is an updated linkage available at the dealer.

 

I have pursued that avenue as well, and they don't have anything. Its hard to believe that a wear item on the truck cant be replaced and that when the plastic ends wear out, your left with climbing under the truck.

 

can you not fabricate a better linage with attachment points?

Or upgrade to the electronic version!

 

The end links are the same as what you'd see on lift gate struts- metal ends that pinch a ball joint.
I would either take some pliers and pinch those two metal flaps together closer to retain the ball end they connect onto OR look up the upgraded transfer case linkage rod, which does not have those type of ends- they are big blocks of nylon with a similar joint to grip the ball-end.

There's multiple part numbers I found for 2004 2500:
https://www.gmpartsgiant.com/parts-...arts-list/2004-chevrolet-silverado-2500-hd-4wd/transfer-case-shift-control.html

Scroll down to "ROD, Transfer case shift external shift control"
There four different parts, you'll have to check against your RPO codes.
Each are about $25.

 

Thanks for that link CT2500HD,
That led me to finally be able to find someone who sells these rods.
The descriptions are a joke but luckily they indicate RPO codes for each rod.
I was able to decipher which one goes to 4l60E, NV4500, Allison 1000 and 4L80E models and I ordered the one for RPO code MT1, NP2, HVY.
Looks like it may be the updated one.
Those part numbers all cross over to GMpartsdirect but on that site there is absolutely no description what so ever.

Thanks

 

can you not fabricate a better linage with attachment points?

Or upgrade to the electronic version!

Problem is getting the attachment points....

I would think that switching to the electronic version would be very cumbersome and expensive. I would need all associated wiring, electronic buttons, the NP263 transfer case as the NP261 is otherwise identical but manual shift, and I don't know what kind of reprogramming the computer might or might not need.
I would rather climb under the truck for the next 4 years(time I anticipate ownership) than spend the couple thousand it would take.

 

Cool. Topic was covered a little while back here, you can see the upgraded nylon ends:

2011 4x4 floor shift problem

 

can you not fabricate a better linage with attachment points?

Or upgrade to the electronic version!

Problem is getting the attachment points....

I would think that switching to the electronic version would be very cumbersome and expensive. I would need all associated wiring, electronic buttons, the NP263 transfer case as the NP261 is otherwise identical but manual shift, and I don't know what kind of reprogramming the computer might or might not need.
I would rather climb under the truck for the next 4 years(time I anticipate ownership) than spend the couple thousand it would take.

One of the reasons why I got the WT trim was for the manual transfer case shifter (along with all sorts of other features I did NOT want that would just break in time). How many hundred threads are there on this forum about electrically-actuated transfer case shifters malfunctioning? Why do we think Jeep still uses only manually-shifted transfer cases in all their Wranglers?

 

I personally never understood the obsession with push button 4wd. It is not that hard to pull the shifter back.

 

'Twas a joke

But it really doesn't matter since you still have an electrical actuator on the front diff. Which the wranglers did not... at least until this current model they made.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

Its still one less thing to break.
The actuator on the front isn't all that failure prone and if it does, its easy to swap out.

 

i had to buy mine from GM it cost me 270 Canadian