BJ40 Transfer Case Drain Bolt Vibrated loose on a long highway drive.... (1 Viewer)

[airbornemp19]

What are the odds that the drain bolt of the transfer case vibrates loose on the highway during a 3 hour drive? That's what happened a month ago driving from Asheville, NC to Charlotte, NC in my immaculate frame off restored Australian right hand drive 1978 BJ40 with the B diesel engine and the straight shift transfer case.

First, while on the highway, I thought I heard a little hum from the drivetrain but it was slight and hard to decipher. Then, the speedometer quit and I was puzzled as to why. 6 miles later I shift to neutral to coast onto the exit ramp and an unusual clunking noise began from the transfer case so I pulled over right away and discovered the drain bolt was missing and the fluid drained out.

So, I got a drain plug, refilled the transfer case with 90w gear oil, and wallah! It worked fine again except it had a very slight humming noise. Although the speedometer never worked again, all else was okay to drive home after my work was completed.

Fast forward 2,000 miles later and boy has that transfer case gotten very noisy. Finally, I took it to City Transmission in Asheville, NC to get the problem diagnosed. After a test drive, the head technician and owner Scott decided a bearing was likely bad. He advised me to find a replacement for the Transfer case rather than rebuild it as he advised even if repaired it would likely be noisy. Well, I thought, why repair it if it works now and is noisy if that's all I will get in return????

Here's what I need to know cruiser heads.

1. Where can I find a BJ40 transfer case for a B Diesel engine, and how much does it cost?

2. Was the Transfer case different for the right hand drive models like mine that are from Australia?

3. Would the Fj40 gas engine model transfer case work? It looks like the transmissions are the same so I thought it might bolt up. This is a worst case scenario option.

4. What are some opinions are repairing the transfer case? Can it be made like new? Where can I find the parts?

5. Although the 4-speed transmission fluid appears to be separate, can you confirm this? Or will I need to repair/replace that too?

6. How much might a repair or replacement transfer case cost?

7. Scott said repair or replacement labor will be $650 not including parts. Is this reasonable?



Please help if you can cruiser heads, this is my reliable daily driver!

 

[FF LC FREAK]

1. Where can I find a BJ40 transfer case for a B Diesel engine, and how much does it cost? Finding a transfer case from a B series diesel will be tough in the US.

2. Was the Transfer case different for the right hand drive models like mine that are from Australia? No

3. Would the Fj40 gas engine model transfer case work? It looks like the transmissions are the same so I thought it might bolt up. This is a worst case scenario option. Most likely. I believe the only difference between the transmissions were the input shaft. The transfer case should be the same. This is the route I would take.

4. What are some opinions are repairing the transfer case? Can it be made like new? Where can I find the parts? Sure, it can be made new. It will be expensive. As your repair guy said, it will be much cheaper to simply find a good used replacement of a similar year.

5. Although the 4-speed transmission fluid appears to be separate, can you confirm this? Or will I need to repair/replace that too? The transmission is separate. However, a seal can go bad between the two. Typically, this will result in the T/C pushing fluid into the transmission resulting in low fluid in the t/c, not the transmission. In other words, your transmission should be fine.

6. How much might a repair or replacement transfer case cost? You should be able to find a good used t/c from a gas model for under $200.

7. Scott said repair or replacement labor will be $650 not including parts. Is this reasonable? It'll be free if you do it yourself. It isn't really all that hard. Remove the driveshafts, unbolt the 5 transfer case bolts, remove the big nut off the output shaft, drop the case, and install the new one in reverse order. About 2 hours work if you take your time.



Please help if you can cruiser heads, this is my reliable daily driver!

 

[Dieseler]

Don't use red for your reply it blurrs out and is hard to read.

You should be able to rebuild it no problem unless you overheated the gears.
You should not have any problem getting an overhaul kit from any of the vendors here on MUDD
650 for labor is about right

 

[Toyoland66]

Standard 4 speed case from a 2f 40 should be compatible.

Gear oil for trans and tcase are separate.

 

[airbornemp19]

Good replies. However, while I have some moderate mechanical experience, I've never worked on any drivetrain/transmission type work. Is it likely a repair will make the T-case quiet again? I think I may need to assume that the gears got hot since there is no telling how long I drove that road trip with little or no fluid in the T-case. I just didn't know anything was wrong until I pulled onto the exit.

 

[FF LC FREAK]

Don't use red for your reply it blurrs out and is hard to read.

Yeah, I realize that now. The new forum software sucks, IMO. Way easier with the old software.

 

[airbornemp19]

Can anyone tell me if the internal parts of the USA transfer case will be the same as the internal parts for the Australian diesel transfer case? I know the shifters for the T-case have a different pattern but the transmission shop says that it could be a match. Right now we are having trouble finding parts to fix it. Thanks in advance for any help.

 

[Living in the Past]

78 Transfer case will be easier replace than a 8/80 later case. Those need to be pulled apart to separate from the transmission. I think $650 is high to just replace the one piece transfer case.