Transfer box

[Oli.g]

Hi everyone my transfer box/case started clunking a while back, sounded awful under acceleration, would make a fast clunk clunk clunk when ever I accelerated, only way I can really describe it is like a ratchet clicking/spinning haha. Removed front prop an noise went, bought a daily car and my collie is sat doing nothing now A rebuild is going to be £1000 plus with labour and parts, which isn’t far off the price of another Colorado.

should I cut my losses and export/ sell it for what I can get offered? Or keep waiting out in the hope for a second hand one cheap? Thanks for any help

 

[Shayne]

I believe its caused by the chain inside stretching , you can buy a new chain but its expensive and there's a youtube vid on here somewhere of a guy shortening the chain a couple of links at home , something i did with pushbike chains when i was as young as 6 so don't write the truck off without at least taking a look inside .

Its a strange issue because its a known one that affects so few trucks it can't be called a common issue . I think you would have to be very unlucky to buy a junk second hand box with the same issue .

http://www.euro4x4parts.com/parts/tch1056-2199_transfer_chain_36293-35031.html

 

[Shayne]

Excessive play in transfer box KZJ90

Hoping for a quick answer from Bob Murphy :pray: would a transfer box chain from an auto be the same length as my manual ? And am i right to assume an auto is very unlikely to ruin a chain . I have found a get it or its gone deal with bugger all description other than spares or repair .

www.landcruiserclub.net

 

[diggerdave]

I would try a second-hand one. They aren't too expensive and are straightforward to fit. Agree with S.

I'm sure you've checked, but could it be a problem with the front prop UJs?

 

[Shayne]

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/TOYOTA-LAND-CRUISER-COLORADO-2001-D4D-AUTOMATIC-TRAN

 

[Oli.g]

Thanks for the replies everyone, I’ve read though that thread Shane, I’ll check my front diff pinion and see how much play there is. Mines not a bang/ thud. It’s more of a snap/twang noise, like when a mud tyre catches your arch liner but a metallic version. It’s quite hard to describe but it’s continuous, when I let the clutch out and accelerate it’s like a click click click click but if I come right off the power and really slowly put it on it’s not too bad, once it’s picked up speed and driving in higher gears it didn’t do it, it’s like when accelerating and the front raises higher it starts doing it

my UJ has slight bit of play in I have a replacement here just needs fitting

will a transfer case out of a manual d4d fit in my manual 3.0td?

thanks everyone

 

[Shayne]

I wouldn't like to say for definite but i have a a d4d and a 1kz 90 parked outside and i can't see any difference , i'm inclined to think the 1kd (which became known as the d4d) shares the same bottom end engine as its predecessor so while gearbox internals might be different it seems probable the housing remains the same , the transfer box is just an add on part .

Seems unlikely anyone will be able to say for sure unless they have done the swap but if it were me i'd gamble while looking at what vehicles that serpentine chain i posted earlier fits that if you do buy it and worst case scenario proves true then at least you will have all the internal parts to make one good box that fits .

 

[Oli.g]

Thank you so much for the help Shayne, really appreciate it, I’m going to strip the cv joints off and check the noise isn’t coming from them, worth a try before spending out haha.
My front prop shaft that I removed has a seized UJ which I’m sure was free and moving when I took it off. Where it spits apart there’s no grease other than some old green dried out stuff so that could do with sorting,

hopefully she’ll be back on the road this year!

 

[Shayne]

UJ should never be dry (of grease) enough to seize up even when the prop is removed and dumped in the garden for a while so i would fix that first and refit the prop just to rule out the simplest and cheapest noise producing possibility however improbable it might seem .

Have you tried changing the transfer box oil , i recall someone having trouble with the centre diff doing that and astonishingly discovering the box was full of muddy rusty fluid and it came good again with nothing more than some use and a few more oil changes to wash out the crap .

 

[Oli.g]

I’ll get the new UJ’s fitted and give it a try! No harm in trying as I have them in the cupboard ready haha

I’ve tried replacing the oil but unfortunately it still made the noise

I’ve removed the front prop which has completely stopped the noise.. would this rule out a damaged front cv axle/s as there still turning/free wheeling?

 

[Shayne]

I would like to say yes but i'm reminded that i actually changed the front diff as well because transfer box noise is incredibly difficult to locate , or mine was anyway .

I was actually enjoying the process of elimination at the time seeing it as a learning curve and making things good as i went but somewhere along the line priorities shifted as they often do so while i'm certain my transfer box needs opening i never actually fixed the problem .

However the truck remains in daily use and we both subconsciously learned to drive it without making the noise so its never been a priority since . Theres something telling in that though the problem is still there but i think maybe i delay on the clutch taking more time to change gear and sort of match throttle with current speed before accelerating , its subconscious fractions of a second "feel" so hard to describe .

In my mind i'm taking up the slack in the chain just as i did as a kid on a pushbike .

 

[Oli.g]

Thanks again Shayne, I agree I think checking everything is worth while, I’m going to be replacing anything needed once I’ve found the clicking issue, new suspension and bushes all round and she should be all good for the next mot!

can I just ask, is yours making just one clunk when the clutch comes out? Or does it clunk clunk clunk straight after each other like a ratchet sound? As mine started with a snap/clunk when ever changing gear but developed into a continuous snap snap snap snap like I’m spinning a ratchet haha Then if I let the power off noise goes

tried driving it in mud on waste land in low range first gear and done the same noise

I’ve tried getting videos but my straight through side exit (getting a box put in hah) over powers the noise

 

[Shayne]

I think i described mine like kingkong smacking the chassis with a rubber mallet , sort of a muted thud , a slack chain pulling tight but only once . Could what your hearing be a slipping chain maybe , or if its stretch enough it could be tapping the casing ?

my internet keeps freezing so i have no patience for youtube but theres loads of transfer case chain vids on there (doesn't matter what vehicle a chain is a chain) and maybe you will recognize the sound in one ?

 

[Shayne]

If the truck is laid up not going any place then why not just remove the box and have a look inside before you buy anything , can't break something that doesn't work and a look inside might reveal a very obvious problem and all parts are replaceable .

 

[Oli.g]

Thanks again for the reply, really appreciate all your info!

sounds very similar to this :

I’m not sure how to remove the transfer case hahah do you think it’s do able for someone with basic skills? I can change alternators and belts, breaks etc but never done anything this big hahah

 

[Shayne]

Reading the comments on youtube a slipping stretched chain is mentioned a few times and the box only fits on one way so its just bolts , once it off if things get complicated you can chuck it in the boot of another car and take it to a mechanic .

Watch out for that little ball bearing i'm sure its mentioned or pictured in in my clunk thread linked earlier .

 

[diggerdave]

I've not taken the box off myself but I seem to remember that there is one or more bolts attaching it to the g/box that are a pig to get too (sandwiched between the box and the floor pan). Simple enough for a workshop where they've got a lift and proper extensions etc, but maybe a bit trickier on your drive.

Other than that the thing is quite heavy. I can lift and shift OK, but care would be needed when dropping it down. There's a YouTube video somewhere of a chap in the states who unbolts a t/box on some monstrous pickup and lets it drop onto his 'power belly' before then rolling onto his side and rolling the box off his gut onto a conveniently placed trolley.

I once opened up one of these t/boxes. I took it apart but then couldn't get it together again. Just be warned it's not totally simple inside (massive understatement), but then I am a ham-fisted dabbler with no skills or training. I can't remember though if it's possible to replace the chain with minimal stripping of the internals - it might be.

 

[TonyP]

I know @BobMurphy used to rebuild these, so might be worthwhile contacting him:

Transfer Boxes (90-Series, Manual Gearbox):

As some of you may know, I rebuild 90-Series Transfer Boxes for forum members - I think I've done eight or nine to date. They can take a while to complete, particularly if I'm trying to keep the cost down by going to Amayama for parts as they can take a month to arrive. I have acquired a...

landcruiserclub.net

 

[Oli.g]

Dropped the trader box oil today and there was no metal filings on the plug or in the oil that I could see, it came out brown so it wasn’t too healthy haha.

the pinion that the front prop bolts too on the transfer case feels like it has play? It feels as though I can move the actual shaft/pinion around 1mm maybe side to side? I’ve got another car parked directly behind it on the drive way so couldn’t jack theback end up right now,
To check for play in the chain and I right in thinking I need to jack a/the rear wheels up and turn the front pinion?

also is it possible to remove the cover that the chain and gears sit behind while the transfer case is fitted on the car? It looks as though there’s around 10 bolts to remove and the cover should come off?

thank you

 

[Shayne]

This link suggests it can be done without removing the box [Reportage] Différentiel central KDJ90 - [Leaving Land Cruiser Club] but would you want to when removing it is likely the easy bit ?

That link comes from my own thread about the transfer box and Bob Murphy was kind enough offer me loads of guidance on there meaning the thread as a whole is probably the the best dummies guide to 90 series transfer box on the internet because i'm not a mechanic i was just dum enough to buy spanners