Clicking noise T-Case?

[Sjkimber]

Hello! First time posting in this forum
I was wondering if anyone can help me with this problem I have.
2004 Ranger XLT 4x4 Electronic shift.
I'm the third owner and I do know the 2nd owner drove this wonderful truck hard in the mud a lot.
As far as I can tell everything in the driveline is stock.

Whenever I drive I hear a consistent clicking noise that speeds up and slows down depending on how fast I am going. At first I thought it was something as simple as wheel bearing. Found out the driver side axle had a small bend at the face. Replaced the axle and wheel bearings but the clicking still continued!

I started messing with the driveshafts to see if there's any play. The rear driveshaft ujoints seem fine and dandy. The driveshaft itself doesn't budge when the trucks on the ground. However I found out the front driveshaft ujoint was shot. The driveshaft also spins about 1/8 or 1/16 of a turn in both directions unlike the rear driveshaft which is solid. I removed the front driveshaft yesterday and drove it around a bit. Seemed like the noise went away. Almost knocked it off as a ujoint and CV joint problem.. and then I heard it. It wasn't constantly clicking but it was there once in a while. It was still consistent to the spin of the driveline but wasn't clicking all the time.

Is the front drive shaft being able to turn about 1/8th 1/16th in both directions before stopping normal?

I've already drained and refilled the transfer case and it came out almost black and watery. Is the t case damaged or worn out internally?

This is my first truck and 4x4 I've owned haha. I'm pretty confident in my troubleshooting however I still have much to learn. I never came across an issue like this on a HMMWV yet so I'm not to certain about the problem

 

[RonD]

Reads like you are very good at troubleshooting and have done alot.

I assume you have shifted transfer case into 4hi and 4low, what were the "clicking" results?
And with transfer case in 4WD was there still play in the front drive shaft?

With transfer case in 2WD if you have both front wheels off the ground they should spin along with front drive shaft and could you hear the "clicking" noise?

Do the same with rear wheels and trans in neutral, BLOCK the front tires.

You should have the Borg Warner 1354 transfer case in an '04

 

[camodown]

The play in the front driveshaft is normal.


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[Sjkimber]

I haven't shifted the tcase to 4hi or 4lo after I found out the front driveshaft has a little play. I took the driveshaft out and replaced the ujoint this morning and haven't put it back in.

On a different note is the ujoint suppose to be stiff to spin after replacing? I used a ball joint press to replace it and haven't tapped the yoke with a hammer yet.

I'm planning on putting the driveshaft back in sometime this week if the weather cooperates and my eyes aren't being sensitive buggers. Just got my eye surgery last week for PRK and they took the lenses out today. Very sensitive!

If I put the truck in 4hi or 4lo and turn the truck off will the tcase stay in said shift?

When I was replacing the wheel cylinders and brake components I played around with the rear end off the ground. I didn't hear any clicking noise when I spun the wheel or rear driveshaft. I thought the noise was coming from the rear end since I heard it over there while driving. When I found out the front u joint was shot I remembered the clicking noise is similar to a driveshaft cv joint going bad. CV joint feels good and I haven't opened it yet.

Is the transfer case suppose to have a little play for the front driveshaft while in 2wd?

I'll check out how it is in 4hi and 4lo at a later time. The clicking with the driveshaft I am talking about is when I spin the driveshaft with the front end on the ground. The driveshaft turns about 1/8 or 1/16 and stops. The stop makes the "click" noise.

 

[93 4x4]

Does Sound like your chain is stretched

 

[Sjkimber]

What are the symptoms of a stretched chain? Would there be any issues with the chain being stretched?
Is there any method of remedying this? I'm not really looking forward to searching for a low mileage/low use tcase in the small junkyards around my area haha.

 

[camodown]

Yes you should be able to turn the front driveshaft maybe 20-30 degrees or so. I believe it has it for the shift on the fly 4wd.

Did you check for any metal shavings in the oil when you drained it? Probably not much left but next time run it through a screen.


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[Sjkimber]

I did not notice any metal shavings in the transfer case fluid when I changed it out. Just appeared very black and watery. Should I be able to turn the front driveshaft if the vehicle is in 4hi or 4lo? I'm curious to test that out and see if it is in tolerance.

The BW1354 does have shift on the fly.

 

[Sjkimber]

I was out driving to battalion trying to sign back in last minute from convalescent leave as I forgot all about it. I actually noticed the clicking sound in the middle of the night with no other vehicles around and empty roads to concentrate on. Threw the car in 4 hi and the clicking continues exactly the same.

Either the clicking is coming from inside the tcase or coming from somewhere entirely different. I might have to replace the rear driveshaft ujoints just to be certain those aren't shot and causing the click! I recently did a whole brake overhaul all around so I'm doubting the brakes to be a problem. However the emergency brake is a little sticky after release on the driver side. I haven't used the emergency brake since the brake overhaul and that is something I will look into.

I just can't pin point the exact location of this clicking without removing the bed from the frame and having a friend hang on for dear life as I drive around.

Earlier I had the truck in drive with all fours off the ground and even in 4hi/4lo and couldn't recreate the noise.

A few places I think of is internal of the tcase which I am starting to doubt
Rear driveshaft u joints
Somewhere along the emergency brakes for the driver side
or there is something just barely flapping against the drivetrain somewhere that isn't causing enough wear to be visible.

I'll look into this further. My hopes is the driveshaft u joints however they seem so solid to be the issue.
This is one headscratcher!

Just to clarify I believe the axles, wheel bearings, rear differential, front axle cv joint are all in tolerance and not creating the clicking noise.

 

[RonD]

Earlier I had the truck in drive with all fours off the ground and even in 4hi/4lo and couldn't recreate the noise.

So the "clicking" only happens with weight on the suspension and wheels.

I have used a concrete wall in a quiet location to find which side and front or back for a noise.
Just drive next to the wall with driver's window down and then passenger window down.

And I guess you have applied the brakes while clicking was present and the was no change.
Also try e-brake while the clicking is present, hold the release handle out while applying the e-brake.

 

[Sjkimber]

As far as I can tell is that the sound was coming from the driver rear which made me initially think the wheel bearing. Since the entire driver side has been replaced (axle, wheel bearing/seal, shoes, resurfaced drums, brake component springs) I started to think towards the driveshaft.

When the weight of the vehicle is on the driver side the noise completely disappears, as in when I am slaloming (curving left and right). Braking does not change the clicking noise. I have not messed with the e-brakes.

Speaking of I adjusted the rear drum shoes and I thought I had it right. After small drive and touching around brake components the driver drum is warm and the passenger too cool. I am having a difficult time figuring out how much is too much adjustment with drums as the only other form of drums I have worked on have been with air brakes and trailer drums.
I wish these were calipers all around like my Crown vic which made me think about the similarities of the flanges in my 2005 Crown vic. Regardless of what I have read I am eager to see how close the flanges are to find out how far it is from a swap.

The driver side ebrake sticks after releasing which makes me cautious on using the ebrake at all. I do not want to overheat my drums as I am short on cash and wishing to use the Ranger on a long trip coming soon.

Since pretty much everything is original from the day the vehicle was made I plan on changing out the rear driveshaft U joints. Hopefully that is the cure to the clicking madness. At the same time I will do a thorough test of where the clicking is coming from with the bed off and driving slowly while someone is on the frame listening and feeling for the clicks. This is going to be sketchy to say the least.

 

[Mickey Bitsko]

I had the same problem with my rear drums on a 2000, After many anxious moments feeling excessive heat on the wheels , couldn't touch the drums , way too hot.
Ended up lifting each rear wheel and backing the brakes all the way off and checked them a couple times for heat and had perfect brakes since then , been about 5k miles.
I believe that recommendation came from this forum, if that helps.

 

[Sjkimber]

A little update just to keep note for reference.
Clicking noise is present with front driveshaft removed. Replaced front driveshaft ujoint and reinstalled.
Removed rear driveshaft and drove around in 4hi. Ujoints on rear driveshaft were good but decided to replace them anyways as preventative maintenance. Clicking noise was still present when rear driveshaft was removed however was more prominent. Installed rear driveshaft and clicking noise went back to how it was from beginning. Starting to think it is the lugnuts

Ordered a whole new set of McGard lugnuts. Some of previous lugnuts were overtorqued and some even exhibited twist on the body from previous owner. Will install tomorrow

"flushed" and refilled front diff. Pumped out old fluid and filled 1 qt of valvoline 75-90 full synth. pumped fluid back out and refilled with almost 2 qt valvoline 75-90 full synth (autozone had them at $6 or $9 ea. couldn't pass it up and bought 6 haha)

Tomorrow let's see if the problem was as simple as bad lugnuts. Lugstuds are "new" as it is a good condition junkyard axleshaft. Old axleshaft had a bent shaft head.

Hoping it is simple issue like lugnut and not the transfer case. Will come back for more update

 

[Bird76Mojo]

Hate to dig up an old thread but I'm having the same problem on my 2001, so why not have it all in the same thread for others, since the OP never finished this one..

Today I drained the rear axle and removed the diff cover to be sure it wasn't coming from the rear end. Everything in the rear axle was just fine. The limited slip was still as tight as the day I rebuilt it. No play in any bearings either. I also started the truck and ran it in gear with the rear tires off the ground, but the clicking wouldn't present itself that way. Then I tried putting it in 4x4 and took a quick drive to see if the clicking would go away and sure enough, it did. (I'm an idiot for not trying that to start with lol)

So it sounds like I'll be pulling a transfer case from a 2002 parts truck I have and hoping it's in better shape. I'll try to update here if the clicking noise goes away after swapping the transfer case. If I have time in the near future, I'll open up my original transfer case and inspect it to post the results here.



GB

 

[Dknight63]

You may have already replaced the transfer case, or bought a different vehicle by now; however I believe the "clicking or ticking" noise you are hearing is the oil pump inside the transfer case. The BW1354 has an inherent problem with the oil pump banging against the inside of transfer case. In some instances, it can wear a hole through the case and cause an oil leak. I haven't found a solution to that problem, however, I own a 2004 Ranger FX4 Off Road with the same noise and it drives you nuts at low speed. Hope this has helped someone...