transmission or transfer case issue?

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Ralphethecat

10 Year 15 Year
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1999 LC 199k miles. Just had 90k service done including transmission, differentials, transfer case service. Had bearings and brakes less than a year ago and probably only 5-6 k miles ago.

Headed down the hwy today pulled over on the side of the road to see if a store was open, went to pull away and the LC won't go and there is a terrible noise coming from under the car. Tried it again and managed to drive one block to a gas station. It did the same for just a second then worked. Drove around a block and it did it once more. I put the trans shifter into neutral then shifted the transfer case hi to low a few times. Then I drove 60 hwy miles with no issue.

Had to slow down for a turn went less than a mile and the same thing happened. As I was coasting I shifted into N and can still hear the noise. Then I stopped and shifted into every gear stopped with my foot on the brake and in every gear it would make the noise.

So then I put the transmission in N shifted the transfer case to L, transmission to D and drove home 20 miles without incident other than only going 20 mph. And it seemed to shift fine. There are no warning lights or check engine lights on.

I'd really appreciate your possible diagnoses and suggestions. thanks.
 
I am guessing it's the tcase based on the info given, particularly the send to last paragraph when you drove in L. Probably need to take it to a qualified cruiser shop for a proper diagnosis.
 
Agree transfer case or linkage. Just after service, hummmmm. Check fluid in T-case & transmission. Check all mounts as well, movement may move T-case shifter out of gear.
 
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Ralphethecat said:
So I've been researching similar symptoms here on mud and found some guys who had cv issues. One test was to put the transfer case in hi then lock the center differential.

I just did that and it drives fine.


2000 land cruiser transmission blown?


This is one thread I found that seems to have my issues.
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This is most likely your issue, it is actually more common than you would think. The splines on the cv and drive flange shear off and it won't go unless the center diff is locked. Jack up the front and see if you can spin either of the front tires by hand, if you can spin the wheel and the cv is not spinning than its your cv. I suppose it could have something to with the tcase but unlikely.
Good luck!


Sent from my iPhone
 
So I got it in to a good shop. Turns out we were very close to losing the whole wheel. They told me the last shop that did my bearings and brakes did not put it back together right. The c clip was totally off and fell to the floor when they took the cover off. There was no more groove for it and the splines on the end were worn off. I'm being told that the last shop did not pre load the bearing right and ruined the c clip when they took it off.

I'm not a mechanic at all so let me know if any of this sounds plausible.
 
agreed, very plausible. glad you caught rather than experience the alternative!
 
My wife had them done in Utah on vacation in sept 2014. I was not with her. I was hunting. We live in Wy. It was the tunex in Springville, Ut. I've already contacted them. My mechanic here says they should pay the bill and that we were very close to losing the whole wheel. It was 15k miles ago. Tunex told me their warranty is 12 months and 12k miles. The manager told me he'll run this by the owner. He also said that if a bearing isn't put together right it fails in 100 miles not 15k. I didn't notice anything unusual. Have the thunk when shifting and it started thunking more when accelerating right before the failure.

If they really did screw it up I'm pretty pissed. I'm pretty sure had we lost that wheel at hwy speed someone would have died or been seriously hurt.

I'd love to hear any recommendations for dealing with this.
 
Ralphethecat said:
My wife had them done in Utah on vacation in sept 2014. I was not with her. I was hunting. We live in Wy. It was the tunex in Springville, Ut. I've already contacted them. My mechanic here says they should pay the bill and that we were very close to losing the whole wheel. It was 15k miles ago. Tunex told me their warranty is 12 months and 12k miles. The manager told me he'll run this by the owner. He also said that if a bearing isn't put together right it fails in 100 miles not 15k. I didn't notice anything unusual. Have the thunk when shifting and it started thunking more when accelerating right before the failure.

If they really did screw it up I'm pretty pissed. I'm pretty sure had we lost that wheel at hwy speed someone would have died or been seriously hurt.

I'd love to hear any recommendations for dealing with this.
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Really nothing you can do about it.

I would find someone who knows Land Cruisers to do the work from here on, or learn the basics yourself.

I opted for the latter of the two mostly because I'm the only person I know who is going to make sure it's done right. Especially when my wife and kids are involved.
 
It is definitely plausible that it was not done correctly but the mechanic is right, if the preload on the bearing was too loose or too tight it would have made its self known fairly quickly.
The cv splines striping was most likely not caused by the previous work, it is common on these for some reason. The clunk you were getting prior is also signs the splines were getting worse. You will start feeling it when shifting from forward to reverse and it will slowly get worse, then you may even start to feel it while driving when the transmission shift or as you let off and get back on the throttle, these are tale tale signs the splines are about to let go. Anyone experiencing these should have there cvs and drive flange checked before it leaves you stranded.

Did you have both sides changed? If not i would recommend it. Typically the drivers side is the first to go but the passenger side will not be to far behind.


Sent from my iPhone
 
Ralphethecat said:
So I got it in to a good shop. Turns out we were very close to losing the whole wheel. They told me the last shop that did my bearings and brakes did not put it back together right. The c clip was totally off and fell to the floor when they took the cover off. There was no more groove for it and the splines on the end were worn off. I'm being told that the last shop did not pre load the bearing right and ruined the c clip when they took it off.

I'm not a mechanic at all so let me know if any of this sounds plausible.
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The fact the bearing service was so long ago threw me. 15k miles is a lot but the LC is a tank and very forgiving, so likely last wheel bearing job was not done correctly. Many shops use old school for servicing bearings and setting preload, which is not correct procedure for the 100. Ask how they performed the job, you want them to give you detail.
Here is what your looking for (in stock 100 setup):
  1. FSM states bearings and races are not reusable if races removed. We all repack old but this is not recommended provided they pass visual inspection.
  2. FSM states ~10 to 15lb breakaway preload. Old school (lite preload) will not come close on used bearings.
  3. FSM states not reusable: Lock washers tabs must be bent, this get missed.
  4. Axle bearing and bushing, did they grease? Takes special tool Slee - Spindle Grease Tool or labor goes way up. Many shops miss and this will increase gap at snap ring if bushing wears.
  5. FSM states not reusable part: Snap ring gap? Some shop don't check. This is very important, as a wide gap is asking for trouble.
If you don't hear from old shop in detail on each of last four items, they screwed up, and owe you. Difficult, but you are obligated to give them option to repair first.

Seem to me some workout is only fair, if they messed up.

001.webp
 
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Just to clarify on the bearing service; my '04 owners maintenance manual says to lubricate, not replace, the wheel bearings every 30,000 miles. The FSM says bearing replacement (as in non-reusable parts) is only required if the races are driven out of their seats and removed in a complete disassembly of the hub. It is perfectly ok to simply repack and reuse the bearings.

In my experience, the c-clip has to be replaced because removing the old one bends it too much to reuse. If they re-used the old one that's likely the source of the trouble.
 
Sandroad said:
Just to clarify on the bearing service; my '04 owners maintenance manual says to lubricate, not replace, the wheel bearings every 30,000 miles. The FSM says bearing replacement (as in non-reusable parts) is only required if the races are driven out of their seats and removed in a complete disassembly of the hub. It is perfectly ok to simply repack and reuse the bearings.

In my experience, the c-clip has to be replaced because removing the old one bends it too much to reuse. If they re-used the old one that's likely the source of the trouble.
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Good point Sandroad, thanks. I've edited my last post. The diagram is of a complete break down with races removed, not something done without cause after visual inspection.

Reused snap ring (c-clip) defiantly at top of list. Not greasing axle bushing along with wide and/or widening gap, would increase axle slap over time. Pounding on snap ring, axle, bushing & hub ends. Cycle of doom...

Improper preload would mostly be only a contribution factor from vibration and heat build up.
 
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