Thread: Puma Transfer case clunking

Originally Posted by stig0000

i think it tells u how to do it in the owners book aswell???

It does. Hasn't helped so far. I'll try some of these other tricks.

Where are the likes of blknight or justinc when you need them?

This is all in "layman's terms", because I am exactly that . I've never pulled a transfer case apart.

The transfer case, forgetting the differential part, is a simple two speed gearbox with no syncromesh. If you're stationary, with clutch in (or main gearbox in neutral and forgetting possible rotation from oil friction) the whole transfer case, even if in neutral, will also be stationary. If you attempt to select a range the "input" gear and the "output" gear may not necessarily be in line. That is to say that the peaks of the teeth line up and won't allow the two gears to mesh. A worse scenario is if they are partly aligned, so they partially mesh together (this is when you think it's all good an start driving down the road to have it pop out with a loud bang).

If you are on a hill, you will be able rock or roll the vehicle slightly which will turn the "output" gear (as it is directly connected to the drive shafts which are connected to the diffs and the wheels), allowing it the opportunity to align with the input gear.

Conversely, you can select a gear in the main gearbox and let the clutch out very briefly which will spin the "input" gear, allowing it the opportunity to align with the "output" gear. In this case you don't want to spin up the "input" gear too much and immediately attempt to engage it because it could be doing several hundred RPM and the "output" gear will be stationary and there's no syncromesh to slow it to the same speed (ie zero RPM) as the "output" gear. This is when you crunch.

All of the methods described by others in these posts work, but you just need to ensure you have that "positive engaged" feel so that it stays in. In my experience this means you need to have at least a little bit of movement in or load on the drivetrain.