Thread: Transfer case backlash problem

Hi utemad, from what i know its not a problem to be to worried about, its common from what i have heard and wont cause you to much trouble. Having said this i could be horribly wrong and your car could explode at any minute. Matt

How many k's on it ? All lt230's have at least a little backlash and is almost impossible to remove, they will go forever unless the lube runs out. If its a really loud slap then it may pay to have it looked at. Check all the shafts and splines, rear ball joint etc in case its not in the t/case.

My first guess (assuming youre results were with the CDL on or by applying the park brake and turning the front shaft by hand with the front wheels up if you dont have a cdl) is the center bearing on the tcase idler, These are sort of a designed weak spot in most 4x4s as they are easy to change and repair.

IF the noise is the same in low and high range with a gear or park selected that you have wear on the input splines, not a big drama but keep an eye on it and see about getting a magnetic plug fitted to the tcase filler/drain to track the spall coming off. (always a good ideas anyway)

If the noise changes between high/low range you probabley have a worn bearing/thrust washer on the idler gear in the tcase.. Depending on how your mechanical skills are its a DIY for both of these.

IF the noise persists with the tcase in nuetral the problem is in the center diff itself and I would be worried. Again depending on your capabilities a DIY but harder than the the idler bearings.

[quote=Utemad]Hi all,

I am chasing a problem I have with my 94 Disco. When I start and stop the car (moving) I hear a knocking/rocking noise. I have managed to replicate it by laying under the car with the handbrake off and in first gear. If I rock the car back and forth the driveshafts move and the knock is when the transfer case starts to move. I can see the transfer case movement by looking at the input gear starting to move. There appears to be no backlash between the input gear and R380 mainshaft and there is lots of oil on the gear so it appears to be lubricated even though I can't get the gear out to see if it is cross drilled.

Does anyone know what would be worn inside the transfer case to cause this backlash and is it a DIY job or send to a Landrover mechanic?

Your vintage could have the lack of lubrication issue as the crossdrilled fix happened around then and any minor play at that point will tranfer to drivetrain backlash at the rear wheel.
You need to confirm if the mod is in place.
If not, I believe they all eventually do it.

I had a similar problem and mine was the mainshaft in the gearbox wearing where the output gear goes to the t/c. I ended up getting a 2nd hand ser 2 disco box as it was cheaper than rebuilding the stocker.

Thanks for the help guys.

Loanrangie, the car has 157000 kms on it. I have checked the A frame ball joint and it isn't it. I also attempted to tighten the two radius arm chassis bolts and the two trailing arm chassis bolts. One of the TACBs needed about a 1/4 of a turn while the other 3 bolts were tight.

Blknight.aus, I went and rechecked it all with the CDL on. The noise changes between low and high range in that it is far more pronounced in low range. With the transfer case in neutral the noise disappears. So would this be the centre bearing on the transfer case idler that you mentioned? (is this the same as the bearing/thrust washer you also mentioned?) Do you need to remove the transfer case to do this? I am good with mechanicals but I am unfamiliar with Landrover stuff.

Harro, I haven't been able to get the input gear out however having rocked the car with the cover off I can see that there is plenty of oil getting around in there and there is no apparent backlash between the outer input gear and inner mainshaft.
One question I have about the input gear area is that I have removed the cover which is obvious but inside that cover is an internal round plate which also has to come out befpore you can even see the gear. This internal round plate is never mentioned by anyone so I was wondering if this is the oil feed plate I have heard about? It isn't in the exploded view on the RAVE CD.

Thanks.

Originally Posted by Utemad

This internal round plate is never mentioned by anyone so I was wondering if this is the oil feed plate I have heard about? It isn't in the exploded view on the RAVE CD.

I just had another look and it does appear to be in the exploded view but only under the LT230T description and not the LT230Q. What is the difference between these boxes?

Does this plate have a U shaped 1/2 tube welded to the gear side? If so, that is the Oil Feed Plate. If not, dunno.