Rebuilding my NP-231, best kit?

[NOMADIC_LJ]

my NP-231 t-case is leaking like a sieve. 1990 YJ close to 200k. I thought about buying a rebuilt one but after some research I found it would be much cheaper to rebuild mine.

Now this is a daily driven 99% street jeep. Very little if any off-road since I use my LJ for that. Should I even bother replacing the chain? My main goal is to have it NOT leak anymore.

Looking for a decent kit. I found THIS KIT at 4wheelparts.com. Is this what I want??? what can you recommend?

I6 4.2
NP-231 23 spline behind an AX-15

 

[JeepN95YJ]

Nothing wrong with that kit:

Something to keep in mind though is the condition of your "hard" parts. What I mean by that is your driveshaft, front yoke, inputshaft seal mating surfaces. If you have been leaking for a long time there may some wear on those parts that would preclude you ever getting a leak-free installation.

I doubt you need to replace the chain, even with the high mileage. I doubt very much of that mileage was in 4wd. If it was, the chain might need replaced. A good way to tell is to hold the chain on it's side, with the links "side surface" parallel to the ground. If it sags much more than 1 inch over it's folded length, it needs replaced. (does that make sense?)

HTH

 

[NOMADIC_LJ]

Very good points JeepN. I have a very strong feeling that the front yoke has wear and in need of replacement. I wont know untill I drop the case.

I though the same thing about the chain. I hope its in good shape still.

Thanks again for the feedback.

 

[jagular7]

Where does it leak? It could possibly only need a cone seal or slip shaft for the ds. That is about the only place I can think of, ....oh, the shifter mechanism. The rear output may need a new slip shaft on the rear driveshaft to help seal. Otherwise, the case halves are sealed with silicon.

Anyways, interested in making a different YJ?
Make it a 2wd but using a 2wd XJ front axle and trans. You should be able to add the leafs mounts rather easily to the 2wd front axle. If the vehicle is 99% street, can't see why you want to have the heavier front axle, front ds and tcase.