80 series transfer case internal damage

Submitted: Monday, Jun 13, 2011 at 08:28
ThreadID: 86937 Views:2035 Replies:0 FollowUps:0
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Hi, in relation to a previous thread i posted (60075)

http://www.exploroz.com/Forum/Topic/60074/80_series_transfer_case_worry.aspx?ky=80+series+transfer+case&sn=&p=%2fForum%2fDefault.aspx%3fs%3d1%26ky%3d80%2bseries%2btransfer%2bcase%26pn%3d1


it is now around 2 years and 100,000kms later and last week my 80 series transfer case started to become a concern....
On light acceleration from standstill, i could hear a "ting ting ting" sound coming from the gearbox area, similar to sticking your finger in a fan blade. At 40km/h the noise goes away and the gearbox starts to shake... and the vibrations get worse and worse as road speed increases.

I had the car tilt-trayed to my garage and i started investigating. I thought it was the auto's torque converter bearing gone, but dropping the gearbox oil and filter, it was absolutely spotlessly clean.
So i dropped the transfer case oil- and there was metal on the magnetic plug...again.
So yesterday i removed the transfer case and split the housings and had a look...

The viscous center diff crown wheel has 12 bolts around it's circumference.... well every second bolt... yes 6 bolts had become loose and wound themselves out almost 1/2" and were hitting on a steel oil shroud and had chewed it to pieces. They had only just started touching the transfer case housing itself...
If i had driven it any more i'm sure the metal would have destroyed the bearings and gears (which are still perfect amazingly enough) and damaged the casings themselves.
So the bolts hitting the internal steel shroud created the "tinging" sound, and the bolts hanging out of the diff crown wheel caused the imbalance and resulting enormous vibration.
My transfer case has never been worked on, never been replaced or repaired, and has only had oil changes.

Has anyone heard of these bolts working loose inside the transfer case before? It seems to me, being every second bolt, that it was a manufacturer torque-sequence issue that could have left me seriously stranded!

Thanks,
Tippa
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