Replacing cracked Transfer Case plate. Any advice appreciated

[jpoole]

One thought/question that I have is how tight is the bearing that fell out at this point? I ask because the welder may have heated up the case and caused it to expand, thus leading to the race falling out. In any case, figuring out how it should fit/feel and assessing how worn the case is in this area may be pretty easy as you can use the new case for comparison/measurements. There are ways to secure the race in the old case if it's worn and needs help but I agree that if it's out of spec that I'd use the new case as well since you have it.

 

[ToyotaTruck]

I did find the following info from the 96 FSM regarding how to set the races and that answers my question on which direction I should go to install them but it doesn't say how far to press them in ...

 

[ToyotaTruck]

One thought/question that I have is how tight is the bearing that fell out at this point? I ask because the welder may have heated up the case and caused it to expand, thus leading to the race falling out. In any case, figuring out how it should fit/feel and assessing how worn the case is in this area may be pretty easy as you can use the new case for comparison/measurements. There are ways to secure the race in the old case if it's worn and needs help but I agree that if it's out of spec that I'd use the new case as well since you have it.

The welder stated that it fell out before he heated the case...I am taking him at his word here. I can finger press in the race and it seems to hold but I am concerned that it was half-sticking out when I removed the case. Almost as if it was getting ready to fall out.

 

[ToyotaTruck]

The other thing that I am mulling over in my head is maybe I can "feel" the appropriate distance between the race and bearing and make minor adjustments as needed. Should the bearings actually be touching the race when the case is bolted on or should there be a minor gap between the two? I noticed that I can move the two large gear assemblies forward and backward at least 3/4 inch with the case off. I am thinking that these races serve as a guide in keeping these gears (which has the bearings pressed onto them) from hitting the case and thus do not have a specific distance between the bearing and the race. If this is correct, I will just set the race to be flush with the outside of the case and call it good. Thoughts?

 

[ToyotaTruck]

Hey i just found this post on Ih8mud which a user posted a pic of their case on their LC and it looks like the middle bearing race is flush with the case. So it looks like my assumption is correct in that as long as I make both races flush with the outside of the case, I should be golden!!

 

[ToyotaTruck]

Pooh... found another post where their race is pushed into the case it looks to be about a 1/4 inch. So now, i don't know which one is right.

 

[DivByZero]

Install the races all the way in with a race driver. When you go to install the rear case, tap it in gently with a plastic hammer or rubber mallet to get it seated, then torque the bolts down to factory specs, tightening the bolts evenly in stages, preferably working in a cross-pattern around the case. As you do this, if the races are too far in for the bearings, they'll be gently pushed out by the rollers to their correct position. This isn't a fixed location, it can vary based on where everything ends up sitting. That's why there's supposed to be "shims" fitted behind these two bearing races to fill the gap between the races and the rear extension housing. If your existing case had shims, you'll probably find you can reuse them to get the correct result. If there were no shims present, take that as evidence you can get away without them.

There's some detail on this procedure in the FSM. I'm looking at RM184E, Assembly of Transfer, steps 9 through 13, starting on page TF-42.

 

[ToyotaTruck]

Thanks Nemesis. I couldn't get the center diff off with the tools I have so I opted to just reinstall all the original races into the new case. And yes, you are right - the races just kind of set in place on their own. I put it all back together last night. We'll see how it runs when I fill it up tomorrow. I want to give enough time for the fipg to set. I did run into one issue that I hope will be fine. The top shaft with the red bearing (not sure what that is) wore a slight groove into the new case hole recess while I was hammering into place. It seemed the hole in the new case wasn't rounded out enough to accommodate the bearing diameter and it was producing very small aluminum shavings while digging into the edge of the hole. I took the case off and sanded the hole in order to eliminate the bur that was created. I got it pretty smooth again and after that, the case went on just perfectly. So I think I am ok - hopefully.

 

[ToyotaTruck]

I finished the Land Cruiser earlier this evening and I wanted to report that I just drove it around the block without any leaks or odd sounds. It actually drove really smooth. Tomorrow I will take it out at higher speeds and try out L4 but so far so good. Thanks to everyone for their advice and insight.