Thread: Fail to proceed - LT230 Transfer Case

Which parts need machining??

And by how much??

It cannot be much machining for $150 considering MR would have to earn a quid out of it.

Originally Posted by weeds

Which parts need machining??

And by how much??

The case needs machining and a bush pressed in for the intermediate shaft.
I had a top hat section machined from some 4140 and pressed in with some sealant, I think some just use a straight bush, either works.
The shop I used charged $214, they did a good job so I'm happy.

The aluminum case ovalises at the front where the large section of the intermediate shaft locates which creates the oil leak that most of us experience.

Check out Ancient Mariners LT230 build thread. I didn't do the double row bearing mod, just ran out of time and reckoned that the t/case bearings survive pretty well with the standard bearings, but I like the overkill of the double row mod.

Originally Posted by weeds

Which parts need machining??

And by how much??

It cannot be much machining for $150 considering MR would have to earn a quid out of it.

Just the sleeve.

I reckon I'll go with an Ashcroft, and use the 2 damaged TCs to practice rebuilding on (if anything). This will get me going quicker, with more peace of mind.

BTW - when they upgrade the sleeve, why do they machine the case and not the pin? I would have thought machining the pin would have been easier (but I'm not an engineer ).

Originally Posted by Ranga

BTW - when they upgrade the sleeve, why do they machine the case and not the pin? I would have thought machining the pin would have been easier (but I'm not an engineer ).

Originally Posted by rick130

The aluminum case ovalises at the front where the large section of the intermediate shaft locates which creates the oil leak that most of us experience.

The case is softer than the shaft and with load over time the bore for the shaft becomes oversized/displaces material.
It needs to be machined oversized and bushed back to the correct diameter for the shaft.
Don't think I have a photo, Ill have a look.

The reason for the double row bearing was with 9" diffs MXA5R GB and the torque pulses of the 4.7 Isuzu I felt the LT230 needed all the help I could give it would not normally have bothered

Originally Posted by rick130

The case is softer than the shaft and with load over time the bore for the shaft becomes oversized/displaces material.
It needs to be machined oversized and bushed back to the correct diameter for the shaft.
Don't think I have a photo, Ill have a look.

Yeh, I understand that, but could you also put a sleeve in that fits an unmodified case, and machine the pin down? Thinking it would be easier to modify the pin than the case.

Originally Posted by Ranga

Yeh, I understand that, but could you also put a sleeve in that fits an unmodified case, and machine the pin down? Thinking it would be easier to modify the pin than the case.

I have heard - never seen - that one failure mode for the LT230 is that the intermediate shaft bends. Machining down the shaft would encourage that tendency.

Also, machining the shaft wouldn't change the fact that you have an oval hole in the case.