This just started happening today. When I climb a steep hill in 2WD, it makes the most horrendous intermittent shudder. It sounds like it's coming from the right-center side of the machine, perhaps where the Demand 4WD emblem is.

So when I got home, I pulled the front of it up against a tree, hit the gas, and sure enough, the horrible shudder. Normally it will just sit there and spin the tires, but not any more. Is this something I can fix myself, or are we talking major bucks here? Please tell me it's
just a worn sprocket or something!

 

The most likely cause of the shuddering you describe is a worn sprocket, too-loose chain, overstretched chain, or a combination of the above. Tranny failure of this sort is rare as long as you keep oil in it (you did do that, didn't you?) so that is where I would start. Check chain tension first, and go from there. How to tighten it is described well in the owners manual. Good luck [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-happy.gif[/img]