Transfer case hell!

[rogueexplorer1]

So, after having several of you guys say R & R a transfer case was easy, I'm finding it not quite so. Some questions;
How are you getting to the bolts that attach it to the trans? I got the 3 bottom ones out but you have to use a 1/2" box/open end wrench as no ratchet will fit?
Removing the center part of the crossmember doesn't really work since the exhaust hanger is welded onto the exhaust & I can't see a way to get that bracket out of the way to let the tranny drop without taking the exhaust down, which is not fun!
And once you get all that done & get the TC & tranny lowered what little it can be lowered, it looks like it's still gonna be a ***** to get to those top 2 bolts!
I have the console out but I also guess you have to also remove the carpet to get access to those top bolts? I guess I'm cutting the carpet because I am definitely not taking the seats out.

You can probably tell I'm a bit frustrated, right? Many here made this sound simple & pretty quick to do, so I went for it. And I still have to do this again to swap this 1 into the daily!

Any extra tips would be much appreciated!!

 

[wollimann]

You can probably tell I'm a bit frustrated, right?

Yes, sometimes things are frustrating.
But its not a rocket technology to get the transfer case out, had never a problem to reach
any of these 5 bolts.

The most annoying part is to get the drive shafts out.
Be shure to get save, the TC is heavy.

Removal — 1998 Ford Explorer 4WD V6-245 4.0L SOHC VIN E EFI Service Manual | Operation CHARM

Detailed repair manual for the 1998 Ford Explorer 4WD V6-245 4.0L SOHC VIN E EFI.

charm.li

 

[C420sailor]

Pretty sure you lower the whole aft end of the trans a bit and then get at them with an extension

 

[410Fortune]

The exhaust mount comes down with the pass side trans mount bolt

I use a 13mm speed wrench and can actually get the top two bolts most of the time just by reaching way up.
Otherwise with the right set of 3/8”’drive extension and wobbly socket you can indeed get at those two top bolts
No need to pull the console imo

If it’s really fighting you then you will need to drop the center of the crossmember out and once you remove the trans mount from the trans the exhaust it loose, you can lower your t case waaaay down
Makes it easier to install once repaired as well

I do this a lot , I’m not making this up lol

 

[rogueexplorer1]

The exhaust mount comes down with the pass side trans mount bolt

I use a 13mm speed wrench and can actually get the top two bolts most of the time just by reaching way up.
Otherwise with the right set of 3/8”’drive extension and wobbly socket you can indeed get at those two top bolts
No need to pull the console imo

If it’s really fighting you then you will need to drop the center of the crossmember out and once you remove the trans mount from the trans the exhaust it loose, you can lower your t case waaaay down
Makes it easier to install once repaired as well

I do this a lot , I’m not making this up lol

Got the TC out. Took putting all my 3/8" extensions together & going up the side of the tranny to get to the far right bolt. Top bolt was easy with 410's speed wrench suggestion! The 1 to the right was the tough 1! At least I have some experience now taking the daily TC out. Should be much easier!

I see fluid around the input shaft seal & rear output driveshaft seal area as well, so I'm gonna get new seals for both of those. Is there anything I need to be aware of taking the rear driveshaft yoke out to replace the seal? Need to get the correct size socket for the rear driveshaft yoke nut as well. 1 1/4" is too big & 1 1/8 is too small & 32mm is too big. Guessing it's about 30mm?

Can I also flush this while it's out? What should I use? Mineral Spirits? Brake cleaner? This thing has been sitting for many years & I wanna make sure it's clean before I fill it with fluid. And I can now work in my garage to take the daily TC out & put back on a nice concrete floor!!

Blood Orange Margaritas have helped me through this!! Thanks for all your help!!

 

[C420sailor]

I wouldn’t put a solvent in it. Mercon has detergents in it. It should be pretty clean inside.

 

[wollimann]

This thing has been sitting for many years & I wanna make sure it's clean before I fill it with fluid.

To be sure the TC should be opened, chain/shiftfork/plastik fork inserts/range slider/mesh filter and pipe
could be inspected this way. There should be no metal flakes inside the old oil (bad pump).
If you have a BW4405 i would recommend a seal set like this

Passt Für Ford BW4405 Borg Warner 4405 Getriebegehäuse Dichtung & Seal Kit | eBay.de

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www.ebay.de

 

[410Fortune]

Well done
We often remove them in the junk yard laying on your back in the dirt
Knowing the right tools and right approach makes it easier/ possible

 

[rogueexplorer1]

To be sure the TC should be opened, chain/shiftfork/plastik fork inserts/range slider/mesh filter and pipe
could be inspected this way. There should be no metal flakes inside the old oil (bad pump).
If you have a BW4405 i would recommend a seal set like this

Passt Für Ford BW4405 Borg Warner 4405 Getriebegehäuse Dichtung & Seal Kit | eBay.de

Entdecke Passt Für Ford BW4405 Borg Warner 4405 Getriebegehäuse Dichtung & Seal Kit in großer Auswahl ✓ Vergleichen Angebote und Preise ✓ Online kaufen bei eBay.de ✓ Kostenlose Lieferung für viele Artikel!

www.ebay.de

Transmission place that diagnosed it said as long as I turn the input shaft & both driveshaft output shafts spin, all is in good working order. There was water in the fluid but I think that got in there from the vent hose nipple. Not sure I really wanna go full into it but I may.

Bought the input shaft seal & rear output shaft seal today. NSAPA wanted to charge me $73 for just those 2 seals!! I got them down to $46, but looking at this seal kit & others from US warehouses, it's a no brainer that I should order them & return the others.

Does the front driveshaft yoke just slide out? There's no nut on it & I haven't tried to pull it out due to lack of time.

 

[rogueexplorer1]

Well done
We often remove them in the junk yard laying on your back in the dirt
Knowing the right tools and right approach makes it easier/ possible

The daily will come out much easier & quicker now!!

I wouldn’t put a solvent in it. Mercon has detergents in it. It should be pretty clean inside.

Yea, but @ $10 a Qt, it's an expensive cleaner!! Trying to find cheaper now.

 

[wollimann]

Does the front driveshaft yoke just slide out?

If you want to change the TC front drive shaft seal you have to open the TC (snap ring inside).

 

[410Fortune]

Mercon iii / dextron should not be $10 a quart
Do not run Mercon v in your transfer case
Regular atf is what it takes

 

[rogueexplorer1]

Mercon iii / dextron should not be $10 a quart
Do not run Mercon v in your transfer case
Regular atf is what it takes

NAPA here has mostly all their ATF around that price. Crazy, huh!

I’m looking for cheaper & no, I was looking @ type F, not Mercon/Dextron.

 

[C420sailor]

I’m saying the existing fluid in there should keep it pretty clean…unless it’s an AWD case and the viscous coupling let go

You can get Mercon by the gallon (not V!) if you really want to fill, drive a little, then drain and fill again.

My take? If you have it on your work bench, split it. That way you can inspect, change anything you want, verify it is clean/clean it, and assemble it with peace of mind.

With it wide open, have fun with all the solvents you want—they’ll flash off and not end up stuck in crevices via surface tension, waiting to dilute your fluid.

 

[rogueexplorer1]

I’m saying the existing fluid in there should keep it pretty clean…unless it’s an AWD case and the viscous coupling let go

You can get Mercon by the gallon (not V!) if you really want to fill, drive a little, then drain and fill again.

My take? If you have it on your work bench, split it. That way you can inspect, change anything you want, verify it is clean/clean it, and assemble it with peace of mind.

With it wide open, have fun with all the solvents you want—they’ll flash off and not end up stuck in crevices via surface tension, waiting to dilute your fluid.

I just ordered the full kit with all 3 seals, gasket & some other o ring/seals so I'll have everything to do the open case.

Anything I should know about splitting this? Shims; Springs? Any special tools needed? Just need to get this daily back on the road & try & not break the bank doing it.

 

[wollimann]

You do not want to spend much money and time, so i try to explain it in a short way,
without changing any bearings or other parts. Main reason here is to change the big 3 sealing rings.

Plug, speed sensors and shift motor off, so it's easyer to get the TC out and in.

Disconnecting the brown wire out of the plug (little bit tricky).

TC on a bench, fix it and loosen the nut with a breaker bar. There's no puller needed to get the flange off.

Between the two case halfs there is oilresistant RTV, if all case torx bolts are out
be careful, do not disturb the sealing surface. Go between the case "noses" with
a pry bar, wiggling on both sides until the case came loose (rear case face up).

Rear case off, one snap ring at the main shaft, clutch drum off

another snap ring at the front output shaft.

Grab both gears and pull them out , let the chain in place.
Pull out shift shaft and shift fork (plastic fork inserts ok?)
Pull out the pump.

Now planetary has to come out, there is a big hidden snap ring.

Pull out the front output shaft.
Case halfs now empty, you can change the 3 big and little seals (shift shaft seal and seal under the rear output shaft flange).

Getting the case halfs together again, first try it dry, without RTV.
Case halfs must slide together easily, sometimes there is a gap left, so something is wrong.
If anything seems ok, do not use too much RTV, you don't want it inside the TC.

Good luck!

 

[rogueexplorer1]

You do not want to spend much money and time, so i try to explain it in a short way,
without changing any bearings or other parts. Main reason here is to change the big 3 sealing rings.

Plug, speed sensors and shift motor off, so it's easyer to get the TC out and in.
View attachment 464578
View attachment 464579

Disconnecting the brown wire out of the plug (little bit tricky).
View attachment 464580

TC on a bench, fix it and loosen the nut with a breaker bar. There's no puller needed to get the flange off.
View attachment 464581

Between the two case halfs there is oilresistant RTV, if all case torx bolts are out
be careful, do not disturb the sealing surface. Go between the case "noses" with
a pry bar, wiggling on both sides until the case came loose (rear case face up).
View attachment 464582

Rear case off, one snap ring at the main shaft, clutch drum off
View attachment 464583

another snap ring at the front output shaft.
View attachment 464584

Grab both gears and pull them out , let the chain in place.
Pull out shift shaft and shift fork (plastic fork inserts ok?)
Pull out the pump.

Now planetary has to come out, there is a big hidden snap ring.
View attachment 464586View attachment 464587

Pull out the front output shaft.
Case halfs now empty, you can change the 3 big and little seals (shift shaft seal and seal under the rear output shaft flange).

Getting the case halfs together again, first try it dry, without RTV.
Case halfs must slide together easily, sometimes there is a gap left, so something is wrong.
If anything seems ok, do not use too much RTV, you don't want it inside the TC.

Good luck!

Damn man!!! Thanks! This makes it look rather simple! Appreciate you!!

 

[mitchx3]

If you take it apart:
1: may as well replace the chain (unless it's low milage) while it's open - mine started slipping around 180k miles (search suggests that's not uncommon)
2: the rod that the shift motor turns has a nub on the end of it that's really easy to break when putting the cases back together
3: the sensors in the case are a bit brittle - I chose to add some connectors to allow me to break the wiring harness into sub-harnesses (allowing me to leave the sensors in the case) - you could probably alternatively de-pin the connectors or just be careful

 

[rogueexplorer1]

You do not want to spend much money and time, so i try to explain it in a short way,
without changing any bearings or other parts. Main reason here is to change the big 3 sealing rings.

Plug, speed sensors and shift motor off, so it's easyer to get the TC out and in.
View attachment 464578
View attachment 464579

Disconnecting the brown wire out of the plug (little bit tricky).
View attachment 464580

TC on a bench, fix it and loosen the nut with a breaker bar. There's no puller needed to get the flange off.
View attachment 464581

Between the two case halfs there is oilresistant RTV, if all case torx bolts are out
be careful, do not disturb the sealing surface. Go between the case "noses" with
a pry bar, wiggling on both sides until the case came loose (rear case face up).
View attachment 464582

Rear case off, one snap ring at the main shaft, clutch drum off
View attachment 464583

another snap ring at the front output shaft.
View attachment 464584

Grab both gears and pull them out , let the chain in place.
Pull out shift shaft and shift fork (plastic fork inserts ok?)
Pull out the pump.

Now planetary has to come out, there is a big hidden snap ring.
View attachment 464586View attachment 464587

Pull out the front output shaft.
Case halfs now empty, you can change the 3 big and little seals (shift shaft seal and seal under the rear output shaft flange).

Getting the case halfs together again, first try it dry, without RTV.
Case halfs must slide together easily, sometimes there is a gap left, so something is wrong.
If anything seems ok, do not use too much RTV, you don't want it inside the TC.

Good luck!

Case is apart. I see this brown wire that was cut from the donor & Im wondering if I need to get that magnet out to swap that sensor.

Really clean & tidy in here! All the plastic parts are in great shape!

Pump screen has a tear in it so gonna get 1 of those. The debris on it is RTV. There was pieces of it all over the inside of the case. Think this was rebuilt @ some point before I got it. Probably why it looks god good! Flute plates still have the print still on them!

 

[wollimann]

Think this was rebuilt

Maybe someone changed some parts, who knows. It looks good inside, but why are the seals leaking?
On a rebuild the seals should be included. And yes, too much RTV inside.