How hard is it to split a transfer case and re-seal?

[TroySmith80]

My van is in the shop getting a couple things worked out, and they said the transfer case is leaking and will need to be split and re-sealed.

I'm pretty capable mechanically, i'm sure i COULD do this job, just trying to decide if I WANT to. Is it a pain in the ***, or a relatively simple job? How many beers are we talking about here

The shop says it'll be $350. Worth it? Or should i do it myself and save the money?

Oh, the van is a '92 with Advanced 4x4 conversion, 5.8 V8.

 

[chasespeed]

Splitting it actually relatively easy....

Getting it out of the van, and onto a bench, especially without a lift and trans jack, is where the trick would come into play. If they will do it for 350..... I would be on the fence.... I would probably have them do it, and save myself the aggravation......

Chase

 

[alexrex20]

Have you verified the leak or are you just believing everything they tell you?

 

[nely]

I was also quoted 350 for a teardown and re-seal. Seems like a good price to me. I have a nv271 from a supperduty though. Might be slightly different than your application.

Sent from my SGH-T959 using Tapatalk

 

[TroySmith80]

I can use my dad's shop, which has a lift to get the van almost high enough for me to stand upright under it (would be no problem if i didn't have the high-top).

The case definitely appears to be leaking, I noted that when i bought the van, so I have no reason not to believe them. I think they are a good fair shop, hard to ever be certain though.

We'll see how it goes i guess. I've got a little cash set aside for repairs, if i can get everything it needs done for the right price, i'll just have them do it all. If not, i'll have them do the most difficult/obnoxious jobs, and i'll cherry pick the easier ones to do myself. Just wondering which group the transfer case falls into. Getting it out of the van and onto the bench should be pretty easy i think. It wasn't bad on my chevy pickup that i pulled the tranny out of last winter. At a glance, this looks no more difficult.

On reassembly, is there anything that needs to be set or adjusted properly. Like some gear mesh or chain tension or something? I've never seen the inside of a transfer case, and i'm not sure which one i have, but i'd imagine they're fairly simple.

I need to figure out which t case i have and see if i can find some documentation on it.

 

[the boogie van]

if its the borg warner case, they aren't hard. you should be able to bench press one into place solo, they are under 100lbs. i never had a problem getting my bw1356 in and out of my bronco by myself. i think those weigh ~75lbs. taking them apart is easy, just make sure you have a good manual detailing the order of assembly/disassembly.

 

[dsw4x4]

I agree with the boogie van they are easy to remove and replace not to heavy. Once the case is on the bench splitting is not a giant task. Although for 350 if you have the cash that sounds like a fair price.
Derek

 

[Wyowanderer]

Have you verified the leak or are you just believing everything they tell you?

What he said. Before you spend a dime to reseal the case, make sure it's not leaking from one of the output shaft seals. If it is, you won't even need to remove it from the van to fix it, and you can do it way cheaper than $350.

 

[TroySmith80]

Oh, i see. I guess I don't have any idea where it's leaking, i just know that it is leaking. I might have to clean it up and keep an eye on it before i do anything else, to see if i can tell where it's coming from.

For now, i'm just having them service the diffs, trans, and fix the throttle position sensor. The MAP sensor had a leak also. So with the TPS and MAP fixed, it should run right. Then i can evaluate the van and see if it is going to work for me before i start fixing everything else. It also has an exhaust leak at the pass. side manifold, and a leaking radiator.

If it isn't the right van for me, i'll sell it and keep looking for something else.

 

[the boogie van]

don't be surprised if the exhaust leak is a cracked manifold. when i pulled the original manifolds off my 89 bronco to check for a leak, one came off as 2 manifolds and the other was cracked all the way through but not broken in half yet. its a pretty common issue on those 80s-90s fords, especially if the engine was used for anything that built up a serious amount of heat.

 

[r_w]

especially if the engine was used for anything that built up a serious amount of heat.

Like in a VAN???

Also, before you pull the Tcase make sure all the bolts are torqued properly. I have had bolts back out from vibration a time or two (hundred).

 

[TroySmith80]

Good tips, thanks guys.

I got the van back last week (finally, a month after i bought it) and it drives MUCH better now. Apparently the shaft in the TPS was broken, so it wasn't really functioning at all. Now it has much better power and driveability. I need to get some highway miles on it now so i can check the fuel economy.

I crawled under the van looking for identification on the front axle and t-case. I couldn't find anything on the axle other than "093" cast into the back of the diff, but the t case had some ID casted into it. It said "Borg Warner Automotive, 13-56-065-909" if i read correctly. So it's a BW 1356 i presume.