I'm looking at buying a 1997 Chevy Silverado 1500 Z-71. The owner told me that there is something wrong with the transmission and he'* not sure exactly what it is, but the truck doesn't go into 2nd gear. He said it sometimes goes into gear and it grinds when it does, but most the time it does not go to 2nd at all.

Does this sound like a problem with the transfer case or a transmission rebuild? I've never had any transmission issues before and don't know about these issues or how much they cost to repair. Also, is there anyway to distiguish between these two repairs?

If anyone can help out with this, I would greatly appreciate it.

SGP358 is the guy to ask on this.

has nothing to do with the transfer case. Could be a Syncro

Is this a manual transmission? If so, it is either a problem with 2nd gear or the synchronizer assembly. It could even be a broken snap ring.

this truck might have a 4L60E tranny, which is an Electronic 4 speed. Sensor could be bad.

The transmission is a automatic.
With regards to the sensor possibly being bad, is there anyway to test or check it onsite without having to remove it?

you can get it checked with a tech 2 which will be at the dealer.

did the truck do a lot of towing before you got it? if so there may be the reasoning. i had a half ton W/T that was heavily used before i purchased it and it did a lot of towing and hauling. the trans went 4 months after i bought it