- Thread starter
- #21
I've got an ex-Toyota mechanic coming to look at it this week. He'll help me diagnose the issue and tell me if it can be rebuilt or not. Thanks for all the help and suggestions. I'll update once we look at it further.
Follow along with the video below to see how to install our site as a web app on your home screen.
Note: This feature may not be available in some browsers.
This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate
links, including eBay, Amazon, Skimlinks, and others.
Update: found out that my transfer case drain plug wasn't tight. Apparently I let the damn thing run dry. There was no indication of leaking anywhere on my driveway, so I thought all was well. Teaches me to check the fluids a little more often.
I took the transfer case off yesterday and when I spin the input by hand the drive shaft outputs don't move. When I spin one of the drive shaft outputs the other moves like normal. Looks like the failure happened between the input and the front and rear gears. I found a used one with 102,000 miles on it that I'll be getting and putting it on.
Wow, transfers are proven to be very reliable, rare failure. Was it empty, was the drain plug loose or gone? They don't hold that much fluid, but enough to make a huge mess if it came out relatively quickly. Did you check the trans fluid, how did it look, level correct, high/low?
If you want to check the carnage, the rear cover comes off pretty easy. Would make good carnage pix?
...
I may take the cover off to see what's in there, but I never heard any metal grinding or flying around in there when it went. It was a pretty quiet death, just a loud moaning as it went.
...
I thought those transfer cases were all gear drive, no chain to fail. When gears die, it is usually pretty noisy. John
...
The trans fluid was pretty good. Still red and transparent, level was good, and didn't smell too bad either. The trans output shaft looked good, too. That was my biggest worry, once I knew the case was gone. I was hoping the shaft's spline weren't stripped off making me need a tranmission, too.
Some of the earlier rigs can have the seal between the transfer and trans fail and move fluid from one to the other. IIRC, the FZJ80 setup solved this problem, has a seal in each and a vented air space between, so if the seal(s) leak, the fluid hits the ground. Not sure how the FJ80 is setup, but IIRC this has happened on FJ62's?
Just a loose drain plug would leak slowly, I would expect it to fall out long before most/all of the fluid leaked out? The transfer only holds ~3qt(?), doesn't sound like much, but will make a HUGE mess if it leaked out relatively quickly. In my experience, oil spreads out big time, that kind of leak usually is all over the bottom of the rig, dots, spray all over the back door, etc?
I'm certainly no expert in transfercases, but I do have a LOT of experience with gear box failures. Either the teeth are missing on 1 or more gears, or the bearings have failed to the point that the teeth no longer engage. Suppose you could have sheared an input shaft. Sounds to me like your transfer is stuck in Neutral, for whatever reason. JohnYes, they are gear driven and usually are pretty exciting (crunchy/loud) when they go. Would be interesting to do an autopsy to see what failed?
Transfer case for sale $250
https://forum.ih8mud.com/sale-parts/488376-94-80-series-axles-1fz-trans-t-case-loomis-ca.html
I'm certainly no expert in transfercases, but I do have a LOT of experience with gear box failures. Either the teeth are missing on 1 or more gears, or the bearings have failed to the point that the teeth no longer engage. Suppose you could have sheared an input shaft. Sounds to me like your transfer is stuck in Neutral, for whatever reason. John
Transfer case for sale $250
https://forum.ih8mud.com/sale-parts/488376-94-80-series-axles-1fz-trans-t-case-loomis-ca.html
I did not realize the teeth were plastic. That fluid level better be checked frequently