'79 one piece transfer question (1 Viewer)

[island45]

My '79 FJ 55 which I have owned for going on 40 years has a very noisy transfer case and seems like it's getting noisier lately. I recently drained and refilled the T-case and the 90 w looked a bit like metallic paint. Made me think about the statement 'All that glitters isn't gold'. I have used the vehicle for some extended trailer towing trips, both travel trailer and car trailer duty. It has about 198,000 mikles on it. I have a t-case/tranny from a '78 fj 55 I parted out many years ago, but don't remember if it was noisy or not. I drove it for a year or so. It had about 160,000 on it when parted out. Like mine, it was a family station wagon/grocery getter, neither of them had 'off road' miles. My first question is this.... Is there way to tell if this '78 t case is in better shape than my current one? I'm looking for something like, " Pull the PTO cover off both and compare the back and forth wiggle of the big gear'" or some such. I have no idea how I can test them. Question #2 is, If I were to swap them out, would it be best to keep them as a unit (tranny/transfer) or pull the t case off the '79 and install the one off the '78. The 55 got a new clutch about 30,000 miles ago and it operates smoothly. AFAIK both transmissions work perfectly. I am 70 and don't have a lift, but strong and good mechanical skills and tools. I have not ever seperated a t case from a tranny before, so don't know what I'm up against, but the transfer sure is lighter. Last question is this. What can I expect if I just keep driving it noisy for a while? Am I flirting with a catastrophic failure? Thanks in advance.

 

[pb4ugo]

I'm not sure you'll be able to wiggle things to determine if ones better than the other. They both have a ton of miles on them.
If both tcases are the same you can pull the spare off its' tranny and rebuild it. Once it's built you can swap them. It's my understanding if the seal between the trans and tcase fails, the tcase will pump its precious fluid into the trans.

 

[Mark Jennings]

This is the aftermath of driving with a noisy gearbox…I think this is about 2000 miles with a noisy 1st gear in a 3 speed. As pb4ugo said, If you have spare, go ahead and rebuild and swap it out. You have some time before it’s absolutely necessary, but the longer you wait the greater the carnage!

 

[island45]

Rebuilding the spare sounds like a good plan. Is there a prefered tutorial here on mud or a detailed thread I should use? I have the FSM for '79 chassis, but it turns up missing once in a while. I'll look for it after lunch. Also, best vendor for parts, keeping in mind I'm trying figure out how to be semi-retired, and will probably only put 1000 miles a year on this thing.

 

[3_puppies]

georg @CruiserBrothers
or
kurt @cruiseroutfitters

either one will take good care of you

 

[peesalot]

That silver powder is a sign that some hardened surface has begun to degrade, could be teeth, could be bearing or both. I would at least remove inspection to confirm no broken/chipped teeth or interior case retention bolt backing out, check outputs for play, if all thats good, fill er up with clean earl and run it until you have a chance to rebuild the spare, THEN change em out. Taking the tcase off isnt bad, I use a motocycle platform jack, trickpart is if the input gear will slide back or not, if its stuck you have to get creative, lots of threads on here bout that.

 

[Mark Jennings]

Once you find your Manual, TC disassembly is pretty straight forward. There may even be a couple of you tube videos. You’ll need a gear puller, a hammer with a length of brass rod….and a bucket of four letter words. If the manual calls out a special tool, usually it can be something you already have in your tool box or scrap pile, e.g. improvise…..
The best tools for assembly are patients and cleanliness.
Have fun with it. Generally, the only new parts needed are bearings, idler shaft and a gasket kit.

 

[pb4ugo]

Here's a video to start. Unfortunately George doesn't finish the job, but he's probably the most well versed and knowledgeable on the subject that there is. It's a good start.

Georg and Project Wrong Way Build an Orion Part 2, 3, and 4 (3/09)

Georg and I spent a rainy Sunday putting together my Orion case. Georg did most of the difficult bits, and he includes some solid advice for assembling a transfer case if anyone interested. It was intimidating to say the least, but after watching the man work, I’d say it’s more of a mole hill...

forum.ih8mud.com

 

[island45]

Ok, thanks you guys. I am encouraged and well versed in the art of improvisation. We have only one auto parts store on the island. A Napa and when I go in someone at the counter usually asks what's 'Gary McGuyver' working on today? I have already refilled with 140 and a good splash of lucas tranny molasses. Really more like a good blob of it. I don't drive this wacky rig this time of year so I have some time to rebuild the case. Here in Western Washington convertible weather starts about the 4th of July. I found my FSM engine manual in the foyota, chassis manual should be here in the house. Can't wait to watch the video.

 

[Mark Jennings]

Ok, thanks you guys. I am encouraged and well versed in the art of improvisation. We have only one auto parts store on the island. A Napa and when I go in someone at the counter usually asks what's 'Gary McGuyver' working on today? I have already refilled with 140 and a good splash of lucas tranny molasses. Really more like a good blob of it. I don't drive this wacky rig this time of year so I have some time to rebuild the case. Here in Western Washington convertible weather starts about the 4th of July. I found my FSM engine manual in the foyota, chassis manual should be here in the house. Can't wait to watch the video.

Who Hoo….you’re a champ for giving it a shot. If you need help, advice, a shoulder to cry on…I live in Central Washington, you know, that Tri-Cities area…..I’m a just couple of hours out and always ‘in’ on Land Cruiser work…especially if beer is involved.
Bee Good, Cheers

 

[island45]

Thank you Mark! It will probably be a month before I get started on it. I am in the middle of putting together a bored and stroked flathead V8 for the woodie wagon that I built from a '47 ford pickup a few years ago. I have a youtube channel showing the roadster pickup I built on my FJ55 chassis after the body rotted away, the shop built woodie, a '47 one ton ford with a cummins 6at gen set engine and other mechanical oddities. I enjoyed the transfer case video and found a big ziplock bag in our spare room with the chassis FSM along with a totally worn out Haynes, the original owners manual from the '79 and various articles I printed from mud threads. Oh, and I have four ongoing projects for contractors in my wood shop in case I get bored... Feels good to get fired up about the 55. Thanks for all the positive and friendly response. I'll be back! (garymtpickett on youtube)

 

[pb4ugo]

Just an FYI, George dropped another t/c assembly video on the link provided earlier.

 

[island45]

Thanks, The ending to the other video was a bit of a cliff hanger. That's a really nice transfer case they are building. I actually have a split case along with it's 4 speed that came out of a rolled-over '84 FJ60 about 20 years ago. I have studied that swap many times and read a ton on mud about it, but for a variety of reasons, I want to stick to stock setup. It's not that the noise itself bothers me it's the fear of impending doom on a road trip, and with a proper rebuild of the spare case it's a bolt in situation in it should last a lifetime. Well for me, anyhow. I dragged the '78 tranny/transfer out of the shed today and might start sooner than later. I suppose I should fabricate a tunnel over my tranny/transfer too. Right now I look down at the back of the head and block and almost to the parking brake the whole works is right there. It's on my bucket list, but til then the exhaust manifold keeps us kinda warm in the evening. Movie time.

 

[island45]

I picked it up outa the shed with my skidsteer and brought it out to my shop and pressure washed it. I had a good fire going in my shop stove so I set it on this rolling table and wheeled it into my 'operating room'. I have been wrenching in the cold for 50+ years and this is the first winter I have had a heated indoor space for this type of work. My son and I insulated a 14'x 28' side area on the garage and I have been picking up more machinery and repairing my old stuff. Now I am paneling it with old boards, primarily rejects from my reclaimed furniture business. No more kneeling on the cold concrete for old Gramps. I plan on ordering

the rebuild kit from Kurt on Monday, or should I pull it apart first and see what I find?

 

[3_puppies]

either way you will need a rebuild kit.
I would take the top off and check condition of gears to make sure it is worth using

 

[island45]

Like new inside. Only wear I see is a small amount on the idler shaft. The 90w was very clear amber with zero glitter. To seperate the transfer from the transmission I used a smallish two jaw puller hooked onto thick washers under two of the cap screws that hold the stamped steel cone. Pulled nice and evenly. Since I don't have a press I took an 8" piece of hardwood, drilled a 3/4" hole through it for the threaded portion of the output sha

sed a couple of big fine thread F clamps from my woodshop. For the sst in the big rectangular hole I used another piece of hardwood 3 7/16" long with a slight back-cut to 3 3/8" on the short side. Tapped it in and that area will not compress. I'm not saying I didn't do some serious swearing, like when the first piece of hardwood split at the hole, but for the second try I put a large, thick 3/4" washer under the block to spread the load. After that the F clamps drew the shaft out with relative ease. Over all it was very successful and was thrilled with the condition of the internals. I'm sure I will have a few questions at re-assembly so expect to see me back. Thanks for the help and encouragement!

 

[fjwagon]

I like your clamps, like tell the guys at work, you can never too many hard-drive. . Anyhow, you can never have too many clamps...you can always find ways to use them. Great work.

 

[RevISK]

Inspired by your gusto.

 

[island45]

Thanks. It's a nice project and something I can do standing up at my rolling table. I ordered my parts from Cruiser Outfitters and they shipped them yesterday. Now I'm thinking I should have asked about a PTO gear as I have 90% of a winch. Obviously the time to add it. About 20 years ago Spotcruiser came up to the island and helped me install a PTO gear from under the rig on a 45 project. Not easy, but his expertise was vital. My winch has a broken off leg, but I have a history of repairing these with a clever method suggested by Pinhead after he saw a huge cast iron press repaired at his work place. This prompted a 'winch saver' of my own design JIC. I might have to dig up that thread after work today. Repairing that winch leg would be another 'stand up' project in my new shop. Of course I'll have to build a proper winch bumper to mount it on. The list goes on forever, but the party never ends.....

 

[POPO AGIE]

How does the transmission output shaft look where the input gear rides. Mine had over 100k and it showed wear from shifting gears. Put a now shaft and gear in on assembly.

When you reattach to the transmission get some M12 all thread the same pitch as the long bolts and nuts. Then you can thread the all thread into the transmission and guide the transfer case on and use the nuts to push the transfer case into place.

You will also need to duplicate the stack up on the output shaft because the thrust washer in the transmission may come off of the anti rotation pin and then lock up the transmission.