NP 229 leaking

[jeepgrrrrl]

Hey boys,

Maybe somebody can help a girl who's just in love with my her 90 GW?

The T-case is leaking and my repair dude says it's no good replacing it because they have a bad rep for leaking, and the replacement will probably leak too. What should I do? Is there any way to stop the leak so I don't have to face a $1200 rebuild? Or should I just keep filling it up? It's leaking about a tablespoon or so overnight.

I don't use the 4wd now, but am moving to Idaho in the fall and will expect to use it a lot this winter. Whatcha guys think? :confused:

[ibnfe]

if it's leaking from the output shaft seals like most of 'em do, that's an easy fix, cost of about $18.00 and an hour of work or so. The output shaft seals are easily removed with a seal puller or screw driver, and the new ones just get tapped in with the appropriate socket size or similar. Put a little rtv on the flanges before the install. if you have any friends that are half decent wrenchers, this is an easy fix. That is, of course, if you don't yourself! If it's leaking from the splitline, that's a bit more involved. However, I would keep addin' juice for a LOOOOOOOOOOONG time before I shelled out 1200 bones for someone to install another or rebuild it. no offense, but the repair dude that quoted this is mighty steep.

[tuckers89GW]

Heck, my 229 and pumkins are about the only thing that doesn't have some kind of leak or isn't seeping from somewhere.

[Lindel]

I think it's time to find a new repair dude. Gasket sets and pinion seals are still available, and so it the chain, and other necessary parts to rebuild. That's not to say it'd be easy, but all of the above are cheaper than a replacement (about $1500 for a good remanufactured IIRC).

[bignblue]

Us FSJers are poppin' up like mushrooms here in Alabama. Welcome, Jeepgrrrl...sorry we'll be losing you to Idaho. Come back when you get sick of potatoes!

[jeepgrrrrl]

Thanks, boys! I'll check into just what's leaking and see what I can do. Don't know that much about fixin them now, but would really like to learn.

The $1200 isn't a price my dude quoted, but some of what I saw reading all the posts here about replacing the NP 229. He never said how much a new one would be, but evidently they ain't cheap. When he recommended not replacing it, he may not have had a good idea about how much I would be using it. I've got the tech manuals, so I'll get to crawling around under there tonight.

I haven't had it in 4wd yet, so I may have a much bigger problem than just a leak. I'll keep you guys posted.

Thanks again!

[Bob Barry]

Well, go out there and put her in 4wd right now! smile.gif

No magic to it; just move that lever under the dash to the right of the steering-column (while stopped or moving at any speed, wet or dry). If your "4wd" light comes on, it means it's working. smile.gif smile.gif

As for leaks; mine's piddling in front of my house as we speak. I replaced the output shaft seal when we bought the truck, but it's leaking again. The seal is about $10, but I got a whole gasket kit for $22.

It's a real easy job; four nuts to unhook the driveshaft, one nut to remove the output yoke, seal puller to yank the old offending seal, a wood block to tap in the new one, some fine emery cloth to polish the output shaft where the seal will ride, and bolting everything back up again. I think it took me a half-hour my first time doing it.

Multiply the above by two if your front shaft is leaking as well (mine was).

But by all means, 4wd is not just for snow; I actually find it most useful for traction when the roads are wet from rain. With it in full-time 4wd, I can stomp on the gas when turning across traffic without worries of slipping a tire. One time when I did it in the wet and forgot I was still in 2wd, I almost spun it around (just like my irresponsible high-school days when I did that kind of thing on-purpose...).

[homebru420]

And before I'd go shelling out all kinds of dough for a new or reman. x-case, post in the "wanted" section of this site.

I too suffer from repeat leaks of output shaft seals following replacement and for awhile pondered replacing the case...there were several FSJ-ers on this site who had NP x-cases lying around for $150 or so and in good working order. Always check here first before shelling out for the big ticket items...chances are somebody's got one (or more!) of whatever it is you need.

My two cents.
Brian

[Bryan]

I just had the front output shaft seal replaced by a local tranny shop on my 1988 GW w/NP229, and the cost including labor and parts was only $45.00. Also, when I was poking around under the GW I tightened all the bolts on the T-case, some were pretty loose, now I have no leaks!!

[nograin]

Polish up the slip thingy (sorry its hot here - brain not functioning) before putting back in if its rusty. The rust spots will tear up the seal.

Like I should speak, my GW has marked my entire neighborhood. Bad Waggy ;) I just cleaned againg underneath to try and pinpoint where its coming from. I've done the trans pan, engine pan, and valve cover gaskets. Still have a little engine oil from the oil pump, but lots of tranny fluid drips when its sitting. Happy hunting, and watch your eyes when cleaning off the dirt under there - I hate glasses, but they are really important under there - hat too doesn't hurt.