Spudz
01-20-2002, 01:09 PM
This is a long post, but I wanted to be as detailed as I thought was necessary to avoid 10 posts asking the basic details. tongue.gif
I recently picked up an 83 Eagle, and while it definately isn't an FSJ and much less a "FS-anything", the transfer case is an NP129 which is mostly the same as a NP229 and so both will have the same answer. I'm also surprised I couldn't find anything on this topic anywhere in the archives or anywhere else on the net for that matter...
As I was doing the full round of service to the drivetrain, I drained the case and found out the PO (why are most of them so dumb?) had filled the case with what looks like 30 weight oil. Now, I have a mostly drained case with oil residue all over its guts, and I'm wondering what I can do to make the case happier without dropping it.
I do realise that the proper way to recover from this error is to remove and open up the case to clean and inspect the components for improper wear/breakage, then reassemble using ATF. I'm looking for a shortcut to make this case work somewhat reliably just a bit longer until I can get the case I want to swap. I was planning on a replacement anyway, so I don't want to drop this one off the rig unless it's not going back in.
I've never heard of anyone doing a case flush and I'm wondering if it would hurt it much more if I ran some solvents through it just enough to give it a rinse and then drain it and pump some warm air (like hair dryer blowing thru a plastic duct) in one hole while leaving the other open. Once dry, I'd refill it with the proper ATF and probably change it again after a thousand miles or so. Would this bring the case back close to proper or would I shred something inside running it (even for a few seconds) with solvents? Which solvents might be sort of a lube but still evaporate quickly? I don't want to use ATF to rinse it since that would be a couple fills and drains and it's not exactly as cheap or effective as paint thinner or kerosene.
I used the 4WD mode a few times on it before I knew it had oil in it, and it seemed to work, although once under some extra load (up a very small hill) when the tranny shifted from first to second it lost forward power and made some grinding noises, and I let off right away, paused, and then continued after which it seemed normal. This occurred under full throttle, so the 1-to-2 shift was quite firm and torquey (it's a 258), and so it behaved at lower powers and I dared not push it into full power again.
I'm not sure if the grinding came from the axle disconnect (such as on some of the same era FSJs as well), or the case itself, and I had just engaged 4WD in a parking lot but may not have done enough forward and backward rolling to get the axle locked up, and the Eagles have no engagement confirmation light (I'm going to install one). I'm scared I might have chewed my VC, or at least made it a little upset. Is there anything else that would make a grinding sound in the case, keeping in mind it was running on oil?
I did open up the axle shift housing and there was nothing in there that looked bad: the spline tips on both halves of the shaft didn't look like they had been ground, the locking ring/donut didn't seem to be worn in a grinding fashion either, and the ring slides in and out of position with no resistance when the splines are lined up.
As always, any help is "appreciated muchly" in advance.
I recently picked up an 83 Eagle, and while it definately isn't an FSJ and much less a "FS-anything", the transfer case is an NP129 which is mostly the same as a NP229 and so both will have the same answer. I'm also surprised I couldn't find anything on this topic anywhere in the archives or anywhere else on the net for that matter...
As I was doing the full round of service to the drivetrain, I drained the case and found out the PO (why are most of them so dumb?) had filled the case with what looks like 30 weight oil. Now, I have a mostly drained case with oil residue all over its guts, and I'm wondering what I can do to make the case happier without dropping it.
I do realise that the proper way to recover from this error is to remove and open up the case to clean and inspect the components for improper wear/breakage, then reassemble using ATF. I'm looking for a shortcut to make this case work somewhat reliably just a bit longer until I can get the case I want to swap. I was planning on a replacement anyway, so I don't want to drop this one off the rig unless it's not going back in.
I've never heard of anyone doing a case flush and I'm wondering if it would hurt it much more if I ran some solvents through it just enough to give it a rinse and then drain it and pump some warm air (like hair dryer blowing thru a plastic duct) in one hole while leaving the other open. Once dry, I'd refill it with the proper ATF and probably change it again after a thousand miles or so. Would this bring the case back close to proper or would I shred something inside running it (even for a few seconds) with solvents? Which solvents might be sort of a lube but still evaporate quickly? I don't want to use ATF to rinse it since that would be a couple fills and drains and it's not exactly as cheap or effective as paint thinner or kerosene.
I used the 4WD mode a few times on it before I knew it had oil in it, and it seemed to work, although once under some extra load (up a very small hill) when the tranny shifted from first to second it lost forward power and made some grinding noises, and I let off right away, paused, and then continued after which it seemed normal. This occurred under full throttle, so the 1-to-2 shift was quite firm and torquey (it's a 258), and so it behaved at lower powers and I dared not push it into full power again.
I'm not sure if the grinding came from the axle disconnect (such as on some of the same era FSJs as well), or the case itself, and I had just engaged 4WD in a parking lot but may not have done enough forward and backward rolling to get the axle locked up, and the Eagles have no engagement confirmation light (I'm going to install one). I'm scared I might have chewed my VC, or at least made it a little upset. Is there anything else that would make a grinding sound in the case, keeping in mind it was running on oil?
I did open up the axle shift housing and there was nothing in there that looked bad: the spline tips on both halves of the shaft didn't look like they had been ground, the locking ring/donut didn't seem to be worn in a grinding fashion either, and the ring slides in and out of position with no resistance when the splines are lined up.
As always, any help is "appreciated muchly" in advance.