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4 Wheel Drive/SUVs/loose transfer case& broken trans mount

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Expert: - 5/16/2009


Question
I had a trans leek between the transmission and the transfer case on my 2003 chev silverodo 2500 hd I had a shop replace the output shaft seal and tighten the transfer case bolts.after about 1000 miles the leak returned and I found that the spacer-transmission MT was completly broken in half,the only thing holding the transfer case in was the drive line.What would cause that to break?

Answer
Bruce,

The mount that broke is constructed with a rubber material and is very susceptible to failure due to being saturated with oil in the first place.  If it had oil on it when they replaced the seal and tightened the bolts, a new mount should have been installed.  Also the loose bolts allowed the mount to jerk whenever the transmission/transfer case moved helping to crack the rubber part of the mount.  This may not have been obvious unless it was looked at closely.

Carl  

4 Wheel Drive/SUVs

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Carl Brandt

Expertise

Will discuss suspensions, lifts, lockers along with tire suggestions. Trail ratings and possible requirements needed for specific type of trails. Safety equipment and what you should carry with you. Certified off-road instructor. I am not a mechanic, and 4-Wheeling is a hobby, so if I can't answer a technical question it is due to my mechanical knowledge being related to vehicles that I have owned, or have worked on. I do not have manuals on all vehicles.

Experience

40 plus years of 4 wheeling in a variety of vehicles. At the present time, my major off-road rig is a 94 Jeep Wrangler with a spring over and a 1 1/2" suspension lift. This gives me a total lift of 7" or so. I have lockers front and rear. I have removed the track bars, and sway bar for maximum articulation. I am running a stock 2.5 ltr 4 cylinder with a Jacobs ignition along with a cold air high flow filter. It has 4.56:1 gears with a Dodge NV4500 transmission along with a 3.8:1 Atlas II transfer case. This gives me a final ratio of 105:1 in low gear/low range. Other vehicles I own, are a 96 Ford F-250 with a 6" lift, posi rear end, 36" Hummer tires, 5 speed with a fuel injected 460 ci engine, an 87 Samurai with an 8" lift, Ford 9" rear end with a spool, Chevy Dana 44 front end with an electric locker, 5.88 gears, 16% reduction in high range and a 6.5:1 low range with 35" Baja Claws, and a stock 2003 Grand Cherokee Overland. Trails I have run are the Rubicon (10 times), Dusey Ershim, Fordyce Creek trail, McGrew trail, several trails in Moab, Utah along with local monthly runs.

Organizations
Lost Coast 4x4's Cal 4-Wheel Corva UFWDA Blue Ribbon Coalition

Education/Credentials
Certified off-road instructor - Certificates in engineering/electronics

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