greg s
Well-Known Member
- Joined
- February 28, 2005
- Messages
- 118
- Reaction score
- 3
- City, State
- Gainesville,FL
- Year, Model & Trim Level
- 1997 4wd sohc Explorer
I have finally solved my transmission and transfer case problems! If you remember, my original problem was a delayed reverse sometimes followed by a loud bang. It was intermittent and did not follow any noticeable pattern. It also made some knocking noises as it down shifted as I came to a stop. I originally worked on the transmission feeling it was the problem and installed the updates from Ford, a shift kit and even swapped a used complete valve body with solenoids none of which solved the problem. I had reached the point a month or so ago that I was going to take it to a trans shop and see what they had to say, but I did a little more research and found complaints and symptoms that matched mine. It seems there are a number of failures and problems associated with the BW 4405 transfer case, and it turned out to be my problem. The problem is with the high-lo gear shifting in or out do to wear in the the cases and and the shifter cam. Also when checking a few things, I tried moving the rear driveshaft and it had up and down movement with very little oil seepage. I found a company (Omega Machine & Tool) that rebushes the case halves and improves the shifter by making the shift roller longer so that it engages into the shift cam completely. They put bronze bushings in the shift rail holes and sleeve the rear output bearing bore and add a shim to tighten everything up and it looked like they added a steel pin to the oil pump area to reduce movement. For about $300.00 you can get the front and rear case halves, improved shifter fork and shift cam, and from drivetrain.com you can get the seal kit for around $20.00. The only thing extra I had to get was the seal for the shift motor shaft. After disassembling the transfer case you could see all the wear and my truck only has 120,000 miles on it with the 4wd used very little. I suspect the magnesium cases must be a soft material that allows for the rapid wear along with a design issue on how it shifts. After replacing all the parts and reinstalling it, the truck drives like new. It is noise free and very smooth. It eliminated a vibration it had at 65 mph from the driveshaft, no more clunking noises when it shifts, no more delayed reverse just nice smooth shifts up and down! Finally the problem is solved and shouldn't be a problem again. I would definitely recommend repair your existing transfer case with these parts instead of putting in a used one, because it will only be a matter of time before the used one will have the same problems. Thanks for everyone's help and suggestions. Greg
