I've been trying to nail down a drivetrain issue for about 6 months now - some of you may have seen me ask about this on FJNortheasters or ExploringNH - and I'm getting close but I still am not quite there yet..
The slop (play) has slowly gotten worse over time- this is driving me INSANE because there is probably 2x more slop than my maxima with 225k miles and broken/rusted off motor tranny mounts. I mean, I could probably pull the engine out of that car without loosening a bolt. I've GOT to find this problem so I'm going to list out everything I know so far.
6mt 59K miles only had 33" tires and extra weight on it for 10k miles, only been offroad since 36k miles.
Symptoms:
*In all gears at all speeds, there is noticeable play in the drivetrain when applying the throttle and then releasing it. There is a LOT in 1st gear especially.
*The front driveshaft can rotate much more than the rear if the vehicle is stationary and all 4 wheels on the ground. This is the same if the center diff is locked or open.
*when you rotate the front driveshaft by hand, you can hear some clunking from the transfer case, but also the front diff.
*The play was only noticeable in 4h meaning 4HL and 4LL would make it go away, but now I can notice it to a lesser effect in 4hl and 4LL
*The transfer case was VERY noisy until I changed the oil to Lucas at 57K. That fixed the noise and dampened some of the slop for a while, but it has started coming back now.
*When I first get in the car, the level of noise and harshness of the slop is pretty low, as I drive (especially loaded down or wheeling) it gets worse and worse. The shifting also degrades as distance increases (built up heat increases).
Other Information
*I've been through a fair amount of water
*I've had to replace a front axle seal
*The driveshafts had probably not been greased at all until 32000 miles when I got the FJ.
*I have (1) rebuilt CV shaft
*The inboard part of the CV shafts rotate with the front driveshaft-there is a little play there not as much as I'm feeling while driving it
I've got a Y-pipe and hi-tuck Buds
Things I've checked/done:
*Greased the crap out of the driveshafts
*checked for play in the rear pinion bearing (as best I can w/out pulling the driveshaft)
*Checked for play in the driveshaft splines/u-joints (can't find any)
*Checked all the motor mounts and tranny mounts, seems good no signs of play there****Need to re-check the underside of the motor mounts****
*Checked all the propeller shaft bolts-Tight as can be
*Rear Lower Links are tight w/ no play
*Front Diff mounts tightened and checked
*Just got it inspected very thoroughly so I don't think any wheel bearings are bad
*Checked the outboard bearings in the front diff assy
*Changed Front diff oil 2x (1 for CV swap) - Looks Normal
*Changed Rear diff oil - Looked normal
*Changed Transmission oil - Looked Great
*Changed Transfer Case oil - BLACK and smelled very burnt. Some paste on the magnet but no chunks in the oil.
So all signs seem to point to the transfer case here... But why does it get worse with use(heat)? My guess is because the oil is getting too hot and thinning out.... But why? Why do I have so much play? Short of pulling the case and opening it up, how do I proceed with diagnosing this?
My plan so far has been to just deal with it, but the noise got REALLY bad after a loaded down road trip through the mountains of NH last weekend.
I've got 800 miles left on my powertrain warranty
Any thoughts?
The slop (play) has slowly gotten worse over time- this is driving me INSANE because there is probably 2x more slop than my maxima with 225k miles and broken/rusted off motor tranny mounts. I mean, I could probably pull the engine out of that car without loosening a bolt. I've GOT to find this problem so I'm going to list out everything I know so far.
6mt 59K miles only had 33" tires and extra weight on it for 10k miles, only been offroad since 36k miles.
Symptoms:
*In all gears at all speeds, there is noticeable play in the drivetrain when applying the throttle and then releasing it. There is a LOT in 1st gear especially.
*The front driveshaft can rotate much more than the rear if the vehicle is stationary and all 4 wheels on the ground. This is the same if the center diff is locked or open.
*when you rotate the front driveshaft by hand, you can hear some clunking from the transfer case, but also the front diff.
*The play was only noticeable in 4h meaning 4HL and 4LL would make it go away, but now I can notice it to a lesser effect in 4hl and 4LL
*The transfer case was VERY noisy until I changed the oil to Lucas at 57K. That fixed the noise and dampened some of the slop for a while, but it has started coming back now.
*When I first get in the car, the level of noise and harshness of the slop is pretty low, as I drive (especially loaded down or wheeling) it gets worse and worse. The shifting also degrades as distance increases (built up heat increases).
Other Information
*I've been through a fair amount of water
*I've had to replace a front axle seal
*The driveshafts had probably not been greased at all until 32000 miles when I got the FJ.
*I have (1) rebuilt CV shaft
*The inboard part of the CV shafts rotate with the front driveshaft-there is a little play there not as much as I'm feeling while driving it
I've got a Y-pipe and hi-tuck Buds
Things I've checked/done:
*Greased the crap out of the driveshafts
*checked for play in the rear pinion bearing (as best I can w/out pulling the driveshaft)
*Checked for play in the driveshaft splines/u-joints (can't find any)
*Checked all the motor mounts and tranny mounts, seems good no signs of play there****Need to re-check the underside of the motor mounts****
*Checked all the propeller shaft bolts-Tight as can be
*Rear Lower Links are tight w/ no play
*Front Diff mounts tightened and checked
*Just got it inspected very thoroughly so I don't think any wheel bearings are bad
*Checked the outboard bearings in the front diff assy
*Changed Front diff oil 2x (1 for CV swap) - Looks Normal
*Changed Rear diff oil - Looked normal
*Changed Transmission oil - Looked Great
*Changed Transfer Case oil - BLACK and smelled very burnt. Some paste on the magnet but no chunks in the oil.
So all signs seem to point to the transfer case here... But why does it get worse with use(heat)? My guess is because the oil is getting too hot and thinning out.... But why? Why do I have so much play? Short of pulling the case and opening it up, how do I proceed with diagnosing this?
My plan so far has been to just deal with it, but the noise got REALLY bad after a loaded down road trip through the mountains of NH last weekend.
I've got 800 miles left on my powertrain warranty
Any thoughts?