Thread: Transfer Case Removal

The transfer case lever will snag on the floor unless you dismantle it from inside the vehicle. Take a battery drill to remove the pop rivets that hold down the tunnel top plate.

The transfer case is heavy, one person will struggle with it. If you remove the hand brake drum and back plate it will be lighter. Drain its oil for another 1kg lighter again. There should be enough room to get it off with the trans only slightly lowered.

To prevent damaging the seal in the front of the transfer case you should get two M10 bolts 150mm long and cut their heads off. Install these in two holes left after removing a bolt either side of the transfer case. The bolts holding the case on won't be seized but they will be tight. The bolt heads on later cases are reduced hex size so make sure your tools are a tight fit on the heads before loading them up.

One of the transfer case bolts coming from the front is easier to see from the top so console top off will help here too. There is another bolt from the front underneath it.

I did it without removing the console. Transmission can be lowered just enough to get to the bits and pieces on top of the transfer case.

You'll need two jacks, one for the transmission and one for the transfer case. Make sure they are tall enough.

A gearbox jack would make life a lot easier. Takes some muscle and a couple of sets of hands to get it back in and aligned without damaging the seal.

Take note of the mounting bolt lengths. The 3 rear bolts are slightly longer than the front two and must go back that way, else you can damage your transfer box. From memory the top bolt at the rear is slightly longer than the lower 2 as this also holds on a bracket.

Another tip, it is easier if you remove the mount at the transfer box (4 short bolts) as it will then slide back easier.


Another tip, remove the hand brake drum and hand brake itself off the transfer and tie it up out of the way, easier than removing the hand brake cable.




Erich

Thanks for the advice guys. Roughly how long do you think the job will take as long as most things go to plan?

This might sound obvious, but don't forget to re-fill it with oil before going for a test drive! Put a note on the dash to remind you in case you forget.

Expensive mistake to make, not to mention having to do it all again.