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I had sent in a post concerning front undercarriage noise on my 2000 Grand Cherokee AWD and had thought the noise was coming from my brakes… well, I was kinda right, but after further inspection I found that the worst noise is coming from my transfer case… a grinding and “tinging” noise. I did a little research online about what is involved in the transfer case guts and I think that besides the output bearing being bad, the drive chain is probably loose and intermittetnly hitting the transfer case cover (causing the “ting, ting” noise). So, my question is: would it be worth it for a person with my abilities (fairly mechanically inclined)to attempt to do an overhaul on the transfer case, or is this something that would be wiser for an experienced individual to do?
Thanks
Phil
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I’ve done a couple transfer cases. I didn’t think they were that bad. I would recommend doing a lot of homework before you dive into it. I would at least have an exploded view of the entire transfer case, a DVD of someone rebuilding the case, and a manual or other service information such at AllData describing the overhaul procedure. Additionally, there may be some special tools needed for your repair, such as: a beam style torque wrench in inch/lbs, a torque wrench (of any style) in foot/lbs, air tools (1/4″ drive impact with big sockets), a clutch spring compressor, good snap ring pliers and maybe a dial indicator (to measure shaft end play). Maybe watching some youtube on transfer case overhaul will help you decide if this would be a project you’d like to pursue.
Tips o’ the day
- Be sure to photograph all steps of your dis-assembly.
- If you have an electronic transfer case, it may contain a valve body. You shouldn’t need to break into the valve body. Try to avoid doing so because there are probably a few check balls that might fall out and bounce around on the floor.
- Using the inch/lbs beam style torque wrench, see how much force it takes to spin the input shaft before you open the case. DO NOT install the case on the vehicle if the force required after the rebuild is considerably different; you must open the case and figure out the problem in this scenario.
You can get a transfer case repair DVD here: http://www.technicalvideos.com/
You might want to consider rebuilding the transfer case since you’ll already have it open. Here is one example of a transfer case rebuild kit from autozone (part no: BK241, $184.00)
A combination of knowledge and tools will can make this project fun and exciting. If all goes well, you’ll have valuable experience on how to work on your own drive train that will save you $$$.
Final Thoughts:
You could probably get a transfer case from the junkyard relatively cheap.. less than $200? Maybe more if they pull the part for you. You might want to install a used transfer case, and then rebuild the original at your convenience so you have a spare (and experience), or even sell it as a rebuilt unit to recoup some of your cost.After 13 years of driving it might be time to replace that chain.
Thanks Wrench Turner for the info. I appreciate sound advice and it sounds good going the route of getting a transfer case from a junk yard and then go from there.
I would just get a salvage transfer case and swap it out. I think that would be the easiest and most practical way to go.
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