RTH with transfer case under drive and low range gears (1 Viewer)

[dannyp]

I've been slowly and carefully doing this job and I'm stumped on reassembly. Everything turns and operates as it should until I put the rear output shaft on. I've assembled and disassembled it 3x now and the same thing keeps happening. The spacer and shim on the oil pump is pushing the bearing and gear down the shaft and that top gear thats supposed to spin freely until the shift collar catches it does not spin freely once it's together. I can put a dowel in between the studs and make it spin but it's really hard to turn. Has anyone ever had this issue. The pic is of the offending gear. I've taken it back out and given it space in the press and it all turns fine until that final step of putting the rear output shaft on then when I take that gear stack back out I can't turn it by hand anymore.

 

[dannyp]

It shifts as it should, locks and unlocks. Unlocked in high it turns easier although it still take quite a bit of leverage on the dowel, locked in low it's so stiff I've got to hold it down on the bench or it'll roll off and I can feel that bearing inside that gear dragging and I don't want to assume it'll loosen itself up once it's in the truck and end up melting those needle bearings and messing up the new gear.

 

[Malleus]

Bad shim stack?

 

[dannyp]

I thought I was done for the night but decided to tear it back down before the rtv fully cured. Once I was in it I decided to take that gear back off and inspect the needle bearings. I remember when I took it apart the first time the needle bearings slid right out. This time the new bearing was stuck in the new gear. Once I got them out of the gear I slid the old bearing back on to see how the gear fit on the old bearing. It slid right on no pressing needed which it did need when I put the new bearing in so im gonna use the old bearing. It looked fine and when I put the top bearing on I could feel it was totally seated and the gear wasn't bound. When I had to press the new needle bearings in the new gear when I put that top bearing on it bound when fully seated. I've never done this before so I just used the bearing splitter to give it just enough slack to not bind the gear. Now in hind sight it seems the new bearing and new gear on the old shaft just didn't have the right tolerances to work. I won't know for sure until I have time to clean the case again amd reassemble but I think I'm on the right track now.