problems with transfer case

10007 Views 5 Replies 4 Participants Last post by RikRotorhead, Jun 12, 2012

Jeepthing338

Discussion Starter · Jun 11, 2012

I got an '02 Wrangler X with a lift and "33's", and it's a stick.
About two months after I got it, it developed a "tick". I took it to my mechanic and he said he thought it was a u joint. I never made it home to put it on the rack, the transfer case ripped off the jeep.
Towed it to my friend (also a mechanic who has had several jeeps in his family).
Replaced the transfer case and front drive shaft ( he did find a bad u joint ), and thought all my troubles were gone.
About a week after getting back on/off the road, the Jeep developed another "tick", thinking that couldn't be a problem, lasted about three more weeks ( until after the 30 day warranty ) and the transfer case tore completely off the tranny!

Help!!! Whats causing this???!!!

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Chris

· #2 · Jun 11, 2012

Do you have a crazy driveline angle that things are binding up? Are you putting fluid in the Tcase? Where is it breaking? Does the case just break apart?

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RikRotorhead

· #3 · Jun 11, 2012

How is your t-case mounted to the skid plate? Very important. It needs to have the rubber mount under it to be able to flex when the engine flexes from torque.
Or like Chris said, a really funny drive line angle.

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Mumblewood

· #4 · Jun 11, 2012

Also is it the same drivelines as before? I had a driveline let loose on the freeway once and it split the t-case. I rebuilt the case and had the driveline rebuilt and balanced but it never was quite the same. I eventually bought a brand new driveline and it runs great now and havent had to replace a U-joint in quite a while

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Jeepthing338

Discussion Starter · #5 · Jun 12, 2012

The angles look fine on the drive line. and its an aftermarket drive shaft, with an "double" u joint at the back (i'm not sure if they come that way stock or not), I also don't know if this figures into it or not, but the last time we ran the numbers on the final drives to check and see if someone had changed the one punkin and not the other, and found out that it has "rock crawlers" both front and back. shouldn't be a problem? but on the highway 70 mph is about top end. Tcase had oil ( it's now on the road ).
On closer inspection, the failure was at the connection between the u joint and the case, the shaft flopping around smashed the case and nearly beat a hole through the tub under my arsh,- with my 15 year old daughter ( i bought the jeep for her ) screaming beside me, I felt like I was in the "Challenger" about to burst into flames! I'm not sure about the rubber mounts but will check, where should they be? between the tcase and the skid plate? or between the skid plate and the frame? I think the skid pate has bushings that are hard rubber between them and the frame, but one was missing, which allowed the skid plate ( at the back ) to flex abnormally. I put a bolt down through the frame and put a steel bushing in to firm it up. bad deal?

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RikRotorhead

· #6 · Jun 12, 2012

There are no bushings between the skid plate and the frame. It is metal to metal and tight.
The t-case has a rubber mount between it and the skid plate. It does the same thing a motor mount does. It allows it to move with the torque by flexing.
So if it does not have that and is somehow modified to bolt directly to the skid plate, and the motor flexes and the t-case is not allowed to flex also, something's going to break.
The "double u-joint" you speak of is called a double cardan drive shaft. Someone has upgraded the t-case to a SYE (slip yoke eliminator). Instead of the drive shaft sliding in and out of the back of the t-case when the axle moves up and down, the drive shaft itself has a slide on it. Much better design to have the SYE. That should not be your problem.
Did the t-case break right at the back of the transmission? Broken motor mounts can also cause something like this.

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