Exploder Transfer Case

[Evil Eye]

Many of you know that I have an Explorer that has seen better days, due in large part to letting my teenage daughter drive it. At any rate, shortly after she torched the transmission, the transfer case decided it didn't want any of her abuse either. It has been sitting in the driveway for a while now and I recently got around to pulling the t-case out and decided that I am going to rebuild it myself. Here's what I discovered this weekend.

I'm thinking that there's something wrong with this picture...

Here's a close up of the carnage:

 

[rileyrs]

yikes!

how much abuse did that tcase take?!?!

 

[Evil Eye]

Yeah, that electromagnet looks like it exploded copper windings everywhere.

 

[Brandon96]

Really fast, I'm going to invade your thread and ask a fast question.

I've noticed that when I (with brake applied) shift mine into gear, whether it be R, D, 2, or 1 from Park or Nuetral, I get an increasingly audible bang as well as a slight jump every now and then. Sometimes, every 4-5 days, when I accelerate after shifting it into Drive, I get a slight grinding noise but no jerking or any out of ordinary movements from the driveline. I don't think it's transmission as there are no flares or slips between any of the gears 1st-5th.

Are these symptoms of a failing transfer case?

 

[inh]

Really fast, I'm going to invade your thread and ask a fast question.

I've noticed that when I (with brake applied) shift mine into gear, whether it be R, D, 2, or 1 from Park or Nuetral, I get an increasingly audible bang as well as a slight jump every now and then. Sometimes, every 4-5 days, when I accelerate after shifting it into Drive, I get a slight grinding noise but no jerking or any out of ordinary movements from the driveline. I don't think it's transmission as there are no flares or slips between any of the gears 1st-5th.

Are these symptoms of a failing transfer case?

Yes, mine did that, right before it exploded and looked like the pics above.

My transfer case did that, but it shot a chunk of metal out the side. It was promptly replaced with a 1354 manual =]

 

[Brandon96]

DANG.

Alright, what is more worth it.

Rebuild now?
Wait until it explodes and rebuild/replace?

How hard is one to rebuild? Can it be done in the garage with regular tools?

 

[nitro71]

Don't rebuild that thing.. By the time you get the parts and any special tools you need you'll be into it a lot more than just going to your local pull n save type junkyard or any junkyard and getting a donor I would bet. Price the parts out and any pullers you need then check around for how much a used one is.

 

[Evil Eye]

I'm not doing this because I'm expecting to get the money back out of the truck or because I need it back on the road right away... This is a fun project for me to do.

Oh and everything as far as removal and disassembly has been done using "standard" hand tools...

 

[Rick]

Is that drum warped or is it an optical illusion?? That's quite the damage

 

[Evil Eye]

Actually it isn't warped, it's just not sitting flush from when I pulled the case apart. In the top pic, you might be able to see that the tabs have been busted off of it. There is quite a bit of damage...

 

[howieallentown]

Transfer Case for a 2002 Explorer 6 cyl auto tranny

How long should a transfer case last, provided you don't have a daughter pounding the tranny and you do not do any off road?

 

[Evil Eye]

It should easily outlast the transmission, which is usually good for about 120-150k miles with moderate driving. The key is to be meticulous about your maintenance (changing the fluids and filters).

 

[CDW6212R]

Please post more pictures if you can. I like seeing that stuff, and I hope to rebuild a big BW4406 some day. That looks a lot like a trans clutch drum, interesting. Have fun with that.

 

[Evil Eye]

Here's another pic. Can anyone tell me what this is next to the arrow in the picture? It looks like a spacer from the clutch pack. It's broken and needs replacement.

 

[Evil Eye]

Thanks, Don. It's going to be interesting for sure. I'm in the process of buying my replacement parts now. Oh and I still need to get the bearing (and the pump) removed from the output shaft and the planetary tore down...

 

[Evil Eye]

bumpasaurus...

 

[CDW6212R]

Very good Shawn, I like working inside an engine, trans etc. I think that BW4405 is similar but smaller than the BW4406 I have. The parts seem to be cheaper than an AWD TC.

Please post any thoughts you have while you work on it. Which parts look like they don't wear much and don't need replacing, and which do need to get tossed?

 

[Hitchhikingmike]

Wow, where do you learn to do this rebuild yourself? How can a shade tree mechanic learn about how to properly rebuild an xfercase?

I've seen books and repair manuals for the transmissions, but not for the transfer-cases since they were not made by ford.

 

[KPT]

There is a good thread by Glacier that covers the 4405.

Other than that the FSM has everything....

 

[CDW6212R]

The 2002 trucks were all new, and the electronic controls of those first TC's had known issues. Maybe that affected the lifespan of the TC in those.