Another TC question.

It seems reading the Xtype forum a lot of posts are dedicated to the Transfer Case.

My only question is "does this problem happen on ALL Xtypes Always?"

My car is going on 3yrs old, has never had any problems at all! Is there someway to avoid this problem ever occuring?? (*please note I am not mechanically inclined, so use laymens terms LOL)

 

If you have indeed read all the threads on the Transfer case, you would have come to the conclusion that periodic draining and filling of the Transfer Case lube (synthetic 75w140) will more than likely give you long life of the Transfer Case..barring any jack rabbit launches and spinning out on ice then hitting dry pavement.

 

Is this something that the dealer does routinely when the oil changes are done?
I am having my 30K oil change done next week and I will inquire about it. Thank you.

 

No..the dealer will more than likely tell you that the Transmission, Transfer Case and rear Differential are sealed and/or filled for life...any service to these items is not considered routine by them, and will cost you extra to have it done..IMO, a very wise thing to have done at least every 30,000 miles..

 

How much would that cost, though? I understand that replacing a TC is expensive (I've replaced mine once before and the car is making some low humming noise with vibration once again that I hope are not coming from the goddamn TC), but as you said this isn't something that the dealer does usually. I already spoke to a Jag rep at my dealer about this and he said that this is not something that they do.

So I'm wondering how much it would cost to change the fluid at the dealer, because my guess is that even if they agree to do it, they would probably go through a long process of removing the TC completely from the car and from what I understand this is a 8 or 10 hr job, isn't it?

So if the dealer is going to charge a thousand dollars to do that because of the amount of time required to do it, what's the point? Either you don't do it and replace the TC when it breaks, or you do change the fluid but do it yourself because this is the only affordable way to do it.

Am I completely wrong here?

 

My dealer seems to have more on the ball than some I hear about..But they drain the TC just like we would, by jacking the right side of the car up till it almost falls over to drain out as much as thay can and then jack the left side up to refill the TC through the drain plug..But the TC does not need to be removed...I think I remember them telling me it was Less than $200.00.

 

Then that is a well spent $200.00. I will go back to my dealer and ask for the same thing. I was not actually provided pricing info for that because it's not something that they usually do, but I was under the impression that they would remove the TC if I begged them to change the fluid, and that would be way too costly. But the mecanics at my dealer are very good so maybe if I beg and explain the DIY way we've come up with here, maybe they'll agree to do it.

Thanks

 

This back and forth dialog helps... I will ask my dealer for the same thing

 

Changing the TC fluid on your own is super easy. Even someone with basic mechanical abilities can do this. If you read, one of the members is selling a special kit while members like me have come up with their own process. It takes maybe 45 minutes to do yourself.

In short, you will need 600 ml of 75W-140 full synthetic gear lube, a 3/8" ratchet (no sockets), a few open ended wrenches (9/16, 3/4 as I recall), a 1/4" (female) to 1/2" (male) NPT fitting (can be bought at Home Depot, Lowes, or any other hardware store for like $2), some clear tubing (5/16" as I recall) that fits inside the collar of the drain plug, and a radiator drain plug that has a collar on the top of the T-handle (can be bought at any auto parts store (I bought mine at Pep Boys for $5). Having a bit of teflon tape may not be a bad idea either to ensure no leaks.

At this point, you put the front end of the car up in the air (car level). Use the 3/8" wrench to remove the drain plug and let all the fluid drain into a catch pan. Now, install the 1/4" to 1/2" adapter into the transfer case. Now, install the radiator drain plug into the adapter. Open the radiator drain plug and then feeding the clear tubing in from the top of the engine, route it over to the collar of the drain plug. Now, pour 600 ml of gear lube down the tube (I personally clip the tip of the bottle, place the hose over tip and then squeeze in the necessary amount). Once the gear lube has been placed in the hose, let the lube slide down the tube and establish a steady level in the hose. At this point, close the radiator drain plug. Remove the hose and let the little bit of fluid left in the hose drain into your catch pan. You are now done.

Like was mentioned, doing this every 30K miles is probably a good idea. Also keep in mind that your transfer case tends to leak from 2 locations. So, check out the seal on the transfer case going to the passenger side tire (US car, driver's side for right hand drive cars) or where the rear driveshaft meets up with the transfer case. You will normally see some lube where the U-joint is located.

 

simple redline gear oil 75w/140 and dont drag race with it ..im also still on my first transfer case 2002-x it drives with no effort in the snow..read my write up

 

Thanks Thermo! Hopefully it's not too late to save my second TC. I had to re-read your instructions a bunch of times, trying to visualize everything, and I have a couple of questions.

First, if I understand correctly, the drain plug would be under the transfer case, so that when you remove the plug the fluid drains by itself. However to refill it through that hole, you open the hood of the car and from the top of the engine, slip a tube down between the components, grab the tube from under the car and plug that tube into the new drain plug? And then you pour the lube down the tube and let gravity do its job?

I used my amazing Paint skills to draw something that I think looks like it. Can you confirm that I got it right?

http://www.stateofwar.ca/tc_fluid.gif

And secondly, what's the purpose of the adapter? Is it because the new drain plug does not fit directly into the TC? From what I understand, we need to remove the current drain plug, and replace it with the new drain plug you described with the collar on top of the T-handle. Do we need to use an adapter because the new drain plug will be of different size than the old one?

 

Chris great info again as usual. My question is, do the new NPT and radiator drain fittings stay in replacement of the old drain plug for future use? Or once the TC is refilled does the old drain plug go back? Seems there would be some fluid loss if that were the case.

 

Sevren, the radiator drain valve is 1/4" NPT fitting. The factory drain plug for the TC is 1/2" NPT fitting. So, in order to seal things, you need the adapter plug. When you see the radiator drain valve and then see the size of the TC fitting, it will make more sense. As for how the lube gets into the engine, yes, you have the idea. You are essentially back filling the TC through the drain valve. You don't have to keep the valve installed, but think of it this way, how do you pull out the drain valve that you are using and get the factory plug in place before all that new fluid drains out. Guys have done it, but wouldn't it be much easier to simply shut a valve and seal it all in?

Fear, yes, you will loose a little bit of fluid. The only fluid you loose is the bit that is in the tube after shutting the valve. If you loose 10 ml of fluid, I would be surprised. Besides, I am slightly overfilling the TC as it is. Due to the design of the TC, it is only technically supposed to take 400ml of fluid for a standard "drain and refill". So, the little bit extra of fluid is not going to hurt anything and the amount left over in the tube is insignificant to the extra put into the TC.

Also Fear, the new radiator drain valve stays in place. You are tossing out your old plain plug for this valve. This will make future maintenance on the TC that much easier. Next time, all you will have to do is get the car up in the air, open the valve, let the fluid drain out, route your tube back down, connect it to the valve once again, pour in more lube and shut the valve. Tada. I have a similar setup on my truck for the engine oil. But, in this case, it is a check valve that is screwed into the oil pan drain plug. I remove the protective cap from the check valve, screw on an adapter to the check valve that forces it open, the oil drains out through the tube of the adapter right into a gas can. Gotta love doing oil changes where the only tools you need are a single oil pan only to catch any oil coming off of the filter as you remove it. No wrenches required. Very nice.

 

Gotcha Chris, makes total sense now. Thanks again for the info, now I'm off to the hardware store. Sweeeeeett.....

 

If you want to change your fluid regularly, easily, quickly, and neatly, contact me. I sell a complete kit with a calibrated pump so you get the correct amount in every time with no mess.

Bill

 

Bill I sent you a PM about a week ago, check your messages.

 

One thing to keep in mind when you back fill with the adaptor; the TC oil does not have oil filter. Any metal particles in there is circulated within. Only 'filtering' is done by the magnetic drain plug. You will notice lump of grey slime on the inside of the drain plug the first time you pull it out. That's the reminents of metal filling from gears, bearings, etcs.,

To me it would be wise to keep the only means of filtering intack.

Another thought, we are jumping to change the oil but what is the failure mode and what is the root cause? So far I've heard of one case of TC case fracturing. One case of internal bearing failure. One case of VC lock up. Does this all point to the oil as root cause? If not, why are we so bent on changing the oil?

 

Well if I were to bet..The condition of the Lube Oil or the lack thereof..

Remember, in most fortunate cases there was still be some Lube oil left in the TC, or it was burned and brackish...The TC as you know, is exposed to hot exhaust pipes and usually the cooling air scoop is what helps this, but most owners lost their's many miles ago and now the heat has taken it's toll on the TC and Lube oil in it..So I think IMO, that the OIL IS the root cause and changing it regularly say at the least every 20,000 miles, will keep the TC in top condition..At least a lot longer than never checking or draining and refilling once in a while....And get the Air Scoop installed too.

 

TonyX, part of the reason why a lot of us are jumping on the bandwagon and recommending say 30K mile transfer case fluid changes is the fact that the TC doesn't hold a lot of fluid and therefore takes a lot of abuse. Also, the TC is known for leaking and a lot of members have went to change their fluid only to find the TC dry. I don't know about you, but that doesn't bode well in my opinion.

You are correct with trying to keep the magnet intact. But, I think being able to swap out the fluid is of more importance than the fine metal dust. If you are getting chunks of metal, it is already too late.

As for failure modes, most of what I have seen have involved the case cracking due to excessive flexing of the case. This leads to the bearings failing too. It is just a matter of what gave first.

 

Thermo, I got pretty much everything that I need BUT the radiator drain plug and the NPT adapter. I've been to a couple of auto parts stores and they are not sure what I need, even though I described them what I'm trying to accomplish. Also, they keep telling me that I need to know the thread size, otherwise it won't fit.

Do you have a picture of the drain plug? Or a part number?