Transmission Transfer Case Leak

[homemadespaceship]

Hello All,

I just bought a 1988 toyota pickup and I'm pretty sure that the transmission is leaking into the transfer case.

I went to check the level of these oils and when I opened the transfer case gear oil spilled out all over the place. Then I checked the transmission fill hole and can't feel any oil.

My question, as dumb is it may be, is could I just fill up the transmission and use it. I only want to limp down to Tucson AZ from Denver as I've got family down there with good mechanic skills. My goal with this truck was to learn from them for a while and fix it up nicely, I don't really want to pay someone to fix something right now that I could do myself with them.

Any advice would be much appreciated as I'm a total newbie, I've searched all over the forum to figure out what the problem is, now I just want to know how serious of an issue it is.

Thank You,
Kyle

 

[Bogo]

I'd drain and refill both cases and see how fast the transfer from one to the other is. If it is slow, then likely no issue. If fast, then watch out. The shift mechanism in the transmission is the first to be starved of oil when oil levels get low, and it will wear out prematurely. As for excess oil in the transfer case. It can lead to foaming of the oil, heat buildup, and whatever else they mention in the FSM.

 

[KLF]

Ya, I'd just re-fill to the proper levels, run it for a bit, then check. I don't think this is a common problem, and fortunately it's not that hard to fix. The transfer can be pulled off as a unit, swap the seal, put it back together.

 

[homemadespaceship]

Hi,

Thanks for the advice. I drained out the transfer case and filled up the transmission with new gear oil and drove it for 30 miles and checked and everything was right on. I'm gonna drive it for a bit and keep checking the levels on a daily basis and see how things go.

Thanks,
Kyle