Magus2727
NAXJA Forum User
- Location
- Draper, UT
So my Jeep has become my wife's vehicle and I may have been neglecting its care a bit. Since changing out the ball joints where has been a bit of a noise (I always attributed it to possibly a fan clutch gone bad, or some other vibration that was not critical. I checked all the bolts and fasteners I touched during the ball joints along with other areas I thought it might be.
Well time went on where my wife was driving it more exclusively. I drove it the other day and it started getting bad enough I pulled over to check. front end had no play. it felt like it was coming from either the engine bay or the middle of the car until vibrations made it known it was coming from the transfer case. I put it in 4WD (while traveling straight on a paved dry road) and the vibration went away. I attributed it to possibly not fully moving the arm on the 4WD select.
I pulled the plug as soon as I could and found out the transfer case was bone dry. I filled her up with DEX III/MERCON not knowing where the leak was, and after a small trip to the part store to pick up some more fluid there was a puddle. after a 45 min drive back home the whole undercarriage was covered with fluid. So needless to say there is a fairly massive leak out the rear output shaft seal.
I have a new one on order. I have some DEX 6 to fill it up with. I do see metal shavings in what is dripping from the transfer case.
My question: likely how much damage is done when there was both audible and felt vibrations from the transfer case? Is there a pump in the transfer case that could have been damaged running dry? Should I replace the seal run the fluid in it for a few hundred miles and then change it out again (like get a qt of Dex III for the temp fluid...)? Any way I can inspect the transfer case with out pulling it can cracking it open?
Thanks for the help!
Well time went on where my wife was driving it more exclusively. I drove it the other day and it started getting bad enough I pulled over to check. front end had no play. it felt like it was coming from either the engine bay or the middle of the car until vibrations made it known it was coming from the transfer case. I put it in 4WD (while traveling straight on a paved dry road) and the vibration went away. I attributed it to possibly not fully moving the arm on the 4WD select.
I pulled the plug as soon as I could and found out the transfer case was bone dry. I filled her up with DEX III/MERCON not knowing where the leak was, and after a small trip to the part store to pick up some more fluid there was a puddle. after a 45 min drive back home the whole undercarriage was covered with fluid. So needless to say there is a fairly massive leak out the rear output shaft seal.
I have a new one on order. I have some DEX 6 to fill it up with. I do see metal shavings in what is dripping from the transfer case.
My question: likely how much damage is done when there was both audible and felt vibrations from the transfer case? Is there a pump in the transfer case that could have been damaged running dry? Should I replace the seal run the fluid in it for a few hundred miles and then change it out again (like get a qt of Dex III for the temp fluid...)? Any way I can inspect the transfer case with out pulling it can cracking it open?
Thanks for the help!