Mangled T-case housing (1 Viewer)

[yoda'stoy]

Greetings Mud Members,


I disassembled a used transfer case today to inspect all of the gears and bearings and get a closer look at the case itself. I had noticed unusual wear around the seal area where the T case mates with the transmission. After I removed the bearing and seal (the seal was chewed up) this is what I discovered.

Any ideas of what would cause this?
I will need a new housing (I also discovered that the drain plug was forced in cross threaded). What are the latest options?

Thanks for your feedback.

Sincerely,
Bill LaShell

 

[SKULLYOTA]

missing thrust washer?

 

[Pin_Head]

Assuming that it is a 4 speed case from the '76 in your signature, chances are that the spacers for the gear were misassembled on the main shaft.
It could also be due to wear on the shaft splines allowing the gear to rock.

 

[Ian Macdonald]

Mine was starting to do this. When I disassembled the units, there was a component missing that allowed the pto gear and the one next to it to float up against the seal and case. I was told to put a bearing into the adapter to stop this, but I wanted a spacer. The roller bearing is acting like a thrust bearing, which it is not designed to do. I'm going to revisit this later this year. Sooner if it breaks

 

[65swb45]

Sometimes even when the spacer sleeve is on the tailshaft of the trans, the sleeve gets so worn down that the input gear will come in contact with the front of the case. Depending on whether it was a mis-assembly or just a wear issue, you may see evidence of a wear pattern on the idler gear that would tend to confirm one cause over the other.

Best

Mark

 

[yoda'stoy]

Gentlemen thank you for your responses,

Here is a little more history that may help solve the abnormal wear question.
I purchased this setup: H42, AA Rock Box and stock transfer case from Proffits several years ago. (I'm just now finding the time to work on this). Though I really wanted Marlin's ToyBox, the price was right for the AA Rockbox. These were mated and exchanged from a customer of Jerimiah. I just needed to exchange my stock H42 and transfer case. (In hindsight I wish that I had kept my stock units and returned the trans and transfer mated to the Rockbox). Years earlier I also purchased a used H41 outright from a mud member. Here are some pics that I took when I disassembled the Transmisson, Rockbox and Transfer case:

1206500[/ATTACH]

In order to use the Rockbox, the output shaft of the transmission must be replaced as seen in the pics. (This is why I prefer Marlin's Toybox, no need to mess with the output shaft). The H41 is pictured here to compare the output shafts. This last summer I had the H41 rebuilt with the short shaft by a local transmission shop. The mechanic told me he needed both transmissions to build one good one as they apparently had been rebuilt in the past with parts missing.
I have recently assembled the rockbox to the H41 and I decided to disassemble and rebuild the transfer case.
The gears look good. I will replace the seals and bearings.
I do need a replacement case.
Where can I get one?
I like the idea of the steel (or cast) Orion housing but it is my understanding that AA will not sell the housing separate as a single item, so it looks like I will have to use an aluminum case.

Thanks again for your feedback.

Sincerely,
Bill LaShell

 

[65swb45]

Bill

This could be one of those cases (pardon the pun) where a picture is worth a thousand words. If that's what your t-case looked like when you took it apart, it's obvious that the input gear is in backwards!

I have about 20 empty housings on the shelf if you would like to purchase one from me. Please call the shop to follow up; I don't do the PM thing.

Mark

 

[SKULLYOTA]

Bill

This could be one of those cases (pardon the pun) where a picture is worth a thousand words. If that's what your t-case looked like when you took it apart, it's obvious that the input gear is in backwards!


Mark

so before I screw mine up....hows it supposed to go? that pic isnt worth as many words to me lol

 

[yoda'stoy]

Update:

Well I doubted myself as it has been a long time since I dissembled the T case/rockbox/trans as to whether the picture was correct. I do remember that when I took it apart the input gear fell out. But upon inspection of the input gear you can see the aluminum build up on the 'back' side of the gear. The case had gotten hot as the input gear rubbed against it which resulted in the inside of the T case housing melting and warping slightly. I'm amazed that it even functioned!

View attachment 1214277 View attachment 1214277

 

[yoda'stoy]

I had a few conversations with Mark Algazy and decided to purchase a used T case housing and a rebuild kit from him. I ordered it and Mark had it packed and ready to ship.
I was showing the T case and the 'guts' to a friend and a few of the roller bearings fell out. I briefly inspected them previously but I did not want to pull them all out. I closely felt and inspected one of the roller bearings and is was pitted and worn.
I called Mark to make sure that replacement roller bearings were part of the rebuild kit. That was a 'red flag' for Mark and he had me inspect the inside surface of the idler/transfer gear. Sure enough, it had lost a large area of 'shiny surface' and was pitted/worn. Mark also had me closely inspect the teeth of the gears. They were very worn/shiny and had likely been operating "out of parallel" and would likely not last long after a rebuild.

Fortunately Mark was able to contact his wife who was on her way to FedEx to ship the parts to me and stop the shipment as rebuilding with the gears I have would likely fail prematurely.

So I ordered a rebuilt T case from Mark.

BTW, Mark has been very helpful and I would highly recommend him for any repairs!

 

[Weber Sarge]

Great catch - those gear teeth are right on the verge of galling , Mark is a definitive resource here - as are other vendors . We're pretty blessed to have such a great support base for our vintage rigs - it's a rare thing these days .
Sarge

 

[Braden620]

Sounds like Mark really knows his s***. I love it when people know their s***. Supporting vendor^2

 

[yoda'stoy]

Great catch - those gear teeth are right on the verge of galling , Mark is a definitive resource here - as are other vendors . We're pretty blessed to have such a great support base for our vintage rigs - it's a rare thing these days .
Sarge

I agree Sarge, I'm feeling very blessed!