Transfer case questions

[tiomateo]

Well, this is my third post in the first 30 days of owning my 99 100 270k miles. Each time with a more significant issue.

Now I’m being told my transfer case is shot.

The first shop I took it to for a deep
diagnosis found all sorts of things, and did detect a leak in the T case. But they didn’t think it needed replacement. That shop did not have time to do the work they diagnosed, which I didn’t learn until after, so I took to another shop.

This new shop got the car two weeks ago. Took a week to go through and examine, and then I approved about 5k worth of repairs, including the output shaft seal from transfer case to rear diff.

Now they are saying the owner of the shop checked in on the job, and drove the truck, and thinks the whole case should be replaced.

I’m way beyond what I had expected to put into this, and I haven’t even had the truck 30 days yet.

They are quoting the brand new OEM transfer case at roughly 5k for the part itself, 700 of labor.

I see salvage ones on eBay for 800-1000. One with 150k miles.

Is that out of the question to even consider? How easy is it to determine the health of a used transfer case?

And then the bigger question, is this truck even worth keeping? They are telling me they stood down on the work they were going to do when they noticed this. So that I could decide what to prioritize.

Last question, could the transfer case be disengaged, and I just drive the car in FWD for a while? Or is that not possible?

TLDR: what is the consensus on used OEM transfer cases? How many miles do people normally get out of them? And can the truck safely run with a disengaged transfer case?

Thanks so much sorry for the long post!

 

[Trunk Monkey]

Why are they saying the t-case is bad? Is there some driving behavior or symptom that's leading them there or ?

 

[tiomateo]

Why are they saying the t-case is bad? Is there some driving behavior or symptom that's leading them there or ?

Good question. All I know so far was that a noise was detected. I didnt get any more details from the shop manager. I'll get more info tomorrow from the owner/mechanic himself

 

[EWheeler]

List the name of the shop. Local cruiserheads can hopefully chime in if they are reputable, or trying to give you the shaft.

 

[3_puppies]

unless the rig was abused or the transfer case was run out of oil, it is very unlikely the transfer case needs replaced.

was the rig running and driving just fine before the diagnosis?
why did you have it in for the diagnosis?

 

[tiomateo]

List the name of the shop. Local cruiserheads can hopefully chime in if they are reputable, or trying to give you the shaft.

The first shop was Cruiser Matts. The shop that’s telling me to replace the t case is Orlando Import Auto Specialists.

 

[Malleus]

Call Georg @orangefj45 at Valley Hybrids and have him take care of this for you. It sounds like you are getting scammed.

 

[EWheeler]

Well, Cruiser Matt is a well established forum member. Based on the location in your profile, I thought you were in Los Angeles area. Good shops usually have a backlog. I would say get on Matt’s schedule and just be patient.

 

[orangefj45]

Let’s start with the basics.

How many miles are on the cruiser?

What’s the issue you’re experiencing?
Is it leaking?
Any other problems?

Happy to help.

Georg @ Valley Hybrids

 

[tiomateo]

Well, Cruiser Matt is a well established forum member. Based on the location in your profile, I thought you were in Los Angeles area. Good shops usually have a backlog. I would say get on Matt’s schedule and just be patient.

Ah yeah I know, I was excited to find Matt's shop not far from my mom's. I am based in LA now. But I grew up in Orlando and am here at the moment. I bought the truck in Miami and was planning on driving it back to LA as soon as this work is done.

 

[tiomateo]

Let’s start with the basics.

How many miles are on the cruiser?

What’s the issue you’re experiencing?
Is it leaking?
Any other problems?

Happy to help.

Georg @ Valley Hybrids

Hi Georg, it has 270k. I did not notice any sounds and I drove it from Miami to Orlando no problem. The shop it's at now (Orlando Import) diagnosed a leak in the rear output shaft seal. I had approved them to replace this seal and change the fluid. I had also approved them to do about 5K worth of other stuff, so I have no reason to believe they are swindling me. Already getting plenty out of me. The shop manager is telling me the owner of the shop thought it sounded bad when he drove it. I'm waiting for him to call me himself, and then I'll learn more.

 

[orangefj45]

Question is, did it sound bad to you?!

It’s impossible for anybody to give you a solid answer without having solid info.

Maybe the shop does not know how to work on these transfer cases, which would not surprise me, so instead of trying to fix it they want to sell you a new one which they can just bolt in.

I’ve built a few hundred of these cases. Generally speaking, it is very very uncommon for them to need to be fully rebuilt or replaced unless they were run completely out of fluid. And at that point, you would know that you have a major issue on your hands.

Georg @ Valley Hybrids

 

[orangefj45]

Maybe you can ask Matt to chime in to add his “opinion” and what he thinks might be going on with your cruiser.

 

[Eyedaho]

You will get good advice on here. I would want specific information about what had failed in the TC and why it needed to be replaced versus repaired. The shop should be able to explain how they reached that conclusion and based on that evidence you can get good advice here on how to proceed.

 

[dbleon]

Listen very carefully to @Georg. Dude is a legend

The mechanic took your truck for a ride and is likely trying to take you for a ride

 

[Malleus]

calling @cruisermatt

 

[cruiseroutfit]

A. Even if it does need a t-case replacements (and that is a big if) $5k is waaaaaay over the top. We sell brand new OEM 100/470 HF2A t-cases, ready to bolt in, for $2450, $700 labor is high to do a Tcase R&R too. With a new case, it’s a 2-3 hour job.

OEM HF2A Transfer Case Assembly - Fits 8x/450/100/470 Applications (See Fitment Details Below) (TC36130)

Transfer Case For Toyota Land Cruiser

cruiserteq.com

B. From there. Find out what is bad about your case. Seals are not easy to do in this case compared to the earlier 1-pc and split cases. $700 labor is a fair price to pay to have the seals swapped on a case.

Now, if they opened the case to replace a seal and found some damaged (again unlikely) parts, it could need replacement. Used cases are avail, ~$200-500, rebuilt ~$1000-1500 or new as I mentioned $2445 w/o CDL actuator or $2795 with the CDL actuator. Depending on your mechanical skill, they are not hard at all to swap and we have step-by-step instructions and access to our part engineer that builds and installs these daily.

We’ve had people send us perfectly working t-cases just to open them and they hosed. Those are usual their core returns

 

[tiomateo]

A. Even if it does need a t-case replacements (and that is a big if) $5k is waaaaaay over the top. We sell brand new OEM 100/470 HF2A t-cases, ready to bolt in, for $2450, $700 labor is high to do a Tcase R&R too. With a new case, it’s a 2-3 hour job.

View attachment 3827718

OEM HF2A Transfer Case Assembly - Fits 8x/450/100/470 Applications (See Fitment Details Below) (TC36130)

Transfer Case For Toyota Land Cruiser

cruiserteq.com

B. From there. Find out what is bad about your case. Seals are not easy to do in this case compared to the earlier 1-pc and split cases. $700 labor is a fair price to pay to have the seals swapped on a case.

Now, if they opened the case to replace a seal and found some damaged (again unlikely) parts, it could need replacement. Used cases are avail, ~$200-500, rebuilt ~$1000-1500 or new as I mentioned $2445 w/o CDL actuator or $2795 with the CDL actuator. Depending on your mechanical skill, they are not hard at all to swap and we have step-by-step instructions and access to our part engineer that builds and installs these daily.

We’ve had people send us perfectly working t-cases just to open them and they hosed. Those are usual their core returns

A. Even if it does need a t-case replacements (and that is a big if) $5k is waaaaaay over the top. We sell brand new OEM 100/470 HF2A t-cases, ready to bolt in, for $2450, $700 labor is high to do a Tcase R&R too. With a new case, it’s a 2-3 hour job.

View attachment 3827718

OEM HF2A Transfer Case Assembly - Fits 8x/450/100/470 Applications (See Fitment Details Below) (TC36130)

Transfer Case For Toyota Land Cruiser

cruiserteq.com

B. From there. Find out what is bad about your case. Seals are not easy to do in this case compared to the earlier 1-pc and split cases. $700 labor is a fair price to pay to have the seals swapped on a case.

Now, if they opened the case to replace a seal and found some damaged (again unlikely) parts, it could need replacement. Used cases are avail, ~$200-500, rebuilt ~$1000-1500 or new as I mentioned $2445 w/o CDL actuator or $2795 with the CDL actuator. Depending on your mechanical skill, they are not hard at all to swap and we have step-by-step instructions and access to our part engineer that builds and installs these daily.

We’ve had people send us perfectly working t-cases just to open them and they hosed. Those are usual their core returns

Thanks this is great info.

 

[cruisermatt]

Just to echo the others, I’ve only seen a handful of these transfer cases suffer an actual mechanical failure and every time was due to being run dry for an extended period.
Typically this results in a LOT of noise, grinding, etc or complete loss of drive.

 

[cruisermatt]

I should also backtrack a bit and say that I’m bummed you are having a negative experience with your first Land Cruiser.

I checked with my team who handled your inspection.
Overall from your inspection notes it seems like this vehicle is in pretty poor mechanical condition and didn’t have any service history.
My technician also let me know when he checked your fluids the transfer case was almost empty and he filled it up.

I know this is not helpful to you now but maybe for someone else this is a good example of why I recommend having a vehicle inspected by a knowledgeable individual or business BEFORE purchase instead of after if you are new to the platform.