Outer Limits 4x4 Board

Here's one for the guru's here. I'm no gearbox specialist, in fact I hate working on them. I usually stick to engines and making stuff

So.... anyways

Pulled a Transfer case out of a 91 Vitara today to put a bearing kit through it.
Apparently the owner had reduction gears fitted about 12 months ago, but the mechanic who did it never replaced any bearings .

Now, I've Found all sorts of wrong.
Nice silvery oil. which I was sorta expecting as the customer had complained of play in the output shaft

Now, the first thing that struck me as odd, a 26mm welsh plug floating around inside the transfer case itself.

As I've pulled it down, I've found the the thrust washers against the gear set on the lay shaft have been spinning, maybe 3-4mm off the end casing is gone

The worst part is the ends of the gear set are now brinneled due to the flogged out thrust washers.

My question,
I know the gear sets are hardened, but could I get the ends lapped/machined smooth and shim it up against the new thrust washers ? (assuming I can get new thrust washers)
Or do I need to tell the guy he's up for a new gear set?
The teeth on the gears themselves are in great nick

Mate from looking at it tonight I think the gear will be fine. Use the shaft, end cap and both thrust washers off the doner case. At the most I would run a wire brush and a very light ali wiz wheel over the gear just to clean it up not to take anything off. As I said to you the gears have a lifetime warranty on them if you machine them it will void that. Just cleaning it up will be ok.
If there is still major play after replacing the the end cap and thrust bushings maybe look at shimming it up from the cap side that way the wear on the gears will look normal if they do fail down the track it will have normal thrust bearing wear. But all honesty it looked like it will be fine.

That welsh plug thing I have no idea. I have a feeling it was left in there from the last mechanic.

If nothing has fused together, i don't see any reason why you couldn't just shim it up to spec.

So long as all bearing faces have a decent consistant surface to mate against its not going to do the bearings any harm.


Weaves

Vit transfer cases aren't exactly rare..... i'd suggest for the time and money spent on "fixing" the stuffed one you'd get another one minus the damage.
Sure people on here have them just lying around collecting dust.

MightyMouse wrote:Vit transfer cases aren't exactly rare..... i'd suggest for the time and money spent on "fixing" the stuffed one you'd get another one minus the damage.
Sure people on here have them just lying around collecting dust.

Have a re-read. He has spare case there he is already using the bits from already. Infact if he looks a little harder there are actualy 3 vit transfers there. The problem is the after marker gears are damaged.

So by all means if you have a spare set of after market gears laying around I will take them off your hands

The Vitara is long since fixed already and in the traffic

Good point(s) Dave.....

and i do have a set of gears sitting in the driveway, immobile for ......... bloody helll.........
but unfortuanately in a case, attached to an auto and engine and car.......

So i'm not sure that actually makes them fit your definition of "spare" :-)

Was this the vitara Mr breaker?