Transfer Case Toast

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Lance Cann

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A few days ago I posted that I figured the 4x4 in my trac was not working correctly...



Well, I had the truck diagnosed by Ford today. Fluid inside transfer case was black, they said it should be red. When they drained the fluid, also noted some metal filings. They say transfer case is cooked and needs replacing. $2400 for a new one, $1600 used and I take my chances. I am not willing to spend this kind of money on a 5 year old truck with just over 60,000 miles on the clock. Makes me wonder what else will be going wrong with a truck that should be just barely broken in? I think my trac ownership days will be short lived, unfortunately because I love the truck.
 
Also your "assuming" this is the problem..... FORD OEM manual says 60K on the t-case fluid any way...



AND guess what you will ALWAYS get metal filings out of ANY geabox....



Change the fluid and drive the truck for a couple of days and re try the 4wd a couple of times...



IF there is no grinding noises I bet they are trying to rip you off.....



Todd Z
 
I changed mine at 62K and it was black and same shavings. I would recommend what Todd says. I didn't read the previous post but it sounds like the dealer is trying to pull a fast one. Does the dash light flash or click/click underneath the glove box?
 
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The first message was me talking about what the truck is doing.. I will repeat what it is doing so you are not in the dark... sorry guys..



Truck drives fine in 2wd. The second I switch to 4x4, light comes on dash and I hear a LOT of what sounds like road noise, but worse.. you can actually feel it in the truck.



when I switch back to 2wd, the noise continues, and vehicle stays in 4x4. I can drive sometimes 10 blocks stopping..turning..accelerating and this continues. if I stop and back up, truck will come out of 4x4 immediately, noise goes away, everything is fine.
 
do what todd says, the fluid always looks black in the transfer case when you change it, change the fluid it takes around two quarts, then drive it a few miles find a suitable place to put it in 4wd and try it out. the 4wd will make more noise than when it 2wd mode. try spending under 10 bucks before spending the 2400 the dealer is trying to take you for.;):)
 
they drained the fluid to look at it, so they had to put new stuff in, so I will drive it a couple more days and see what happens.
 
Icann, get me the year of your Trac, we got 2 in our yard yesterday. Virtually no metal left, but the running gears were working well at the time they ran into each other... LOL



Seriously, what are the odds of that...
 


Coastiejoe, apparently it is not just the year that matters so much, they used many different kinds of T-Cases in these trucks. Mine is a 2004, but what is more important is the model number on the case, which I also have. It is located on the drivers side of the case and can be seen by crawling slightly under the truck. Mine is: 3L24-7A195-AB



Problem is, I live in Canada. These things have to be fairly heavy.. shipping would be outrageous I would think.
 
The gears will make noise. Mine growls and moans like crazy, but all the Ford "switch on the fly" 4x4 systems have done this for me since 1995 Explorer Sport 4x4. By your description, it sounds like its sticking from lack of use and old fluid.



If you feel this dealer is horsing with you, I would visit a Lincoln Mercury dealer. I've had better experiences and service at those dealers.



Its most likely a Borg Warner case. I believe they developed all the T cases for Ford at one point.
 
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It is a Borg Warner case, It says that on the side of it where the model number is.



The dealer is a Lincoln Mercury dealer, but I don't think they are horsing with me simply because they gave me the option of a new case, or a used one. And just because I don't trust dealers either, I actually looked up the part online from the same place they said they could get it and the price listed by them was the same as Ford quoted me. However, the thing I did find strange was the labor was the same as the part, $900. There is no way in $#@@ that there should be that much labor. They are not that hard to change out.
 


something else I have noticed... With it in 4x4, the steering wheel really wants to pull to either side as the road changes. (gravel road with hills and valleys) Takes a fair amount of concentration to keep the truck from wandering off the road. The whole thing from the growling, to the pulling to the not wanting to kick out of 4x4 says to me either this is normal and Ford used an extremely poor 4x4 system in these trucks, or something is not right at all. I've had Chevy 4x4's and a Jeep Wrangler 4x4 and never had any of these issues before.
 


Update:



It does seem to be coming out of 4x4 a little better now, but the pulling on the steering wheel when in 4x4 still concerns me.
 
If you get another t-case make sure you get the right style. As there are 3 styles of BW1354 t-cases. The main difference between them is the front driveshaft yoke.



They also come apart very easily, drop it out of the vehicle, take out the outside diameter bolts and open it up. Reseal with some RTV.



The steering wheel pulling has nothing to do with your t-case though, you have something else going on up front. However mine used to pull to 1 side when I would give alot of gas while in 4wd, but nothing that was out of control or took alot of effort.
 

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