T-Case Problems?

[alopeks]

The Jeep:
1999 XJ
AW4 (reman 10/24, ~12K miles)
4.0 (reman 11/19, ~80K miles)
NP 242, stock, ~288K miles
Mild lift/larger tires (~2.5-3 inches, 31's all around)
Stock 3.55s in the HP D30 & 8.25
Daily driven
To my knowledge, the T-Case has never been opened.

Couple nights ago I heard a loud pop & felt a shudder while driving in town at 40 mph. Thought I had hit something or even blown a tire, but didn't see anything. It continued to randomly make similar noises, very inconsistently, but every time I could feel it jerk or hesitate. I crawled under to inspect the axles & driveshafts but couldn't find any obvious play or binding parts. I thought maybe I was misinterpreting a misfire or backfire, but it only happened while in motion, & it didn't seem more or less common if I was under load, accelerating, or just maintaining speed. It also happened a couple times while braking, but rarely. I've had an intermittent issue with the O2 sensor fuse blowing, causing some CELs & occasional rough idle, so last night I spent time tracking down a small nick in the wiring that was grounding out & blowing the fuse, thinking what I was hearing was a particularly bad misfire. Well, that wasn't it...

This morning it was doing the same until suddenly I lost momentum & heard a grinding sound that made me think I had dropped the driveshaft or something. Managed to get it off the road & into a parking lot under power, but just barely. I gingerly nursed it into the lot, but it would growl & grind like I was crushing gravel if I had it in gear after that.

So, does that sound like the T-Case? I assume chain/gearset/etc. broke?

Thanks for y'all's input.

-alopeks

 

[Anak]

Sounds like a reasonable possibility.

Can you shift the T-case? If you put in neutral can you push the Jeep without any of the crunchy noises?

 

[alopeks]

I didn't try to shift it for fear of making things worse.

 

[75SV1]

I had a NP 242 rebuilt about a year or so ago. I was going on vacation and about 40 miles down the road I started hearing popping etc. I looked at stuff the best I could. I went a bit further and then turned around. Headed back home. Took the Volt. Well, took it to the guy who rebuilt it. We took it for a test drive. Then it started popping again. Crawled back to his place. I think the Fork pads came loose. He RTVed it with a higher grade of RTV. I think the Right Stuff.

 

[alopeks]

Welp...

Haven't completely opened the case yet, but it's the T-case. Checked the fluid & it's chock FULL of metal fragments. Seems like the chain jumped the sprocket(s) just enough to start stripping teeth off. Yay.

Dropped it off at my local shop, who (sadly) became part of a chain a few months ago. I can have them send the case out to be rebuilt for ~2500, & it'll take almost 2 weeks, or I can have them swap in a reman 242 for ~3300 & have it back by Monday, Tuesday at the latest. I'm sure the fact the shop is no longer independent has a little to do with the price, but do those seem a little high to y'all? I'm in the Northern part of the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex for reference, if that helps anyone. Thanks!

-alopeks

 

[75SV1]

I looked at rebuilt TCs for XJs. I did see one for about $850 on Ebay. Others were 1,300 to $1,700 at NAPA and elsewhere.

REMAN TRANSFER CASE MD - TCAJ011

REMAN TRANSFER CASE MD

shop.midwesttrans.com

Haven't used them.

 

[Unclewolverine]

Or...you can buy a used one for 2-300 off marketplace. I could never fathom spending 3300 freaking dollars for a transfer case. I've never spent that much on ENTIRE xjs.

 

[Ol Blue]

Agreed. Worst case if you can't find a 242, swap in a 231 that are literally everywhere on Marketplace/Craigslist/Ebay. Plus the 231 is simpler, stronger, and lighter. The only disadvantage is you lose full-time 4x4 which you don't really need for on road snow/ice driving, living in DFW