Truck won't budge in neutral. Could it be due to a cracked transmission bellhousing?

Question

1997 GMC Sierra K1500 4x4 5.7L V8 Automatic Transmission (4l60e I believe)

I pushed my truck up my driveway with another truck. My truck was very hard to move, even in neutral and with the parking brake disengaged. It felt like something was stopping it.

The bell housing for the transmission is cracked all the way around. It is cracked from the starter, going up, around the top of the bellhousing, and down to the other side.

Could a cracked transmission bellhousing be preventing the flywheel from moving and making it difficult to move the truck even when it's in neutral?

Answer 1

The cracked bell housing would not be preventing the flywheel from turning as an automatic transmission doesn't work that way. The engine is not physically coupled to the transmission from a driven aspect. The torque converter uses fluid sheering to do its thing. If the engine isn't running, there's nothing there.

Something caused the cracked bell housing, though. Whatever that "something" is, is probably causing the issue, and I'll bet it's something internal to you transfer case. If not there, it may be one of your differentials. Something caused the bell housing to crack, and whatever it was, it's a pretty big issue. Bell housings don't usually crack and/or break. They are very robust pieces. Whatever the issue, I'll guarantee the non-willingness to move and the cracked bell housing were caused by the same issue.