Re: THe NAC Lots-O-Post Thread
Guess who has two thumbs and just finished a tcase swap in a parking lot in 20deg weather?
Never been in quite those dire straits, but I did a T-case rebuild in mine in my apartment complex parking lot. Took down only the back half of the case because I didn't have tools to get to the top hex nut holding the t-case to the trans. That chain does come out and go back in without removing the front yoke...
Midway through the removal, it started downpouring, and my parking spot was on the side of the lot that tended to flood a few inches deep. So I ended up pulling the back half of my 231 down while laying in 3" of water. Not an experience I'd like to repeat.
The preface to that was when I pulled the fill plug on the 231 to see if it had oil in it, and I got a face full of gearoilmud. When it pours out of the fill plug you know you're in for a treat. Further into it, I found out the oil pump in the 231 had given up, and all the splines on the gerotor (?) were completely sheared off and the oil pump was done. In hindsight, everything left in the front half was still fine, so it wasn't the *worst* way to go about it...
That was November 2004. Fast forward 6 years and 3 months, and I had my XJ out tonight driving down the county road by my buddy's shop. First time I've really driven it since Halloween because of all the carnage of the last race. Hit the rev limiter in 3rd gear hi range before realizing I didn't have any brakes...later examination showed that one of the banjo bolts on the rear calipers was bent. And it was 24* with no windshield and no windows.
I haven't had more fun driving something in a very long time.
