Feroza Transfer case - cracked (cause: broken drivechain)

[wacky]

Hey all,

Well, bought my Feroza ('89 Narrow track) a few weeks back. Overall its in pretty good nick, original glossy paint still under the carpets - doesn't appear to of done much offroad work. Anyways, so I bought it with "gearbox issues", supposedly noisy, so I factored in the cost of a replacement gearbox/transfer and got it for a good price.



Trailered it home (100kms) because although we took a test drive and heard the noise - it drove fine - but we didnt wanna risk it. Got it home, whizzed it around the block and out to a mates (10kms) and sure, noisy but it drove fine - transfer case seems to be the issue, as it vibrates the transfer gearstick whilst the g'box one is fine.

So the other day, during some preventative maintenance, I crawl under the car to give the gearbox and transfer case filler/drainage plugs a dose of RP7 to make them easier to undo when I check the fluid levels. Left it a while, came back and wiped the excess - low and behold I see a crack, just under the transfer's drainage plug. Pic 1 | Pic 2

So lack of oil is half the noise, unsure if the bearings have copped it, how long its been like it etc. Has anyone had a Feroza transfer case rebuilt lately? How much did it cost? Are Gaskets hard to find or can 4x4 places source them OK?

Thanks in advance for any and all replies
wacky

[Newtothefourbeworld]

I cant say that i have had one rebuilt but from reading around this forum it would be MUCH cheaper if you just sourced a second hand one.

i remember someone on here got quoted over $200 for ONE of the bearings in the gearbox!

[Goatse.AJ]

Transfer case is an easy job to replace if you can source a 2nd hand one.

IIRC, simply drain oil, undo all the bolts, split it from the gearbox. Repeat procedure to put it back together. Any old half-decent gasket goo stuff will do, so long as you do it right and torque the bolts up evenly. I have MM's old gearbox mated to my old tranny case (his tranny case was noisy) and all has been good for 18months without any sign of leaks or other problems (Touch wood ).

[chugga]

I had a crack in one as well. I bought a ALUMINIUM stick and heated it into the crack and it sealed it for good. Cost about 10 bucks.

[wacky]

Thanks for your replies.

On further inspection of the t/case I also have a tiny 4-5mm hole on the drivers side (pics later) so maybe something has grenaded/let-go at some stage (though it still operates just fine, only with a loud almost a straightcut noise, likely due to the lack of oil). The hole appears to of started on the inside, but doesn't appear to of let any oil out, and I can see something inside, a white gear or maybe a spring (didn't have my torch under there).

What do you guys pay for secondhand Feroza transfer cases from wreckers?

[wacky]

UPDATE:

The "hole" ended up being where someone has used a longer-than-required bolt at some point in the transfer case, resulting in the bolt piercing the edge of the cast (in a semi-external spot). I thought I could see something "spring-like" in there, thankfully its just the thread.



I also got a better pic of the transfer's crack (here). My plan is to drain the oil (and check for nasties), clean up the area around the crack, seal it, fill the case with fresh 75w90 and see if the bearing is still OK, as it all still "works" and sealing it is a little cheaper than replacing it at this point

[wacky]

Looks like I'll have to hunt up some extractors, as I took a leap and removed my manifold heat shield today only to find...



3 lovely cracks.... nice! But they all do it (sometime).

I've got to ring a few exhaust places to get some quotes on a replacement system, not that it seems to be worrying the engine at the moment - extractors would be nice and as a bonus fix the above fault.

Will update on the transfer case situation tomorrow when I get some 75w90, will also flush the coolant and change the oil/filter. Oh, and I also found a small hole in a vacuum hose, all better now

[Newtothefourbeworld]

as far as i can tell the best value for money will be MRT. check out their website

they also have a flexy joint to avoid cracking in the future!

[Goatse.AJ]

Try Hurricane extractors. Dunno about current prices, but I paid $280 for mine about 5 years ago. I installed them myself while I was doing the gearbox in the workshop, then got the fella that owns the place to weld them up. Just make sure you have a decent bracket in front of the CAT (mounted to the gearbox) to stop flexing and you shouldn't have any problems.

[wacky]

Thanks for the tip AJF, I rang my local exhaust place and they quoted $309+freight for the Hurricane HU226ST, which is alright. Changed the oil and oil filter yesterday, bought some Nulon "Smooth Shift" 75W90 to drain and fill the gearbox, and for when I repair the transfer case- will use either Sikaflex and JB-Weld until I source another transfer.

Also removed the stock airbox and installed a pod filter, as most of my driving will be on-road for at least the time-being. Will switch back to stock-setup if I do some offroad in near-future.



My HD-E doesnt have the black airbox, and so adapting the pod filter (3" neck) to the intake system required only the first flexable rubber section (from the throttle body), the plastic pipe that passes over the radiator and the next section of flexable rubber elbow (all stock components) - this elbow is adjustable so you can tweak its position: close behind the headlight, down or towards the motor.

[chugga]

Looks great. I haVE THE k&n air filter and it has improved the performance by about 10%. Theres a debate if the K&N lets in dust. I have used mine quite lot in the dirt and have not found any dust getting thru. I oil my filter regularly so I guess thats why no dust gets thru.

[MightyMouse]

There's no debate of K&N filters letting in dust... its a fact.

Just read the K&N specs vs a paper filter - K&N have their place and do provide a lower pressure drop so for use in clean(ish) environments they are fine.

However they arent suitable for the sort of very dusty situations we find ourselves in off road - like following another vehicle.

Still it very much depends on what you do with your vehicle.

[chugga]

I do alot of off road driving as we hunt alot. Why do K&N advertise that their filters are designed to keep the engines clean in off road conditions?

[wacky]

Well, the wild weather we've been getting has finally stopped for a bit, so I've been out under the Feroza. Drained the transfer case, had about 200mls in it (instead of the 1.4 litres its meant to contain). I was amazed, with the crack as it is, that it had any left at all. No metallic particles, a good thing!

While I was at it I cleaned the bottom of the case to get it ready to be repaired. Took some more pictures, sure is nice and shiny under all that "protective grime"




I also notice a quirkiness with my Feroza, unsure if its "just a Feroza thing", but when I push the clutch in (in neutral) the engine speeds up - normal?

[MightyMouse]

I do alot of off road driving as we hunt alot. Why do K&N advertise that their filters are designed to keep the engines clean in off road conditions?

What can you say re advertising claims....... its their own specs that show the limitations ( and strengths.... ) of their filters.

There's heaps of info available via search on K&N via search... with some of it being from VERY experienced members.

[chugga]

I think your clutch might be dragging a bit. Mighty thanks for the tip and its a real shame to go back to the standard filter as I get that extra pickup with the K&N

[wacky]

Out under the car again today, while its sunny, prepping to do a J-B Weld repair - its the only thing that can comfortably repair it, and is oil/fuel proof (when dry) and will easily handle the heat. Still yet to scuff up the area to give the J-B somewhere to grip.

Having a look in the transfer drainage hole (plug removed) it appears my transfer drive-chain is stretched (or stuffed), I can move it with my finger, hopefully what little oil was there is keeping it from chewing its way out.



I investigated this because last night when I pushed the car back to where I park it (front lawn) I could hear a drag noise (since theres no oil in the transfer *now*) which sounded very much like a chain. Only slight, but when I heard it I had a pretty good idea where it came from *Must investigate further*

Well, back to it!

[chugga]

So your chain caused the crack? And can you get a new chain?

[wacky]

No, I think the crack is from overtightening of the rear cover (perhaps a previous owners attempt to stop a leak - no idea).

All cleaned, prepped, scratched up and now J-B Welded. Stuff is pretty easy to work with. In another 15 hours it'll be ready to use (I'll be fast asleep), but tomorrow morning I'll check it all out, and if it all looks alright then its time for 1.4 litres of nice new Nulon oil to go in it.

I'll end up with a secondhand transfer case sometime in the future, I just hope its not clapped out too... One place I'm in talks with won't seperate gearbox and transfer, so they want a pretty penny for the pair.

[wacky]

Went out to check on it, it's been 3 hours, to make sure it hadn't run or sagged - it hadn't. Apparently it'd still pliable for 4-6 hours after application, but dried and ready for use after 15 hours. This 1oz J-B Weld (2-part) cost me $20 from Autobarn, as my local Supercheap didn't have it.



I managed to keep it all pretty neat, so little work will be required after it's dried. I still have a few other things to do with the Feroza (sand, primer and respray the bullbar and towbar), so it'll have ample time to dry before it gets any extended on-road use. It's my secondary car, so it's not like I'm stuck at home.

[chugga]

What a great job. Cant even see the original crack.

[DAT MAN]

Mate I think your transfer chain is snaped, Thats what mine looked like when it snaped

[wacky]

The crack or the chain appearing in the drain plug?

It still works in 4WD, not that I'm game to try any hardcore stuff. Did yours snap while offroad or onroad? Mine is loose, but I don't think its snapped. Either way, this transfer is temporary until I can get another.

[DAT MAN]

the chain in the drain plug and mine snaped while off road

[wacky]

Went out to check on the repair earlier, it'd been about 27 hours since application so it was fully cured and ready for use - I was hoping to top the transfer up with oil but the rain had other ideas, kept me inside for the afternoon.

If the weather keeps this up, the Commodore will be coming out of the garage, and the Feroza goes in so I can get it all done properly. That reminds me, must buy a few of those halogen worklights, had one years ago but I guess the ex ended up with it lol.... bitch

[wacky]

Chain is kaput, or at least partially. After DAT MAN mentioned his looked like that after his chain died, this morning I was out there and thought I'd push the chain with a screwdriver (not going of course) to see how much movement it had.

I pushed what appeared to be the chain's side, and holy crap a chainlink loose just sitting there. Fetch the magnetic screwdriver, pull it out, another appears. Rinse and repeat x10. Also 5 bearings, in various states of buggered, metal shards galore... and these where just the bits I could see that wanted to come out!



But honestly, at least now I know what the true cause of the crack was, and at least some of the chain is still keeping it going - SOMEHOW - I have no idea how it was able to happily drive with just a whining noise, no crunches at all, but since I've disturbed the fragment's final resting place I don't dare move it til fixed. So next step, out she comes.... fun times lol

[wacky]

So yeah, investigation pays off, thanks for making me think about it DAT MAN

I was just thinking, the crack and lack of oil probably saved the whole thing, as the fragments couldnt float up into the rotating bits. The lack of oil definitely stopped any bits getting into the oil strainer/pickup, as its about halfway up the case.

[wacky]

The fragments in detail:



(Keep in mind these are just the bits that I could get out through the drain plug)

[DAT MAN]

No worries mate