87 4runner 5speed (W56) Rf1A transfer case 22re manual locking hubs. I have done extensive search on this issue and have come up empty.all help would be greatly appreciated. Very noisy in hi4 . So loud in fact I shifted back to 2 hi and unlocked the hubs driving on icy roads yesterday. It's also loud in 4 low as well but not as noticeable , maybe because I'm always really slow offroad. I do a lot of work myself but have always been scared of transmissions reared and transfer case. Thanks in advance.

 

Have you pulled the fill plug to see if you have fluid? Or drained the tcase to see if you have metal bits/shavings in the oil?

I would start there

 

Waiting for ice to melt and I will start there thanks I'll post the results.

 

You probably have a bearing failure in the middle. I rebuilt mine and have a bunch of left over parts & bearings. Let me know.

 

Checked front diff oil, it is good turned front drive shaft by hand and front diff was quiet, but transfer case was really loud. Drained oil in tcase and refilled with Lucas 75/90 . Drove around the block with tcase in hi4 hubs unlocked, not as loud as before, stopped and locked hubs drove around block again scary loud as usual . I do know that both front axes need replacing and some noise is coming from them. I will get those this spring hopefully. Skypilot, thanks for the reply and your probably on to something but I have no idea what the middle is or how to rebuild tcase . I have looked at fsm looks over my head bro. Is it simple to get to this bearing without a lot of specialized tools ?

 

By the way cookie monster didn't notice in metal shavings in fluid. I'm sure there are some very fine particles in there but nothing I noticed.

 

I have never attempted tearing a tcase apart, so im sorry but i wont have any pearly words of wisdom there.

Im not sure, but i think skypilot might not be a "bro" but i think she(?) may have more experience with tcases than I. However it doesnt hurt to properly source the problem. You could jack the front of the truck up and spin the tires and listen to see if its coming from the hub, cv, diff, tcase, ect. Then you can narrow it down further within the part.

 

Sorry Skypilot ,if indeed I was wrong. Cookie monster I did spin the front pilot shaft by hand and lots of noise from tcase and some from cv axles. Thanks for the reply maybe Skypilot or someone with further knowledge will chime in.

 

I did mine with just basic hand tools. One special tool you must have is a snap ring pliers That have good handles and large but very flat tips. The snap rings are big so it takes a stronger tool to hold and stabilize the R&R process. Go slo, take pictures and keep the FSM handy. I put in the upgrades from Marlin crawler along with new bearings in the 2hi path due to just shear high miles, 350k and I wanted it right, not cheap. So I have good left over parts, that are good for repair of a busted unit. They probably have alot of life left in them. Use 1 gallon zip lock bags to keep all your parts togther for each step, like the rear cover. Then the next larger cover. And by then you should see whats broken, before you get to the front cover.

Not hard just go slo.

https://www.marlincrawler.com/transf...r-output-shaft

Now if I can get downstairs with a camera I can post pictures of what's inside.

 

Update. Pulled front propeller shaft so i could turn tcase and take out any noise that might be coming from ujoints. It was a little less noisy. But did find a really tight ujoint at front diff. I found a used tcase im gonna try and after my rigs up and running i will open up mine and search for problem.maybe sky pilot will have what i need.

 

Well that's good you found the tight u-joint
That causes a lot of extra stress on the shafts and bearings, could even be what has caused your tcase to fail.

Make sure you know what kind of tcase shift type you have. If you have a forward shift now, and mount a gtop shift then you get to cut a hole in your floor haha.

I'm sure if you follow some directions and pull it apart you will find the problem bearing, and having that other one to slap in takes the stress of rushing

Good luck

 

Thanks man. I did put new u joint in and installed back in truck , turned shaft same noise just as before😕
Could it be the front output shaft bearing? The weight of the front drive shaft seems to make it worse, I can hold up pressure on the shaft while turning and the noise is barely audible. Is that bearing difficult to change ?

 

On a different subject, I have the fsm for an 85 4runner
And I need the pages regarding the ifs for as you know my manual only shows single axle. I plan to replace both front axles, upper and lower ball joints,tie rod ends to include new adjusters and shocks. Anything else while I'm in there?

 

Decide if you want a winch or not. I put 23mm OME bars in mine for a little better ride. Also the bar adjusters are tight with the body. So a little planning is required. If you blow the bolts they maybe very hard to find, so soak them with PB blaster for a week before hand. The top two nuts are locked together. Oh and do the lower control arm bushings too. Rockauto I think has them.

 

If I remember right these are caged roller bearings that are pressed in. Probably need a machine shop to change them since you have to get the race out of the front cover.

 

The only thing that you would need a special tool for, is to get the bearing off the shaft (press). Step 21 and 78 in the PDF below show the front output assembled. A good pair of Lock ring pliers (not snap ring pliers) was the only other tool that came in very handy. If you bring a shop the front out put with a new bearing, they can usually swap them over pretty cheap and easily.

I just put 4.7 gears in my case and TG instructions were great. Heres a link to the PDF,may help you see whats going on in there. I have some pics on my build thread too.

https://www.trail-gear.com/TG/prodIn...5000-1-INS.pdf

Those instructions are for a total tear down, which I dont think you need, so in this case, you could skip right from step 8 to 18, change the bearing, then re assemble.

 

Got downstairs and looked. I have the uppers, but I think there's a lower front too in a box. Have to wait for my son to come home so I can bring it out and check, as well as post some photos.

 

Thanks for the replies , and also for the link
rattle wagon . I'm still not convinced yet that I'm gonna do control arm bushings very thing I read suggest them to be a total pain in the 😲. So I will check them out when I get in there. Hopefully to install tcase tomorrow and may get started on ifs, although still waiting on some parts.

 

I have a trick for control arm bushings. You need an air chisel with a pointy end and a flat chisel end, and WD40. You pound the outer can of the bushing inward and away from the arm itself. Sometimes you need the pointy one. After bashing it in it practically falls out. New one goes in with a layer of EP grease a vary large vise and a stubby pipe section, along with a hammer to nudge it along. Tap, tap, Squeeze, Tap, Tap, kinda motion.

 

Thanks Skypilot for the advise, didn't make it that far today got old transfer case out and realized I needed the gasket between case and tranny,😠 what good is the fsm if I don't look at it, I could have pre ordered the gasket and had it back in truck by now. And I've got the back of 4runner on ramps to help with clearance for me, so really can't start front end until I get it off the ramps.on another note waiting on parts renders cleaning and painting time when otherwise it would probably just got installed immediately . I'll try and post up some pics soon.