Looking for opinions on what is the best route to go on transfer case selection. I bought a case from a salvage yard from a 2000 model with a supposed 77k miles on it. I keep going back and forth with installing the case as a whole or just robbing the locking snout off of it and putting that on my stock 03 case. I do have to take the 03 case out for a new input seal so I would probably do a complete reseal on which ever case I put back in.
PROs for 2000 case:............................................. ....................... CONs for 2000 case:
-Lower miles .................................................. ............................-Unknown condition
-shorter down time can have it resealed.......................................... .-Remove shift interlock solenoid?
before I even pull car into shop

PROs for swapping Locking snout:............................................ ..........CONS for swapping snout:
-Driving for 4 years no issues with case.............................................. .-has 145k miles on case
-has improvments over previous year from rave:
The following items are introduced on vehicles from 03 model year
l Ribs added to main casing to reduce operating noise
l Revised machining process for intermediate gears to reduce operating noise
l Bearing retaining nut on the differential carrier has patchlock added to the threads
l Interlock solenoid moved from main casing to selector lever assembly
l Intermediate gears modified with machined internal shoulder and bearing circlips deleted
l High/Low selector shaft fitted with spring assist

 

Why don't you open up the 2000 case now, and look at its condition beforehand?

 

True, I guess I dont know exactly what to look for unless there is some obvious damage.

 

If you swap the front output housing you'll have to remove it from the 2000 TC anyway. If not, it's only a matter of applying some sealant and putting it back on with the correct torque.

Once it's off, you'll be able to remove the output shaft/differential assembly without problem. Just remember to remove the indexer ball bearing first. (2 minutes) Turn the two output splines of the differential one against the other. It should be tight, and you should feel the sun gears turn inside, at least a little anyway. It should be barely perceptible at the very least, and absolutely no slop or backlash.

Then you'll be able inspect the contact surface of the hi and low gears for obvious signs of wear. A little wear is ok, the problem is when there are obvious scratches.

The race for the 2 Timken bearings at both ends of the shaft are important too.

You can also inspect the hi and low gears on the intermediate shaft, and look for play from front to back. The only shaft you will not be able to look at is the primary shaft, and it would only be a matter of removing the PTO cover and then you would be able to look at it as well. Finally look at the drain plug for excess sludge / metal filings. Some sludge is ok, the problem is there are metal flakes like you would see in metal flake paint. Same for the bottom of the case. It should be reasonably clean.

If it all checks out, then I would keep the 2000 front output housing on the 2000 TC, since you'll be certain all the preloads are factory spec, unless it has been rebuilt by an amateur in the past.

 

good points! thanks for the write up, I thinks this way makes the most sense.

 

im working on resealing the 2000 model case, so its sitting on the bench and I cant get it to shift from high to low range The shifter moves fine from high to neutral but wont go into low. Should this be easy or is it just stuck from sitting in a warehouse for a couple years? dont want to force it and break something. I have already removed shift interlock solenoid.

 

never mind Just had to engage cdl and work the lever back and forth while rotating out put flange and it popped right in. Works fine now.

 

I have noticed a sprinkling of copper colored flakes in the 2000 model case as well as a couple larger flakes is this cause for concern? There was really not much sludge on the magnet, I had more on my 03 case years ago when I first changed its fluid. Just dont want to use this 2000 case if these flecks are bad. On inspection I dont see anything that looks out of spec, the copper flecks seem to be centered in the splined part that receives from transmission. Maybe they came from the old trans that used to be hooked to it.

 

I found this in the locking front output housing I bought, it was out of a '99 transfer case. I researched this and found at least two other people who found the same shavings in their transfer case.



A friend who rebuilds industrial gearboxes at work told me not to worry about it because copper is so soft it could not have damaged the internals of the transfer case.

What is funny is that these copper flakes appear to be crushed shim stock and there is not a single piece of copper shim in the whole transfer case. I completely rebuilt my transfer case, using the Ashcroft rebuild kit and , all the shims are steel.

My friend thinks they could be some temporary part used to put the transfer case together at the factory, like to hold some things together on the assembly line. Maybe.

 

Very interesting. That looks similar to what I found only not that large.
I spent 7 hrs today getting the old case out, what a major headache. There was not enough clearance for the old case to fit out, it was hitting the edge of the floor pan before it would completely clear the out put shaft from the trans. I needed like 1/4" more clearance. Finally had to jack up the transmission a couple inches which allowed me to fight the transfer case on out. Hope I did not hurt the trans with the down ward pressure on the out put shaft as i fought with it. Now getting it back in without buggering up the input seal is going to be fun, To get the clearance I need im planning on pulling the mainshaft input gear bearing housing and cover. Because its really the bolt heads on this cover that caused the case to hang up. I assume I can pull out the gear set and re-install it after case is in place?
thanks!