Need Advice. Just Lost Transfer Case

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Did you happen to pull the grease caps off the front hubs, see if they're stripped? I mean, I know you don't think that's it, but it takes about 30 seconds- then you can get right to yanking that t-case out.
 
Magnet drain plug on the transfer case? No metal shavings? Brown flud isn't necessarily a sign of problems.

Also it'd be easier to pull just the rear extension housing to have a look at the rear main and intermediate bearings before pulling the whole case. Only difficult thing would be keeping the shims in place for reinstall with the case still horizontal... but plenty have found a way.
 
Sadly I have to inform all those who think the TC is bullet proof 'may' have been right going back a few years. However I am now seeing them fail at higher mileages. I replaced mine last year and another only a week or so back and history is showing that it is happening more and more.. it seems to be starting to come to light on rigs with around 200,000+ mileages.

Of course the mileage is speculative and would have to be matched to previous use/history but it is happening and it is happening now. The inability to move the vehicle is described in greater detail in

My LC 80 thread.

I tried to explain it as if the car was bouncing off an invisible rubber wall, if I reversed and then went forward the car drove OK and then the next time I come to a stop the rubber wall was back, no ability to move forward. I originally thought it was the manual gearbox, a strip down showed nothing wrong. Moved to the transfer and sure enough the spider gears were chewed to nothing, terrible grating noise as well.

I am not saying this is the OP's problem but just dispelling the myth that the TC is bullet proof.....it is not.

regards

Dave
 
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I know I've seen pics somewhere on this board of stripped gears in an 80 case. Possibly in the 1000 page weekend thread.. google isn't being of much help finding them.

Either way.. they can fail. I wonder how many of the failures are from leaking speedo module seals? there isn't a whole lot of fluid in there in the first place.

I recently tore down a 240k mile case for my part-time kit. It looked GREAT inside. Needle bearing races all in perfect shape, not much of the gray film that forms on internal surfaces of transmissions and transfer cases, etc. I really believe that if anything goes wrong it is probably my fault.
 
I have no doubt that the t-case can fail. I just question the choice of taking it out and tearing it down before eliminating some of the other known issues that can be checked out very easily.
 
I have no doubt that the t-case can fail. I just question the choice of taking it out and tearing it down before eliminating some of the other known issues that can be checked out very easily.

Ditto the above, do the easy stuff first !!!
 
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