Are there any new OEM transfer cases still out there or are only used ones available if mine fails?

Do any aftermarkets ones work better with our cars?

Thanks

 

JaguarXKR, here in the US, the automaker has to keep new parts on the shelf for any car that is less than 10 years old. So, if you are going to get a new transfer case, now is the time to buy it and then hold on. After that time, the manufacturer may or may not have it on the shelf.

As for aftermarket ones that will work with our cars, I am not aware of any. I would suspect that if you can find some that bolt to a Ford Duratec engine, this would be a viable option. The question then is whether the splines for the input and output shafts would work or if you would have to figure out a way to adapt things together.

 

Thermo, I remember that either you or some one said: Jaguar used the viscose coupling on early transfer case, then change to the other kind (?) and it's not as good as the Vis. coupling, do you know why they do that, and what's the pro and con in between them? How to up grade the TC & TM to withstand more power? Can we buy a used TC and TM and up grade to make them stronger? Or must we buy the after market unit?

 

As far as I know, the one without VC is more reliable. BUT the one with VC makes your AWD better.

In the latter model, all differentials are open. With VC you have limited slip central differential that will help you even with DSC disabled.

 

Thang, yes, I have made the relationship between the two numerous times. The viscous coupling was seen as a weak point in the early transfer cases, hence why it was removed in the later units. But, the viscous coupling always ensured some power went to the front and rear of the car at all times vice the later transfer cases sending all the power to the front or rear where there was a speed difference (ie, the faster wheels took all the power). So, in the case of the later X-Types (those without DSC as the DSC could prevent this from happening), when one wheel lost traction, it would take all the power, starving the other 3 wheels of any power.

If you are after traction, the ultimate setup in my mind would be to have an early transfer case in a car with the DSC. In that setup, you could in theory lift 2 wheels off of the ground and still be able to make the car move.

As for making things stronger, people have been looking into that. The problem with the earlier ones wasn't so much that they were weak, but supposedly were built with too light of bearing tolerances. This put too much load on the bearings, leading to their early failure under heavy use. I think if you can find a shop that can rebuild an early transfer case and knows how to properly gap the bearings to put the proper pre-load on them, you would have a fairly solid transfer case.

As for the transmissions, I feel that they are more than sufficient for what most people would put them through. Every component of the car is going to have some failure rate. From what I have seen, the transmissions in these cars failure just as often as any other vehicle. So, I do not call them "weak". If you want to upgrade them, then I would say you need to find say a Stage 2 or Stage 3 shift block for the transmission. That will cause the car to shift quicker, minimizing the amount of slippage (and therefore heat, which heat is the big killer of transmissions, not power).

 

Thanks Thermo for a very informative reply, I wish we (the X-Typists) scould meet just to talk the X-Type.

 

Thang, well, if you don't mind a litlte bit of a drive, there are some of us meeting down in Maryland for a get together at a race track on the 16th (this sunday). I plan on being there. I am sure there will be time for some chatting about the x-type and in general looking at a few other jags. we are meeting at Maryland International Dragstrip. It is in Budds Creek, MD. Unfortunately, it is about a 3 hour drive each way for you. Granted, keep an eye out in the Mid-Atlantic area as we do periodic get togethers and those normally happen up in the Fairfax, VA area (suburb of DC). that may be a bit more realistic to attend.

 

Thanks Thermo, I'll check into it.

 

Thang, just to let you know, MIR changed its plans for this Sunday (16th). So, we are meeting up at 6 PM on Friday (14th). I am sure that makes things a bit unrealistic for you if you were coming to MIR. Didn't want you making the long trip just to find no one there.

 

Thanks for give me up to dateThermo, the time is a bit too late for my driving, I have to wait for some other time if we meet around mid day Sat.

 

Is there a way to rebuild a current transfer case? Do they typically replace the entire unit?

I am not sure if I want to buy a 2k component and might not ever use it. I use my X-type as a fun winter driver and drive the Jeep daily.

 

JaguarXKR, yes, any tranny shop should be able to rebuild the transfer case for you. If you look, there are a few posts with all the bearing numbers that you would need to supply to the shop. This will ensure you get the correct parts and not have them "searching for the correct bearings" and taking forever to get the transfer case rebuilt.

 

Thanks for the info Thermo!

So if my transfer case fails in the future they will be able to rebuild the one in the car? If I don't want to buy a new one?

Thanks

 

XKR, that is a loaded question. That is like asking "if I get in a wreck, will the car be totaled?" It really depends on how bad the transfer case fails. Some people simply had the bearings go bad and in that case, yes, it would be rebuildable. Other people literally had the case crack. At that point, the cost to fix the case makes repair cost prohibitive. So, the only option at that point is to get a new transfer case.

With the number of X-Types that were produced, sourcing a usable transfer case should not be hard, especially if you plan on having it rebuilt before you put it into the car. It may add a few days to the car being down, but in the big scheme of things, it won't add that much time.

 

Thanks for the solid info Thermo!