Hey Everyone,
'99 1500 Sport 4x4 with 5.9L and viper tranny.


Just had front end rebuilt. New hubs, ball bearings etc.
Just rebuilt rear axle as far as the outer ends. ie. took axles out and replaced bearings, new wheel cylinders, all new brake springs/clips and drums. Flushed out differential real well, and added new gear oil to it.


But now I'm getting a loud clicking/clanking noise that I have identified as coming from the Transfer case. I haven't used the 4 wheel drive in awhile.
It started out as a very slight clicking noise but over a couple of days has progressed to very loud clacking noise that I can hear over the a/c.


One problem is that I cannot get the fill plug out. It has rounded out on the inside. Don't know if they are all the same but it is like a pipe plug. You have to have a six sided 10mm socket to go on the inside of the plug!


Stupid stupid design!!


Anyone have ideas on how to get this out? Maybe a chisel in one corner and try to knock it around enough to get it out?


Then, what are the possibilities of the loud clicking/clanking noise? Chain stretched? Gears gone?
Any ideas on what I'm going to find out on the inside?


Oh, btw, I can slightly twist the front drive shaft back and forth and it does reproduce the noise. Definitely coming from the transfer case!


Thanks for any ideas,
Steve

 

Drop the rear driveshaft, pull the tailshaft housing, and check the snap ring that's supposed to be right behind the bearing. It doesn't like to stay in place.

For the plugs, try a 3/8ths hex, either an alan wrench, or socket, tap it in gently with a hammer, then try and turn it. Take out the fill plug before you even attempt the drain plug.

 

Additional note on the plug: scratch around the bottom of the hex hole with a screwdriver to loosen/remove any dirt... this way you will get full engagement of the hex, and lessen the change of rounding it out.

 

"Drop the rear driveshaft, pull the tailshaft housing, and check the snap ring that's supposed to be right behind the bearing. It doesn't like to stay in place."

HeyYou, why would I do that when I stated that I have identified the problem as being in the transfer case??


"For the plugs, try a 3/8ths hex, either an alan wrench, or socket, tap it in gently with a hammer, then try and turn it. Take out the fill plug before you even attempt the drain plug."

It's a 10mm alan which fits pretty tight. The filler plug is the problem. I am trying to get it out first, as mentioned in my post.


"scratch around the bottom of the hex hole with a screwdriver to loosen/remove any dirt... this way you will get full engagement of the hex, and lessen the change of rounding it out."

Come on guys, I may not be a certified mechanic but I certainly am not an idiot.
I completely cleaned the TC before I started working on it!


UPDATE: dropped truck off at a local mechanic early this morning. He has already called and confirmed that the noise is the chain in the TC. Also, HE can't get the filler plug OR drain plug out either!!
What to do? Am I going to have to take the case apart, drill the plugs and use an extractor tool??
How hard is it to replace that chain?
Can a link be taken out of it?
or am I better off to just get another TC?
BTW, it is a 231D.


Steve

 

You drop the rear driveshaft so you can pull the tailhousing, so you can see the output shaft OF THE TRANSFER CASE. The snap ring abandons the shaft, so the shaft can walk, that tends to allow things to grind each other up. Not a good scene.

Then use the 10mm..... (3/8ths is just ever so slightly smaller) Use of chemicals helps, tapping it in with a hammer will help the chems penetrate. (not to mention seating the hex in the hole nicely.)

To change the chain, gotta separate the case halves. Then you can just lift stuff out, to get enough slack to get the chain off. But, before doing that, I would still check the snap-ring..... that can give symptoms a lot like a sloppy chain.