np229 transfercase(no rear wheel drive)

[Torque]

Hi,
It seems I own a front wheel drive truck.I'm running a '83 360/727/np229.In 2wd there is no go,the spedometer moves(truck doesnt)and a grinding noise as if gears touching lightly but not meshing.In 4wd it runs and only get that gear noise if starting from a stop quickly or on a steep hill.The noise goes away as soon as speed reaches 5-8mph.
So how tough is a rebuild?Any ideas on what went wrong?

TIA,
Eric

[scotty]

something about the way the 229 makes 2wd/4wd with its center diff makes this a common occurance when the magic silicone viscous coupling goes bad.i cant remember exactly why,but then the v/c goes bad,its not uncommon for the vehicle to have to be in 4wd in order to move. this is prolly whats happened to your xfer case.

if something had happened to your rear diff,or the rear output in the transfer case,you would prolly notice lots of slipping as you drove,as the viscuous coupling would be having to transfer the torque from the non-functioning rear to the front,and it would slip,like any limited slip diff will do.

you can verify by putting it in 2wd,and in gear. if your rear driveshaft is spining,youve prolly got broken spider gears in the rear axle. if the rear shaft does not spin,youve proly got a bad viscuous coupling,and its time for a new transfer case :(

[ December 07, 2003, 06:59 AM: Message edited by: scotty ]

[Torque]

Thanks Scotty,
Going to crawl underneath and confirm(pretty sure its T/C).
I'm leaning to pulling out is,rebuilding mostly labour(save lots of money)or is the major cost parts?
Anyone rebuilt one of these?
Any aftermarket parts that would improve/ stengthen the T/C?
Should I look at using a differnt T/C(the f/t 4wd is a big plus for me)

thanks,
Eric

[scotty]

a new viscous coupling will run you round $350,last i heard. not sure if they are currently still available or not

first place id try is www.4xheaven.com (http://www.4xheaven.com) they have lots of transfer case parts in stock

the pads on the shift forks are prone to wear,and will prolly need replaced as well. a complete rebuild would also include a new chain,new seals,and any bearings or hard parts that are questionable

the 229 is alitle harder to rebuild than other cases,as there are about 6 million little sticks(needle bearings) around part of the output shaft. best advice i give is to disassemble it straight up,with the rear yoke pointing upwards.

it is feasible to replace the vicuous couplig and chain without distrubing the needle bearings,but youre gonna have to if you want to tear it allthe way down. its not so bad to reassemble them,just use vaseline to keep them in place while you assemble them.

there are no aftermarket mods or upgrades that i know of for the 229 :( one thing that you can do, is remove the interlock pill that prohibits you from using low range in 2wd. i have never done it.but have heard that it is possible. if i were going to tear a 229 that far down,id certainly try it smile.gif a 2wd low range van be handy

another full time case is the 219,but youll lose the 2wd-the 219 has a full time 4x,a locked 4x,and a locked low range

you could also repalce the 229 with a 228,wich is essentially the same thing,but with an open center diff,instead of the magic viscuous coupling. the advantage is that the simple open diff may be less likely to break,but at the expense of having an open diff between the axles. this is going to make it alot more likely for power to spin thru to one axle,if a tire or tires on one axle haev less traction. with open diffs in both axles,its pretty likely to end with only 1 wheel spinning,as power flows thru the open center diff,then thru the open axle diff

a much sronger and more reliable replacement is the 208,but it has a conventional locked hwd high range

no other full time replacements currently come to mind,that would be a bolt on swap to your 727

further questions? smile.gif

[ December 07, 2003, 03:17 PM: Message edited by: scotty ]

[Torque]

Hi Scotty,
Thanks a bunch...
Put the truck on stands and rear driveshaft turning along with rear wheels,no noise.Apply brakes and rear drive shaft still turning,rear wheels stopped and grinding nose.Stops when brake released.The prob appears to be in the rear diff, this sounds cheaper:).I'll start a new topic cause I got questions about the diff.

Once again thanks,
Eric
ps I'm going to keep an eye out for a 219 for a future upgrade

[Buggzz]

I was about to say, if the speedo is registering a speed, then the rear output shaft is turning.