Hello all. I have been reading alot about the transfer case and how it is dry for alot of people. How can I check to see if there is any oil in my case? Can I just pull the plug and put my finger in to see if there is any oil? If I have the car on ramps(like Im changing the motor oil) and pull the plug wont oil spill out(if there is any)? Please help. THANKS!

 

There is only a drain valve, no fill valve so you need a method for refilling it with the spec. amount of fluid. It would be like pulling your motor oil drain plug to check your level.

 

Humm...I called my local Jaguar repair shop and I asked him if it was a common thing on the x-type. He asked me if I noticed it leaking any fluids. I told him that it does not leak and he then told me that there should be oil in it then. So once you pull the plug you are pretty much commited to the flush/ change? So where does the oil go any ways?? Thats the part I dont understand? Can someone explain it to me? Sorry for all the question but I am just a little concerned. Thanks

 

Trevor, there is only 1 way that I know to check the fluid level of the transfer case and not get a chest full of fluid. What you would need to do is to place a high lift jack on the driver's side (seeing how you live in the US) and then jack the driver's side of the car up till the point that the bottom edge of the body is 24" off of the ground. Yes, the car is going to be leaning pretty good.

At this point, you can remove the drain plug for the transfer case and check the fluid level. With the car in this position, it should be right up to the edge of the drain hole.

As for how can people loose fluid, the tail shaft of the transfer case is the normal way. The seal for the rear driveshaft will give up the ghost or the seal for the flange will give. Either way, it will over time pull all the fluid out of the transfer case and deposit it on the underside of the car. If you want to know more about these fixes, then let me know.

 

So if I look under the car, cant I see if it has been leaking and be able to tell that way also? Isn't that the only way to lose the tc oil is by a leak/crack? And for the people who have done a flush/change and noticed there was not any oil in the tc, did your car leak?

 

600ml over 5 years or so years will leave nothing for you to see. Yes if it is leaking badly but seeping, not so much.

 

hey Trevor

Use the search feature and then advanced search and put in transfer case. Narrow it to just this Forum. There are a ton of threads with pictures that make it easier to understand. You have to understand that the transfer case and transmission are 'sealed for life'. No place in the manual does it say swap the fluids.

 

this is only rumoured to be an accurate method. To know the amount of oil in there you need to drain it and measure it. Either totally drain it by removing the rear pinion housing, or partially drain it from the plug ( this is neither a drain nor fill level, it is some where in between). To refill you need to measure and push oil in that hole, above the level of the hole then get the plug in without spilling.

the 24 inch jacking thing is better than nothing, but I have not seen any evidence of anyone measuring precisely. A dealer tech tells us this is his method, so it is very tempting to accept it.... just would be nice to have some actual data.

to the OP, Please do a search, it is a lot of repetive stuff here, and every time people start answering from memory, the story gets changed a little.

 

Sport30, I'm not saying that it is accurate, but in his case, it will atleast allow him to get a feeling for how much fluid is still in the case. It is probably about as accurate as most of us using the valve in the bottom of the TC and then adding in a finite amount from there (how much is left in the TC?). Granted, I subscribe to the a little bit extra is probably for the good. Granted, adding in too much can also create a mess since it will be spit out the vent of the TC.

 

I had a transfer case out of a car yesterday and had to replace the pinion bearings (they were worn out causing a wine noise). when filling it I had the lower plug out and filled it from the top plug I put about 800ml of fluid in and it was just starting to come out of the lower fill hole. It looks like to me that if the case is level and it is filled properly that the lower plug is the fill level. I also have another one I am doing tomorrow both had bad bearings on the pinion they were causing a loud grinding noise the races and the berings are missing chunks.

 

So do you guys think I should worry about my transfer case? Like I have said, I don't have any leaks and no noise. Is it really anything to worry about at the moment? What is a sign that there might be a problem with the transfer case, will it make noise?

 

Cost of fluid and Wildbill's idiot proof kit $200, cost of a new transfer case $3000. Once it makes noise you're beyond adding fluid. IMO $200 then regular changes (every 1-3 years is simply cheap insurance).

 

If I understand what you're saying, the "drain" plug is the fill level. Then why is it the "drain" plug? Also, I don't think 800 ml will fit under the drain plug level. If you filled it through the fill plug I suspect the oil was just trapped in the internals. Put in 800 ml and then let it sit for twenty minutes and see what comes out the drain plug hole.

P.S. Since you're working on the TC's you can help everyone who does the drain plug refill by finding the accurate amount it takes to fill the TC to the drain plug level. Jag says 600 ml total fill from dry, but I've never seen info on how much is left in the TC.

 

Dana, Please post part numbers for those bearings and where you found them! This kind of ino may really benefit someone someday.

Also, please run the same fill test on the next TC. If the "drain plug" is really where the oil level should be, then there is no need for check valves or tilting the car to establish the proper fill. This also suggests that draining from the "drain plug" is useless.

 

This is a SIGNIFICANTLY different result than what I experienced.

I cant believe that this is correct. I have had the TC apart just like you have, and I cant get more than half of what you are saying in it before it runs out that plug hole.... are you certain that you had the case in the same position as it is in when installed in the car?

 

I had the case out of the car to replace the oil pan gasket and the output pinion was loose I removed the 4 bolts that hold the pinion housing in and drained all the fluid out. The pinion bearings were worn out causing a noise The part numbers are on the bearings and the races both bearings are diffrent but the races are the same also the pinon seal needs to be replaced got that from Jaguar. You need a press to take one bearing off and to press it on, and when putting it back together. Also it has a crush collar and the preload needs to be set. I had the case level on a bench and I removed the lower fill plug and pulled the upper fill plug and filled it slow and could see the fluid running down from the top from the lower plug hole. I put about 400ml in and tured the case over by hand and put in about 200 more and it was just coming out the lower plug hole so I put about 200 more in I figue a little more is better than low. That was one I did Wednesday, I did one today without taking the case out of the car the bearings in this one was howeling bad when I pulled the bearings out they were pitted bad. I ended up filling this one from the lower plug but the case was dry after I cleaned it out and put about 800ml in it. Drove the car and the noise was gone. I have my own shop I am a master Jag tech and when I worked at the dealer when the cases were noisey they had us replace them. I can't tell what the other bearings in the case look like but after replacing the the pinion berings the noise is gone now. I will post the part numbers next week I have them at the shop.

 

Hi All, Could the difference in fluid quantity be because later TC's did not have the viscous coupling fitted. This is quite a large item and would take up a quite a lot of internal space? Just a thought.

 

Poglix makes great point, 04 and later models had VC deleted thus more space inside the TC.

Dana, can you also source a new replacement VC?

 

I can't sorce a VC case only from the dealers. I can fix the out put pinion bearings 90% of the time that is what causes the noise.

 

dana, I'd love to have the part numbers for the pinion bearings and necessities to complete the job. I have a noisy whining and grinding for about the first 5-10minutes of driving in the cold lately. I'd like to fix it now before it gets worse.

thanks for all of your info! Great stuff!

I have a 2006 btw