Will a 96 T-Case fit a 99? 5.0 AWD

[1997XLTRollover]

Both trucks are 302 AWD trucks. I'm looking to take the AWD case out of my 96 and put it into my 99 and do a 4406 swap to my 96 (my 99's coupling is stuck). I think the speedo gear may be my only issue, but can I swap tail shafts on the cases to fix that issue or is it more involved then that?

Or even better is there a way to unstick the coupling in my 99? Or once it locks it's locked? I'm trying to avoid taking a chance at a yard because I know the case in my 96 is good and I'd really like to do all this work with a known good case.

 

[Turdle]

I think it will work but you'll need the 96 front drive shaft also. Since the speed sensor is in the rear diff of your 99, the 96 transfer case sensor will be un needed and can be left unplugged. There may be some issue with the front drive shaft length, as I have read the later (99-01) engine is mounted 1/2" rearward compared to 96-97. If this is the case, the 96 front drive shaft might be a little short. I'd like to know what you discover with that.

 

[1997XLTRollover]

I think it will work but you'll need the 96 front drive shaft also. Since the speed sensor is in the rear diff of your 99, the 96 transfer case sensor will be un needed and can be left unplugged. There may be some issue with the front drive shaft length, as I have read the later (99-01) engine is mounted 1/2" rearward compared to 96-97. If this is the case, the 96 front drive shaft might be a little short. I'd like to know what you discover with that.

If the later trucks are mounted further back, wouldn't the driveshaft be a little too long? Could the slip joint possibly take up this slack?

 

[1997XLTRollover]

Might be some good info here. Have to thank my lady for this link.

http://www.explorerforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=205556

 

[Turdle]

If the engine is set rearward, so is the transfer case, which means the front drive shaft has to reach further. But I am wondering if the 1/2" will make a difference, if in fact it even exists.

I am going by what the original manufacturer of the torquemonster headers posted about the engine position shift.

 

[Turdle]

Might be some good info here. Have to thank my lady for this link.

http://www.explorerforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=205556

That would be a 4405 transfer case discussion thread. It might have something pertinent, but there will be a lot of weeding, as your cases are 4404's

 

[1997XLTRollover]

If the engine is set rearward, so is the transfer case, which means the front drive shaft has to reach further. But I am wondering if the 1/2" will make a difference, if in fact it even exists.

I am going by what the original manufacturer of the torquemonster headers posted about the engine position shift.

That would be a 4405 transfer case discussion thread. It might have something pertinent, but there will be a lot of weeding, as your cases are 4404's

Oh Derp (on both accounts). I'm losing it. Ok time ot let other people do the talking haha.

Although as far as the torque monster thing, I have a set of 98+ TM's on my 96 and they fit with no real issues. Even my plug wires work ok.

 

[Turdle]

post 108 on page 6 in this thread. Rpassq is the original maker of the TM headers


http://www.explorerforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=153944page=6

All,

There was a change in engine position, not necessarily the firewall. When we were developing Torque Monster Headers, we used a '98 model for design and fitment. The first set we sold to someone with a '99-'01, the back tube on the driver side touched the firewall.

Back in the day when Ford was dealing with the vehicle flipping, (i.e. Firestone tires) they also made some slight changes to shift weight rearward. On the '99-'01 models, Ford shifted the engine/trans back a little over 1/2". Hence, the reason you later guys don't have as much room to remove the exhaust bolt from hell. Ford doesn't tell you this, but that was our findings in dealing with the later models.

The other side of the coin is, by moving the rear tube forward to fit the later models better, that same tube comes closer to the early models running the GT40 heads with the spark plugs pointing upward, but it is acceptable.

All the Best,

Bob Pasquale
Tech Performance & Engineering
Torque Monster Headers

 

[1997XLTRollover]

post 108 on page 6 in this thread. Rpassq is the original maker of the TM headers


http://www.explorerforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=153944page=6

I do remember reading that. I just don't know how much of an issue it will be. Speed sensor isn't a problem and the case itself is all the same, short of the front driveshaft connection as far as I know. So looks like maybe an issue with that half inch or so which may cause the driveshaft to bind up when the suspension sinks.

 

[1997XLTRollover]

A couple other questions are...

1) Can I tell if a t-case is good without actually running the vehicle, or is there no way to know if the coupling is bad?

2) Is there anyway to free up a seized coupling? Or once it fails it failed. (I have no idea how these work, so don't understand how they fail open or closed)