Opinions on Which Transfer Case to Use - '86 or '89?

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4Cruisers

4Cruisers

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I'll be getting the 3FE back from the machine shop later this month, and I have the new H55f sitting in the garage. It's being kept company by the H42/split case from my '86 FJ60 (future recipient of the 3FE/H55f) and the A440F/split case from my '89 FJ62 (the donor). So it's time to start getting the rest of the drivetrain ready. Because the complete FJ62 wiring harness and dashboard will be going over to the FJ60, I have the option to retain the FJ62 split case with vacuum transfer or use the split case from the FJ60. They both have the 38mm idler shaft, and as far as i've been able to research, there's not much difference between the two split cases other than vacuum vs. manual 4WD engagement.

The FJ60 split case has a little over 120,000 miles on it, but the vehicle hasn't been running for about 20 years. The transmission/split case has been stored sealed up and protected from the elements inside the garage for a majority of that time. The FJ62 split case has about 165,000 miles on it and it came out of the running vehicle about a month ago - no known issues with the split case.

As far as vacuum vs. manual 4WD engagement I really don't have any preferences - I've driven my various Land Cruisers with both set-ups. Are there any real advantages/disadvantages between the two split cases I may not be aware aware of? Or should I go with the split case that's in the best mechanical condition? I'll be able to tell that once I separate both from their transmissions.

Any input is welcome.
 
later case has bearing supported output gears rather than bushing supported- it'll last longer. the vac shift is fine, in fact, I like it. what's the plan for the A440? I'm secretly hunting for one nearby(california)...
 
The automatic was generally working OK, but you couldn't start in Drive - had to start in 1st or 2nd. Not sure if something went out in the transmission or if it needs adjustment/overhaul. Was planning on going the 3FE/H55f route from the time I bought the '89 and the '86 over 10 years ago, so put up with that quirk with the transmission. I'm in New Mexico, but go back and forth to my place in southern Nevada pretty often. A lot of my parts stash is still out there.
 
I'm in a similar situation having transfer cases from an '86 FJ60 and '88 FJ62. I prefer the mechanical simplicity of the FJ60 case and plan on installing the guts of the FJ62 case into that of the FJ60. As LAMBCRUSHER pointed out, "bearing supported output gears rather than bushing supported" being the reason for using the FJ62 gears, etc, in the FJ60 case.
 
Thanks guys for pointing out the bearing differences - I wasn't quite sure of that.

If it would be relatively easy to transplant the guts of the '89 case into the '86 case, I'd probably lean towards mechnical vs. vacuum. It may not be much more work than what I'll have to do anyway to separate the split case (whichever one) and install it on the H55f. Are there any threads detailing this approach? I don't recall seeing any during my searches of the forum. I guess I could always convert the '89 case to manual, which is covered in several posts (and on Kurt's Cruiser Outfitters website). When I converted my '71 FJ40 from vacuum it was extremely easy - IIRC, all I had to do was swap out the front extension housing and change the orientation of the high-low lever in the case.

Although I've done quite a bit of off-roading with my '71 FJ40 (before and after I swapped it over from vacuum to mechanical) and my FJ62, by far most of it was behind the wheel of my trusty '84 FJ60, which I've owned since new. So I'm much more used to the mechanical 4WD engagement.
 
I'm leaning towards the mechanical 4WD engagement. I did a lot of searching (Toyota online parts catalog, SOR catalog and price sheet, this forum, etc.) looking for differences/similarities in parts, and I think it will be easy to swap the guts from the '89 split case to the '86 split case. And I can use the transfer shift lever/boots/linkages from the '86 FJ60. I already have the transmission/transfer case gasket kit (04331-60140) - I can use it as is. The only change I'd make would be to substitute the later/better seal in the front case at the transmission (90316-48003) - I believe the gasket kit I have has the older FJ60 seal (90311-48012). Because I'll be using the dash and instruments from the FJ62 in the FJ60, I believe I'll need to use the speedometer driven gear and speedometer cable from the FJ62 (it has a different tooth count - everything else internal appears to be the same).

Am I seeing this correctly?

If I go that route my 2 FJ40s and 2 FJ60s would all have the same basic transfer case operation, which I believe would be a plus.
 
That's true - I had to do that the other day on the Interstate in my '09 Silverado pickup. I haven't made a final decision yet.
 
HoJo 61 said:
I like the fact i can shift to 4WD or to 2WD without stopping the vehicle, with vac operated transfer. But that's just me.
:cheers:
Click to expand...

I do it whenever I want with a mechanical shifted tcase as well. It's not the methodology of the engagement, it's making sure the tires are spinning the same speed.
 
I started to clean the outside of my FJ62 transfer case and thought of another question. Would the transfer rear case from the FJ62 bolt up to the transfer front case from the FJ60? I would use the FJ62 internals but go with manual 4WD engagement. I was thinking it might be good to retain the neutral position switch and the hi-low indicator switch that are located on the rear case from the FJ62. Any thoughts?
 
I'm getting towards the final stages of installing the '89 FJ62 split transfer case behind the new H55f and am ready to open up the gasket kit (04331-60140, 08/86-08/87) and make sure it includes all of what I need. Based on the following I'm pretty sure I'm good.

1. Both the late FJ60 and all FJ62 split transfer cases have the 38mm idler shaft, so the kit is OK for those related parts.

2. I recently bought the later transmission output seal (90316-48003), so depending on what's included in the kit I may have an extra of those.

3. The part numbers for the front and rear output shaft seals (at the extension housings) are the same for the late FJ60s and all FJ62s, 90311-48009 and 90311-48010, respectively.

After I verify I'm good to go, I'll finish cleaning the front and rear case halves (the last parts to clean) and get on with the installation.
 
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