Just an informational post.

My transfer case has been failing for a while. Recently, the drive-shaft (prop-shaft) bearings failed and the drive-shaft seal started leaking like crazy.

I took the drive-shaft side of the transfer case apart by removing the rear engine mount bolts (4ea.) and the 4 bolts that hold on the rear housing. It was a fairly simple affair to disassemble.

I used a 1/2 inch drive impact wrench to remove the big nut holding on the drive shaft yoke.

I then disassembled, pressed the bearing races out and pulled off the remaining tapered roller bearing. I needed to use a 20 ton press, as the races were tight in the housing, but it was a simple job. The only non straightforward affair was making a small, flat piece of metal to fit between the races, so I had something to press on, to remove them.

Here are the part numbers of the bearings I found inside my transfer case. Hope this helps someone fix a T/C problem!

2ea. P/N HM88510 (bearing race, NTN brand)
1ea. P/N HM88542 (tapered roller bearing, NTN brand)
1ea. P/N HM88547 (tapered roller bearing, NTN brand)

The only difference between the bearings is the inside diameter, where it slides on the shaft.

I hope to have the new ones installed tomorrow, and I'll post a follow up. I'm going to set up my parts washer and clean out the debris from my T/C in situ. Should do a good job washing out any metal bits.

Chris

 

It's back together and working fine!

I ordered the bearings from Florida Bearing in Riviera Beach, FL. They sent the parts overnight. Total cost, around $100 including shipping and tax.

The car is much smoother and quieter, I am very happy with the results. It's hard to express how much difference this has made.

The re-assembly took about 2 hours and was a simple job. I had to adjust the preload on the bearings using my 1/2 inch impact wrench. I made sure to seal the nut with Permatex Ultra Gray silicone.

Also, while waiting for the parts, I placed my el cheapo parts washer tank under the transfer case. I then flushed out the T/C and got any metal bits out using compressed air.

 

Sweet! But I thought there were 6 bearings, total, in the case?? There is a seller on Ebay.UK that sells the bearing set plus a seal. I'm thinking that the seal must be the internal through which the right axle runs......made of unobtainium according to Jaguar!

I just replaced my T/C after a right axle bearing failure and a split case. I purchased a used, low mile unit, cleaned it out and replaced seals including the internal O-ring on the pinion. I found the preload on the pinion bearing to be way high....in the ft.lb. range instead of 15 in. lbs. ( high preload is also mentioned by that Ebay.UK seller in his listing) I suspect that a bunch of the T/C failures on the X-type are due to shoddy assembly at the factory. Anyway, it's back on the road. Good luck!

 

I could see my prop-shaft wobbling around. Certainly, those bearings were shot. So, all I replaced were the 2 tapered rollers and race's. There are a few others who have done this job the same way, with good, long lasting results. Those 2 bearings are the ones that fail.

The other internal bearings are not making noise. Are they 100% fine? dunno. I'm taking a small chance the transfer case will last with just this simple repair.

Still, the car has not been this smooth since 35,000 miles (that was 6 years ago) I now have 106K!

By the way, the replacement bearings were Timkin brand, made in USA.

 

Just a quick update.

The prop shaft bearing replacement solved the problems. It's been working just fine! No leaks, no whine, no issues. I've been busy driving the Jag all over the place, and I could not be happier.

While I don't know the condition of the other bearings in the T/C, I suspect they are in acceptable condition, as the operation is silent.

Prior to replacement, the car was quite noisy.

 

Good job, Cujet. And thanks for posting the part numbers for those bearings.

 

Wouldn't removing that rear output bearing housing that be a good way to drain all the oil out of the transfer case for an oil change?

It looks like that low point...

 

Yes!

It's fairly simple to remove the "prop shaft" carrier assy. It's sealed with an "O" ring, and I successfully re-used mine, as it was in good shape. In my case, there were plenty of metal particles down there. It might not be a bad idea to clean this out once in a while.

Update: T/C is still working fine! I've got about 20,000 miles on my "quick" repair with no issues. It was worth it!

 

cujet did you have problems with the TC shield in the sixth picture on this link;

How to replace a Transfer Box

Plus there is a guy on that thread that is trying to do what you did and could use your expertise!

 

That's not a T/C shield, it's an aft engine/trans mount. Yes, I did have to struggle with it a little bit. One bolt was particularly difficult to loosen. But, I simply dug through my tool box until I found a wrench that I could get on the bolt head. I had to loosen it 1/16 of a turn at a time. Ugh.

Not impossible at all. But it did take the right tool to get the job done. I did not have to cut a wrench or anything like that.

 

I need help Jaguar X Type AWD 3.0 my R axle has alot of play and moves in and out of transfer case

 

Hi Brandon,

Are you talking about the drive shaft (also called the prop shaft) ?

If so, you may find that the repair I describe is what you need. It was fairly easy and cheap. I'm certain a competent repair shop could do it.

 

Bump for those who are just coming across this problem. My repair is going strong! The car remains quiet, leak free and smoooooth. I am happy.

 

The transfer case shield is fastened to the engine mount. Since it's fastened to the engine mount the engine mount isn't coming off. It is indeed a "pig job".

 

First, thanks for the P/N's for the Transfer Case. I also see another posting on the subject as well.
My Transfer Case is whining now so I feel this is the best time to hop on it (before it explodes). I gather from your post these bearings are the culprit?

Question: Can the case be removed without removing the exhaust?

Also, what is the pre-load torgue settings on re-assembly? Is this where some of the early factory failures are coming from?

Thanks
Tom B
2003 X-type 3.0 160000 relatively trouble free miles !

 

1) I did not remove the exhaust. However, I did not remove the transfer case either. I simply removed the "prop shaft" housing.

2) I re-used the internal parts, so the "pre-load" torque was simply a guess on my part. I used an air impact wrench to disassemble and re-assemble it. Carefully feeling the bearing drag. It felt perfect, with light drag, and was torqued plenty tight.

Note, the old bearings were sloppy loose.

3) I think the early factory failures were due to a number of factors. Such as highly loaded bearings, tiny oil capacity, failure to change oil, insufficient oil quantity factory fill and quite possibly, heat due to location/exhaust proximity. If you are wondering if the factory "torque settings" contribute to early failure, I'd guess no.

 

When I did the oil change on the transfer case by taking off the output shaft housing the bearings were surprisingly tight. It took an effort to get the output shaft to turn by hand but once its turning it was smooth. The car has just over 20,000 miles. We could tell the transfer case is quieter.

There are some good transfer case pictures on the thread I linked.

 

See, that's what happens when I make a guess based on a sample size of "one". Coupled, of course with data from various threads here.

 

I would say it was much tighter than any other tapered roller bearing set I've ever worked with. I've been wondering if I should have loosened up the pre-load a bit. Oh well it's got Amsoil in it now, and I'll be changing the oil once in a while, so maybe I'll do something next time.

 

My 2003 X-type makes a grinding noise, while idling or driving down the road. I was thinking the power steering, transmission, but might this be the problem? Have about 150K miles on her. No fluid leaks on the floors noticed yet. Thanks