Made it home! Did fudge my transfer case? (1354)

[MojoWorkin]

So I made it home in "FWD." Clearly my rear end is hammered. And now I wonder about the tcase. Before any of this started, I noticed switching from 2wd/4wd/4low was sometimes balky. Nudging it forward seemed to help. Visual inspection indicated no leaks.

While creeping home, I noticed that tight turns in parking lots sounded like a FWD with CV joints starting to get funky. Intermittent, and not too bad. Not too good.

If I dropped off the gas in a low gear, it was a little klunky.

Rear flange (now that it has no driveline attached) has slight play. More than a 16th. Let's call it 3/32.

Rear flange now has some oil on it, but it could be from filling it roadside. It was down a wee bit. (Yes, I used Mercon)

Could I have introduced damage by making it send all the power to the front? I'm assuming the front is not as beefy as the rear, as it was assumed it would always be a supplement to the rear drive. I eased it down the road, but I was still "dragging" the rear. Or at least that is what I am assuming. I haven't ruled out that the t-case is also needy too.

 

[ericbphoto]

Is this referring to the 97 Ranger in your profile or a new 2019/2020 Ranger? If its the 97, we'll move this thread to the proper forum for you.

 

[MojoWorkin]

Thanks for that - I'm going a bit crosseyed with all the new info I am trying to synthesize.

 

[wildbill23c]

Probably didn't do any damage to the front end or transfer case that wasn't already there. No, its not intended to be driven that way but it can be done. Your front CV shafts were most likely already toasted before you drove it in FWD its a 97 Ranger its 23 years old that stuff wears out over time, so putting more stress on it by running it in FWD all the way home just wore it out faster.

So now you need a rear end and front CV axles LOL...Transfer cases are typically clunky anyways.

You put transmission fluid in the rear diff? That could be part of your leak issue as transmission fluid is thinner than gear oil, the diffs use gear oil. Transfer case uses transmission fluid though typically.

I'd just look for a replacement axle much easier to just do a swap at this point as you may have cooked the bearings and everything anyways and having one rebuilt would cost far more than pulling one at the pick a part yard.

 

[adsm08]

Probably didn't do any damage to the front end or transfer case that wasn't already there. No, its not intended to be driven that way but it can be done. Your front CV shafts were most likely already toasted before you drove it in FWD its a 97 Ranger its 23 years old that stuff wears out over time, so putting more stress on it by running it in FWD all the way home just wore it out faster.

So now you need a rear end and front CV axles LOL...Transfer cases are typically clunky anyways.

You put transmission fluid in the rear diff? That could be part of your leak issue as transmission fluid is thinner than gear oil, the diffs use gear oil. Transfer case uses transmission fluid though typically.

I'd just look for a replacement axle much easier to just do a swap at this point as you may have cooked the bearings and everything anyways and having one rebuilt would cost far more than pulling one at the pick a part yard.

97 has no CV axles. That's a twin I-beam. It has u-joints.

 

[wildbill23c]

97 has no CV axles. That's a twin I-beam. It has u-joints.

Hmm, ok thanks, I was thinking they went to CV's by that time. Thank you for the correction.

So, if that's the case then the U-Joints may be FUBAR, I know the ones in my Bronco 2 need to be replaced too.

 

[adsm08]

Hmm, ok thanks, I was thinking they went to CV's by that time. Thank you for the correction.

So, if that's the case then the U-Joints may be FUBAR, I know the ones in my Bronco 2 need to be replaced too.

97 was the last year for the good setup. 98 started with the garbage CV axles/SLA/low quality frame metal.

 

[wildbill23c]

97 was the last year for the good setup. 98 started with the garbage CV axles/SLA/low quality frame metal.

Good to know, thanks for the info. I was just looking at a 2004 Ranger, guess I'll skip that and keep my older stuff LOL.

 

[MojoWorkin]

Did NOT put transmission fluid in the diff. The front end is fine. No more mystery clicks now that the driveshaft is back in. Traansfer case is fine. Im just a total worry-wart.

Still worried about the rear diff being low - it wasn't that long, but there is some play. Very experienced neighbor looked at it and said his Land Cruiser has been like that for years. But the noise was definitely related to the wheel bearing. I'll get a chance to look closer at the diff when I address the bearing and seal.

 

[scotts90ranger]

Those parts are stout aside from wear items, I wouldn't worry about it...