Gear box & transfer advice !! Please help

[haydenkay97]

Hi guys!
I have a 1992 dx 1hz, I bought it a few months ago, 3rd & 4th always grinds to go in, I always had to rev match it, & to put it in 4x4 mode was tough.
Yesterday I broke down on the highway, it was grinding and felt horrible so I pulled over and turned the car off & started it a few minutes later to take off from the emergency lane, & to find out that in every gear including reverse it grinds & sounds horrible ! And won’t move a inch.

I’ve been told that this could be my clutch or my gear box and transfer by different people, but my clutch felt fine, it engaged low and still holds pressure.
I bought a second hand gear box that came out of a wrecking car that runs and shifts smooth. Just wondering how would I find out if my transfer buggered too? I looked under the car and see that it was dribbling a little bit off oil where the tail shaft connects.

and would the gear box be hard to change at home? I’m located at central coast NSW, is there any cheap mechanic shops that’ll change this that won’t cost a arm and a leg? Or would anyone like a cashy haha..

Cheers!!

 

[frank rabbets]

You can find out if it is the main box or transfer box by draining the oils and looking for metal fragments. Failure like you describe would defo leave fragments. I think more transfer boxes have failed than main gearboxes. The best way to remove the transfer box is to just unbolt it. A trolley jack is best as it's quite heavy. The transfer is best off the main box if you need to remove the main box as the complete assy is awkward and heavy. The main box needs twisting to clear it from the bulkhead so the stud holding the starter needs to be unscrewed/removed first. Stiffness in 2nd and 3rd is not a portent of doom. Great care is needed to make sure the box doesn't get out of control and fall on you.

 

[Lorin]

I’d be very surprised if it was the gearbox. More likely to be the transfer. The transfer input shaft failed on me and gives the symptoms you describe. See here What broke in my transfer... - [Leaving Land Cruiser Club]

 

[haydenkay97]

Cheers guys I’ve got a replacement gear box and transfer from the wreckers, do you guys think it could just be the transfer case? Car is currently broken down at my partners dads house, just want to bring it home

 

[Chris]

As Lorin said over a weeka go Unlikey to be the ger box. The T box is so easy to remove, I can do it in 45 mins. I'd whip that off and give it a turn or two and see how it feels. You'll know! If you are going to change the gearbox afterwards you've not wasted any time because it's much better to take the T box off anyway to change the gear box. You have to remove the props and so on anyway.

That's what I'd do and I've swapped more T boxes than I care to remember! There's only 7 bolts and a couple of linkages and plugs

 

[haydenkay97]

update **
took off the old transfer, you guys were right it was fkd, I put in the new transfer that I got second hand on gumtree. The bloke swears it’s of a dx part time but I found out once it’s in that my rear tail shaft was to long & there was more electrical plugs etc on the new transfer.

am I able to still drive it with the front hubs always locked until I find a rear tail shaft to fit or could that break something else? I don’t mind having a full time 4wd. Cheers guys !

 

[Lorin]

Absolutely fine to drive with the front hubs locked whilst no rear prop. You will need to lock the centre diff

 

[Chris]

Ahh yes the viscous coupling version has a longer rear housing on it and needs a shorter prop. I swapped mine out too.

 

[haydenkay97]

Absolutely fine to drive with the front hubs locked whilst no rear prop. You will need to lock the centre diff

mine hasn’t got the centre diff lock button in the dash, would this be an issue? Or it’ll still be fine to drive with the fronts hubs locked. I’m going be looking into getting a shorter tail shaft tomorrow

 

[haydenkay97]

Ahh yes the viscous coupling version has a longer rear housing on it and needs a shorter prop. I swapped mine out too.

did you just get a shorter tail shaft and it was all good?? The bloke I bought the transfer from swears it’s a part time from a dx model but the Coupling as you said sticks out more coursing the tail shaft to be to long.

 

[Dave2000]

Just put the shorter propshaft in, don't worry about the VC coupling. Whilst it has it's plus points they are 'little' plus points.

regards

Dave

 

[haydenkay97]

Just put the shorter propshaft in, don't worry about the VC coupling. Whilst it has it's plus points they are 'little' plus points.

regards

Dave

Cheers mate I’ll be getting one tomorrow from the local wreckers. They seem to only have petrol auto 80 series left, would that still fit?

 

[Dave2000]

The auto box is a different length to your manual, so would go with no if forced into a corner.

I am not sure who the 'go to' is here on LCC for second hand parts, but it used to be @karl webster As I have not been na active menber for sometime now, but best to check.

regards

Dave

 

[Chris]

I disagree about the low benefits of the CVC. I have had both and could certainly feela difference in the way they drove. In snow there was a remarkable difference too.

Sure you can just lock the centre but you don't always have the luxury of time. I found that hitting water on the motorway for example was pretty scary with no CVC. But hey each to their own of course.
Yes the shorter shaft just went straight in. I've no idea what vehicle my T box came off but I have a spare which I KNOW came from a petrol auto and that fitted with the same shorter prop as the unknown T box. Both with VC's yes. As Dave said, Karl is the go to here and it's where I got my prop from. It's worth looking behind the blanking pugs because most if us didn't have the dash switch either. But the loom and plug are there.

 

[haydenkay97]

Update *

I bought a shorter shaft from the local wreckers turned out it was way to short & it didn’t line up the transfer case bolts.
thinking about sending my old shaft to the shop to get cut & balanced as it’s about 2 inches to long or so, the measurements from the transfer case flange to the rear diff flange is about 1.25M

also been told that the transfer could be a part time with a longer viscous hub or something?? Not sure, how could I tell the difference with a part time and full time, the old transfer case didn’t have that viscous hub thingy so long - dx 1992 1hz

 

[frank rabbets]

I don't think with the car at rest the splines are exactly 50% overlapped i.e. in the mid way position. I think the shaft is say 85% "compressed" at rest. I would measure the ratio on the front shaft to get an impression or perhaps there are witness marks on your old rear shaft. This would get you to the right new length. That's what I used back in the day when I had to make a new prop. Worth checking my drift though?

 

[Iwan]

You also have the option to take the longer casing that has the vc in it off, then fit your original shorter non vc housing then the original shaft..

 

[Chris]

It's easy to tell if you have a VSC. Grab one flange, turn the other. You'll know.

 

[haydenkay97]

You also have the option to take the longer casing that has the vc in it off, then fit your original shorter non vc housing then the original shaft..

Cheers, I’ll give this ago since I’m struggling to find the right shaft to fit it

 

[frank rabbets]

Be careful of the dowels when swapping around casings. I ended up with some left over! And another time things would not go back together because there were too many in place!