Transfer Case Rebuild? (1 Viewer)

[mklemp]

My 80 Series Land Cruiser has 240K miles and I'm doing a full engine rebuild. It had a second blown head gasket but this time I decided to do a full rebuild. I pulled the transmission and transfer case out at the same time. That was hands down the best approach IMHO.

The transmission was rebuilt at 170K miles, but the transfer case has had zero work done to it other than oil changes.

So, the transfer case has squawk or clunk when you shift the trans from reverse to drive and it drives me nuts. This LC has been a daily driver and not really driven off-road or in harsh environments.

I'm hoping to solicit some suggestions about needed work on the transfer case and would certainly like to eliminate the clunk if possible since it's sitting on my garage floor.

 

[REKCUT]

Mike,

Your cruiser sounds like it has had an extremely rough life. 2 head gaskets and and tranny rebuild. Thats an unusual amount of work. I know that transmission issues are rare enough that i see many folks throwing them away when they do a part out. As far as the clunk, a lot of cruisers get one from slack in the driveline. Usually feel it when you roll to a stop and take off again. Not sure if yours is similar to this.

 

[mklemp]

I change the transmission fluid every 30K miles, but at 170K there was fine brass (which looked like gold) floating in the trans fluid. The torque converter bushings were disintegrating and the TC needed to be replaced. Since this brass was circulating through the transmission, it needed a rebuild as well.

The engine lasted 220k miles before the original head gasket blew. I cut the head and installed a Felpro composite gasket, but it only lasted another 20k miles and 2 years. I've been a Felpro fan, but now understand that I could have made a better choice of a higher-performance gasket like MLS. I'm considering a Cometic MLS gasket this go around with new studs rather than bolts. No short-term do-overs are acceptable this time. I also resurfaced the deck so everything is flat.

Regarding the clunk, when I start to feel that slack in the drive train, I typically grease both axle splines and it solves that issue. I had a mechanic lay under the vehicle while I shifted back and forth from reverse to drive. The clunk (more like a squawk noise was definitely coming from the transfer case. I would like to address any transfer case issues before I put Humpty Dumpty together again.

 

[ajax1]

Use a oem gasket, have never seen a t case make noises when shifting the tranny to reverse, what makes you think that is the t case and not the tranny, my a442 would make a squelch when going from reverse to drive was the hydraulic system of the tranny pretty common to hear and not worry. You could also have a bad u joint

 

[greentruck]

In the absence of a more definitive sign of failure, keep in mind that the Land Cruiser transfer case is generally reliable and tough. They very rarely have issues. I understand the truck is apart and the itch to fix it all at once. However, I think it's worth your while to put it back together and see what develops. There's lots of threads here where people think it's the transfer case and it's almost always not.

 

[slow95z]

sounds to me like the OEM head gasket is 11 times better than the felpro.

i think you are over thinking this. put a factory head gasket on it, arp studs, stuff it back in.

 

[flintknapper]

T-case is all gear driven and if not severely abused in the past...is not likely to need a rebuild at your mileage. One possible exception being if your model has the Viscous Coupler (which can be removed).

IF you are doing the work yourself....it wouldn't hurt to partially tear it down, clean, inspect and install new seals, but if it isn't leaking now (and you would have to farm out the work) then I'd leave it be.... unless you have really deep pockets and just want everything to be 'fresh' going back in.

Good luck with your project.

 

[alia176]

I'm hoping to solicit some suggestions about needed work on the transfer case and would certainly like to eliminate the clunk if possible since it's sitting on my garage floor.

I wonder if the "clunk" is due to worn front hub drive plates, combined with a full time drivetrain so the lash in the two diffs are contributing to this sound?
Just a WAG.

The Tcase in these things are pure beef so I'd simply R/R the seals and call it done. Unless you want to do a PT kit or a 3:1 gearset or overdrive set!

I'm also ASTOUNDED with the HF engine hoist being able to support that entire drivetrain

 

[gummycarbs]

It looks like a Terrain Tamer rebuild kit is around $230. I bought a whole, low-mileage transfer case for $250. Found it on car-part.

 

[BadReligion]

The Tcase in these things are pure beef so I'd simply R/R the seals and call it done. Unless you want to do a PT kit or a 3:1 gearset or overdrive set!

I agree. T-case failure or mechanical problems are incredibly rare.

I had to pick up a spare when I had mine sent out for low gears. When I went to drain the oil (on the spare), rusty water came out. I filled it up with gear oil, drove 50 miles, did a drain/fill and then proceeded on a 1000mi offroad trip. It didn't skip a beat and I ran it for several months before swapping over the regeared T Case.

I would second removing the VC.

 

[alia176]

I agree. T-case failure or mechanical problems are incredibly rare.

I had to pick up a spare when I had mine sent out for low gears. When I went to drain the oil (on the spare), rusty water came out. I filled it up with gear oil, drove 50 miles, did a drain/fill and then proceeded on a 1000mi offroad trip. It didn't skip a beat and I ran it for several months before swapping over the regeared T Case.

I would second removing the VC.

Wow, rusty water? Ya know, I KEEP reminding folks that we don't drive amphibian assault vehicles but they don't listen

I've been part time for over a decade along with 3:1 Marks low gearset from OZ and that Tcase has been flawless, going on 285k miles and counting.

Doing donuts on snow while the dog got pinned to the rear window....PRICELESS.

 

[BadReligion]

Wow, rusty water? Ya know, I KEEP reminding folks that we don't drive amphibian assault vehicles but they don't listen

It must have come off a flood salvaged vehicle to have that much water in it.

 

[COYS]

I have an appt w/ Valley Hybrid for a full front and rear axle refresh, and while there, debating whether I even touch the TC in the hands of a truly reputable Land Cruiser shop. Nothing is wrong with the TC as far as I know at 293K miles, but I'm leaning toward not fixing what's not broken unless Georg finds something.

Driveline slack start/stop/start and the R to D, D to R clunk noise are two different things. I'd love to know what eliminates this noise myself.

I find this 80 owner's videos to be entertaining and well done. I'm sure he's on the forum, but here you go in case y'all wanted to subscribe. I'm all about supporting quality 80 series yt content.