Japeth the Blue Goat- Hillbilly 62 Expedition Build

[Slow Left]

Now it's making a liar out of me, those I suppose in a good way. After finishing up interior stuff for the day I hopped under again. Shift it from 2H to 4L about 30 times fast and the seal is staying put. I'm not going to leave it "finger tight," but I guess it could have been that it wasn't fully seated? The tcase shaft is fine, no scarring, nice and smooth.
For a "tool," I suppose a short length of pipe with an ID just larger than the shaft OD? Few light taps with a mallet?
Pics are shaft in (2H) and out (4).

Yep, I would agree that it just isn't fully seated.

I was also thinking along the line you are of such a tool...thing about a pipe, though, is that surface area of the face of the pipe that will be pushing against the seal might not be wide enough...if you have ever seen the kits for pressing in seals, the faces are almost as wide as the O.D. of the seal itself...problem here is though, that you've got to have a hole in the middle of the tool only slightly larger than that shaft, or you can't get it about the shaft...so you might have to settle for a pipe...just be careful and press slowly, evenly and firmly, trying not to let it slip...

Also remember, after you've got it set in as good as you can, when you drive it around, you can always monitor the fluid level in the transfercase (open the fill hole and add fluid until it pours back out of the fill hole) and keep enough in there so it doesn't go dry. That seal is pretty high up on the transfercase, too...even under the heat and pressure, I'm wondering how forgiving it would be if it pops off while you are driving if it'll keep enough fluid in there to prevent a catastrophe...

 

[EOE_overland]

So as I started to say, got most of the interior back together. I do need a few bolts to put my seat adapter together for my TJ front seats. Other driver and back seats are in. Wife shampooed the carpet. Nice breeze dried everything out. Then got my new textured mats in. Looking nice and hoping it will be a little quieter on my 8hr ride to Asheville in a few weeks.

 

[EOE_overland]

An upcoming project, though I doubt it will happen before this trip, is mounting my new Barrett 2050 HF mobile. I'm going to remote mount the face plate on the dash and the transceiver probably in the Jack or rear window reservoir space.
Trying to decide if I want to make an angled bracket to put it across the blank switch panel or do the thing I hate most and screw it to the top of the dash.
Thoughts??

 

[EOE_overland]

Oh yeah, installed a pair of hella horns a few months back. HONK!

 

[EOE_overland]

Someone is excited!

 

[GLTHFJ60]

Cruiser is looking great! Can't wait to see it in person

 

[Slow Left]

For a "tool," I suppose a short length of pipe with an ID just larger than the shaft OD?

...if you haven't already fixed it...what about finding a washer that will just slide over the shaft, then you could use a pipe to push against the washer? The face of the washer should give you enough surface area to make sure that the seal gets pushed in evenly...

 

[GLTHFJ60]

That boot does not get "pushed in" like other seals. There is a lip on the case that sticks out and the inner lip of that boot (or seal as you call it) needs to get picked up and over the lip on the case.

I don't have any pictures of it right now, but that's how it's done. I use a pick to help pull the boot up over the lip on the transfer case. It's a pretty tight fit.

 

[Slow Left]

That boot does not get "pushed in" like other seals. There is a lip on the case that sticks out and the inner lip of that boot (or seal as you call it) needs to get picked up and over the lip on the case.

I don't have any pictures of it right now, but that's how it's done. I use a pick to help pull the boot up over the lip on the transfer case. It's a pretty tight fit.

Hmmm...see picture below to make sure I'm not confusing the two...

My understanding is that the seal (or what I'm calling the seal) is popping out from it's seat in the transfer case housing...and am wondering if it isn't pushed in well enough to set...

The boot attached to the outer lip of that seal, and so if the seal isn't set right in the housing when he shifts, the shaft pulls the boot which pulls the seal...at least that's how I see it.

So my recommendation was to make sure the seal is set and after that, when putting reattaching the boot around the outer lip of the seal, to make sure that the forward end of the boot isn't so far forward when the shaft is all the way in that when the shaft is moved out it is pulling on the seal too...

 

[Slow Left]

There is a lip on the case that sticks out and the inner lip of that boot (or seal as you call it) needs to get picked up and over the lip on the case.
I don't have any pictures of it right now, but that's how it's done. I use a pick to help pull the boot up over the lip on the transfer case. It's a pretty tight fit.

I think I see what you are referring to. That would mean that he can't properly install the seal with the shaft still in there if he's got to lift the inner lip of the seal up and over the seat in that hole in the transfer case housing...

EDIT: here's an image of that seal...so the lip on the seal on the end that goes into the transfer case housing has got to grab the lip on the housing inside the hole...

 

[GLTHFJ60]

No, I don't believe there is a seal at the red arrow. That bit you see protruding is a lip that the boot pulls up over.

EDIT: Yes, there actually is, I apologize for the confusion! There is a seal and a boot. However, what "popped off" was the boot, not the seal, unless the seal is stuck inside the boot.

If you suspect that the seal is not seated properly then you should be able to take off the 4wd shifter, slide the boot off and slide a pipe in over the 4wd selector shaft to tap the seal in. Like I said, that protruding lip is supposed to be there however, and is what the boot slips over.

 

[Slow Left]

No, I don't believe there is a seal at the red arrow. That bit you see protruding is a lip that the boot pulls up over.

EDIT: Yes, there actually is, I apologize for the confusion! There is a seal and a boot. However, what "popped off" was the boot, not the seal, unless the seal is stuck inside the boot.

If you suspect that the seal is not seated properly then you should be able to take off the 4wd shifter, slide the boot off and slide a pipe in over the 4wd selector shaft to tap the seal in. Like I said, that protruding lip is supposed to be there however, and is what the boot slips over.

Yep, I think we're on the same page now...

...right, the boot is supposed to grab over the outer lip of that seal...but his original problem was that the seal itself was popping out during shifting...

and I think you are right...that seal grabs a lip inside the hole of the transfer case housing in which it sets, so it won't pop out like that...I'm trying to remember when I installed mine last summer...I don't remember having any problems getting that seal to set, I just pushed it in nice and even and it set into place.

 

[GLTHFJ60]

Yep, I think we're on the same page now...

...right, the boot is supposed to grab over the outer lip of that seal...but his original problem was that the seal itself was popping out during shifting...

and I think you are right...that seal grabs a lip inside the hole of the transfer case housing in which it sets, so it won't pop out like that...I'm trying to remember when I installed mine last summer...I don't remember having any problems getting that seal to set, I just pushed it in nice and even and it set into place.

Yup, I'm on the slow bus this morning I was looking at his pics from post #100 in this thread, not the ones of the seal actually popping out.

Sorry guys!

 

[Slow Left]

Yup, I'm on the slow bus this morning I was looking at his pics from post #100 in this thread, not the ones of the seal actually popping out.

Sorry guys!

No worries, Johnny, I don't think I explained it very well the first time...that's the nice thing about pictures, but sometimes I'm too lazy to lay it all out...and other times I miss steps...that's the benefit of MUD!!

I think he should be OK, if he can just press that seal in nice and even...I'm trying to think what the worst case scenario would be if that seal pops out while he's driving...that seal should be high enough up above the fluid level in the transfer case that he shouldn't run dry, don't you think?

Maybe just press it in and monitor both the seal and fluid level..?

 

[GLTHFJ60]

Honestly I'm surprised that the seal popped out at all. I think his theory about the selector shaft being pulled on unevenly is the ticket.

I'd have to look at a split case again to see the fill plug level in relation to the seal, but since it's there, I would bet that the case will run dry if the seal isn't present.

At this point, I'd just push the seal in, reinstall the boot and monitor. It's not like the seal goes in with a slight tap, it's an interference fit for a reason. I'd bet that if this happens again and the seal is monitored properly, then he'd see it slowly walk out over time. If that happens, then I'd start looking at the shifter mount to make sure it is not flexing or something when being pulled on.

 

[EOE_overland]

Thanks for all the responses. Just to clarify, the tcase seal (not just the dust boot) slid out of the case with the shaft. I thought I had a picture of it, but looking thru I guess I don't.
I don't know about my shaft slop theory. When my wife was shifting for me while I was under the truck I didn't notice much movement in the shaft other than normal in/out motion. It seems like it isn't/wasn't fully engaged in the case and the little bit of friction from shaft movement was pulling it out.


I am still a bit confused as to the order of installation for the seal and boot. Do I get some pipe in to tap the seal in and then attach the boot? It sounds like I need to get the boot under the lip on the seal before driving it home?

 

[Slow Left]

I am still a bit confused as to the order of installation for the seal and boot. Do I get some pipe in to tap the seal in and then attach the boot? It sounds like I need to get the boot under the lip on the seal before driving it home?

So I guess the concern here would be that if you drive the seal in too far, then there won't be enough space behind the outer lip of that seal to reattach the boot...

I guess you could try pressing it on with the boot attached first (so you would actually be pushing on the boot...and the boot would squish up and push the seal...) and see what that gets you.

Or you could cut something out the right thickness and slide it behind the outer lip of the seal to make sure that there is enough space behind it to reinstall the boot after you press the seal in...

Just two ideas I could come up with off the top of my head.

 

[EOE_overland]

Well the seal is in. I didn't do much more than push it in hard by hand. Put fluid in today, shifted it from 2 to 4 a whole bunch of times over and over. No movement. Drove it a bit and all seems good.
Dropping it off tonight for safety inspection tomorrow. Then it will go to DD status . Hopefully getting some commuter miles will test the seal out a bit before I go to NC the week after next!
Along with maintenance items for a truck that sat for almost a year, I've got some bilsteins on the way and will be getting a new set of BFG ATs.

 

[EOE_overland]

As far as my shifting for the tcase goes, I noticed today (yes for the first time) that I can shift from 2H straight across to low as well as 4H to 4L. I think this accounted for my thinking there was slop in the shifting.
The guys at Iron Pig kept verifying that I was having the "twin stick mod" done. I said no, I wasn't going to do that yet. I thought they were referring to installing the dual shifters on the tunnel, one for 2-4 and one for H-L. Or is this what they were talking about??
I was expecting a direct swap over of a 60 tcase. I'm not upset if this was an unexpected mod. Just confused me for a while. Is that what happened? Or is there a piece of the linkage missing causing this?

 

[dbleon]

They left off or cut the bracketgiving you "2-lo" search will yeild a picture of said bracket. No problem, and very convenient to have 2 low.