T case failures

[06 H3]

I thought these cases were stout. Maybe they are. I personally never had an issue with mine. My old 2.64 non adv case had play with the front output flange for the front driveshaft. The play wasnt a t case issue but a driveshaft vibration issue. That will cause play on any t case and even crack the case. Its happened a decent amount to JK t cases.

Then I swapped out my case for a 4:1. I have been problemless with my t cases for the most part. I always hear popping clunking squeaky but that can be anything. lol Squeaky didnt get her name for nothing. Its a noisy rig.

Post up your failures, the reason why or why you think. Just curious to get a head count.

I really need to do a video of how to test out a t case to see if its working. Bebe and speedy showed me a good method. Maybe I will do it tomorrow if weather permits.

 

[Kyle]

i can bring over the go pros if you wanna use those for filming!

 

[alrock]

Rock vs. transfer case. Rock won.

 

[3Hummers]

Stretched chain. Not catastrophic on mine but it was on Matt's.

 

[RamRod]

Problem
Rancho front shocks

Cause
only 2.3'' of travel or the bump-stop braket

 

[4speedfunk]

I only have issues in 4HI-Street. Sometimes at take-off (under 15mph) and sometimes as I come to a stop (under 15mph)...I will get an extremely harsh BANG, CRUNCH, POP, WHATEVER. It does it in forward and reverse and its very intermittent. However it is getting worse and more frequent. In the last couple days its has started to do it so often that I have parked it. I just changed the fluid and it looked awful at only 42,000 miles. Its a 2008 4:1 AP with an AT...42,000 miles on the odo.

No exaggeration...it feels like somebody chucks a 1/2" bolt into the gears, and the jolt gets transmitted thru the entire drivetrain. The first time it happened I thought I had been rear-ended at a stop-light! That's how harsh it is. I would have sworn that it was a busted diff but, I drained both down and they look perfect inside. Also...everything works great in the other modes. So by process of elimination, its gotta be the t-case. I recall it acting up years ago, (similar thing but not as harsh) ...and that was with the Rancho lift and stock IFS. I cycled the modes and the problem went away. But that trick doesn't work any more.

So, I got the t-case rebuild manual (Thanks Schwarttzy!) and I'm studying it now. There is a diagnosis section, and it does list the symptoms I'm having...so at least I know where to look. Shouldn't be too tough of a job. I really don't want the downtime so I may buy a completely new unit and swap it out. That way I can rebuild it at my leisure, and use it for a spare. After owning an H3 for a few years...I have learned to keep a "spare everything" on the shelf!

 

[06 H3]

Lol agreed especially if it's a DD. Failures don't sound that common then or internal failures atleast. Hitting a rock against a t case can happen to anyone and to me doesn't sound like a t case failure. Kyles was popping and not sending power to the front in 4lo under load. His fluid was never changed according to him and previous records. That's 8year old fluid and 80k miles.

Stretched chain is a problem I see and probably the only non preventable problem.

Most others were early 06s with fluid starvation because the fill plug was too low.

These t cases don't seem to be a huge issue like the front diff

 

[poncho1965]

Mine an early 06. My fluid never changed but had low miles. Oiling problem, internals showed it had gotten very hot. I did dimple the Tcase housing when I hit a rock and pushed the wimpy OEM skid into it.


Mike

 

[Zach]

Chain stretched. Made a nice popping noise will driving. Lucky I noticed it on the way home from San Diego and not on the trail. Put a GM reman in and had the old one rebuilt. Still need to pick that up from Anthony.

 

[Steve #1]

It's been a few years so I don't remember exactly what the problem turned out to be but basically it was issues with the gears on the input end of the case. I would get a clicking sound when coming off power in 4LO. I've noticed the same issue in other H3s put I think the manual trans makes the sound more obvious when it happens. GM wanted to do a rebuild but it was during the shutdown in 2010 and BW was putting all parts in to complete cases. After waiting a month they decided to replace the complete case. No idea what caused it but you can hear the sound at the end of this video.

[video=youtube_share;IR4RO2X6D-0]http://youtu.be/IR4RO2X6D-0[/video]

 

[High Five H2]

I wonder how much horsepower these t cases can handle, if i ever do an engine swap. i won't ever go this far, but I wonder how it would do with a supercharged 418.

 

[4speedfunk]

After waiting a month they decided to replace the complete case.

Wise move. Like everything on the H3...replacement is far cheaper than rebuilding. It would cost much more in labor to do the rebuild, and from my experience...it would be half-assed. Not to mention, there would be huge time-delays. You will never be able to get individual parts in any sort of timely manner. Meanwhile...you can pick-up the phone and have a new pre-assembled unit sitting on the dock by 3pm that day! Modern manufacturing is based on "components" and "sub-assemblies", and these are mass-produced off-site. Somewhere in Mexico or Brazil there is a guy that sits there all day and builds these 24-7. He has all of the individual parts right there. He has built hundreds of them. You're not going to beat his price, and you're not going to beat his experience...and he does it all for 1/5 of what a Goodwrench-chimp costs. I've tried to explain this same scenario on other components (tie rods, front axles, etc.)...it simply doesn't make financial sense to rebuild anything on the H3. Take it off. Throw it in the dumpster. Bolt a new one in. That's the world we live in, and that's the vehicle we drive.

As far as the strength thing?...I think its a pretty strong piece. I'm not aware of that many t-case failures do to abuse or exceeding its power limits. Everything I have heard has more to do with ridiculously pre-mature wear and the goofy high-tech b.s. inside it suddenly going all wrong. Chain stretch and plastic forks breaking are not what I call "abuse" failures, and these seem to be the main shortcomings.

 

[cbetts]

I had the typical early-model H3 oil starvation issue twice on mine. Both times happened while climbing the long, steep grades in Bishop. The same trails have claimed several victims in H3s. On the second time, the dealership replaced the entire t-case with the newer model and I have not had an issue since.

 

[JakeLawzy]

I only have issues in 4HI-Street. Sometimes at take-off (under 15mph) and sometimes as I come to a stop (under 15mph)...I will get an extremely harsh BANG, CRUNCH, POP, WHATEVER. It does it in forward and reverse and its very intermittent. However it is getting worse and more frequent. In the last couple days its has started to do it so often that I have parked it. I just changed the fluid and it looked awful at only 42,000 miles. Its a 2008 4:1 AP with an AT...42,000 miles on the odo.

No exaggeration...it feels like somebody chucks a 1/2" bolt into the gears, and the jolt gets transmitted thru the entire drivetrain. The first time it happened I thought I had been rear-ended at a stop-light! That's how harsh it is. I would have sworn that it was a busted diff but, I drained both down and they look perfect inside. Also...everything works great in the other modes. So by process of elimination, its gotta be the t-case. I recall it acting up years ago, (similar thing but not as harsh) ...and that was with the Rancho lift and stock IFS. I cycled the modes and the problem went away. But that trick doesn't work any more.

So, I got the t-case rebuild manual (Thanks Schwarttzy!) and I'm studying it now. There is a diagnosis section, and it does list the symptoms I'm having...so at least I know where to look. Shouldn't be too tough of a job. I really don't want the downtime so I may buy a completely new unit and swap it out. That way I can rebuild it at my leisure, and use it for a spare. After owning an H3 for a few years...I have learned to keep a "spare everything" on the shelf!

Did you happen to figure out what it was i am having the exact same symptoms of you and i'm in Aus and i am going to have a hard time with parts so i need to be sure !

 

[4speedfunk]

Yes! I installed a new t-case....everything is perfect now. Not sure what the specific problem was...but I have loose parts rolling around inside the old one. I got the new t-case direct from GM ($1200 USD). Installation is cake. Eventually I'll pull the old one apart to see what failed.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[RamRod]

Problem
Rancho front shocks

Cause
only 2.3'' of travel or the bump-stop braket

This is so weird, why did tapatalk post that comment here lol... Mod you can delete it


Sent from handheld smoke signal device

 

[RamRod]

I have a two sounds I haven't been able to place yet and I am starting to think it could be the trans after reading all of the above comments.

Sound #1- after I drop the throttle to the floor and let the supercharger kick in to about 7 psi and I have gotten up to what ever speed I was planning on accelerating to (for fear of my drivetrain breaking this doesn't happen often) if I let off the throttle entirely rather then gradually I hear a god awful "Thud" that happens right when the T shifts into a higher gear.... Trans or TC?

Second sound- only happens when I am parked on the hill or in 4LO and moving the trans from drive to park, I get that clicking sound everyone else is describing , trans or TC?


I know my TC is having at least some issues as I do have the odd "can steer hard on a dry see face in 4hi after a trail day in 4lo" .....


Sent from handheld smoke signal device

 

[SuperBuickGuy]

put it in the air on jackstands, start the car, roll your window down*, put the car in drive, then crawl under the car and listen for noises. What you can barely hear inside is generally pretty loud outside.


*so when you close the door while the vehicle is in drive and the car auto-locks the door you can reach back inside to open the door - ask me how I know about (aboot) this

 

[amrg]

I have a two sounds I haven't been able to place yet and I am starting to think it could be the trans after reading all of the above comments.

Sound #1- after I drop the throttle to the floor and let the supercharger kick in to about 7 psi and I have gotten up to what ever speed I was planning on accelerating to (for fear of my drivetrain breaking this doesn't happen often) if I let off the throttle entirely rather then gradually I hear a god awful "Thud" that happens right when the T shifts into a higher gear.... Trans or TC?

Second sound- only happens when I am parked on the hill or in 4LO and moving the trans from drive to park, I get that clicking sound everyone else is describing , trans or TC?


I know my TC is having at least some issues as I do have the odd "can steer hard on a dry see face in 4hi after a trail day in 4lo" .....


Sent from handheld smoke signal device

Your first problem may seem to be the front differential moving in its place when it loads/unloads between the gear shifts.

 

[08H3]

Stretched chain. It was not catastrophic, but I would suspect it would be if you let it go. Rebuilt under warranty 50K ago and no problems since. On another note, I need 4speed to crack his open. Loose parts rolling around inside is just like a Christmas present waiting to be opened! I'm curious to see what it is because I know you've had that issue for a while.

 

[rascole]

The infamous plastic fork, in the middle of Anza Borrego. Didn't realize it until I hit pavement but repair was better/cheaper than I thought since the TC needed servicing anyways.

 

[Steve #1]

Sound #1- after I drop the throttle to the floor and let the supercharger kick in to about 7 psi and I have gotten up to what ever speed I was planning on accelerating to (for fear of my drivetrain breaking this doesn't happen often) if I let off the throttle entirely rather then gradually I hear a god awful "Thud" that happens right when the T shifts into a higher gear.... Trans or TC?

I had a similar issue that ended up being the front prop shaft. Is it more noticeable after the truck warms up?

 

[USMC_TOP]

To AMRG..........I had a NP208 that did that years ago in my 1 ton. Put a new one in and it went away. Never tried to figure out why because I got the new used case for $75.00. Sounds like your case to me.

 

[RamRod]

I had a similar issue that ended up being the front prop shaft. Is it more noticeable after the truck warms up?

I haven't noticed that as of yet, just will have to pay closer attention to the conditions around when it happens!
Thanks


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