Transfer Case Question

[USMC_TOP]

Ok, so I took my 06 H3 out wheeling this weekend! I know it's about damn time......lol Anyway, I went to Siler Lake sand dunes in Michigan. Hummer took the dunes like it owned them. I even found out that I can ford through water until it's rolling up to my wipers and it never missed a beat. I found that 1 gear Hi range works best for climbing steep sand dunes with our little peanut engines. While I was learning my 3's sweet spots I noticed once when I put it in low range and locked the locker at about 3/4 the way up the steepest hill at the dunes something didn't feel right. I hit the gas a little and had no tire spin at the rear wheels with a small clunk going on in the t case. Front tires spun. I let off the gas and put it back in hi and all four wheels ripped just fine. No clunking nice and smooth. Do you think I'm having the plastic shift fork issue? Or is it the case toast?

 

[Pappibri]

Thats not good. Be interested to find out what it is for future knowledge. I just had my plastic shift fork replaced. On a side note, I usually get up by Silver Lake once or twice a year. We go camping up that way and go wheelin out in the dunes..... As long as we air down good our rigs do the sand just fine....

 

[alrock]

Not exactly related, but did you engage your locker while you were in motion, driving up the dunes? If so, that's a good way to weary it out quickly. The locker should be engaged from a stop before you approach whatever you are tackling.

Maybe add some more detail to this - did you start that climb in 4low or did you engage during the climb? Were the 4wd control lights on solid when you change from high to low or were they flashing?

 

[USMC_TOP]

I was stopped, almost at the crest of the hill. Solid engagement via the lights. Prior to that I did run up test hill ( that's what they call this hill) in low range without incident. I'm wondering if there is some type of clutch in our case. I think I'll look up an exploded view of it. Maybe the heavy load and the angle had something to do with it? I put it in low in my driveway after I got home and it seems fine. Seems very strange. To Pappibri, that was my first trip to SL in 20 years! I use to go all the time when I had my big block 1 ton when I was a young lad...... we stayed @ the State Park, north side. Had a great time! It was a beautiful weekend.

 

[SuperBuickGuy]

you broke a gear - don't drive it until it's fixed... I'm too lazy to dig up the schematic, but I can show you the gear you broke. Why you don't drive it more, there's metal flowing around inside your transfer case, the gear costs ~180 and another ~200 to have it installed. However, if you blow the case, it's 1200-2500 plus 200 to have it installed.


it's not a shift-lever issue. And while you have it apart, put the $20 metal shift-lever in.

and you can shift to 4Lo while moving - BUT, you have to be less than 5 mph and under no load (meaning, no shifting on pavement either).

 

[USMC_TOP]

Damn I shouldn't of let my brother use my Jetta!

 

[USMC_TOP]

Ok before I dive into this t case, if a gear was broke how is my rig able to turn all 4 wheels in low on a gravel road chained to a black walnut tree? No clunking just tire spin? I feel like when this happened it was not fully engaged but I am wrong all the time. I think I will call around and see if someone that knows what they are doing split the case and see what's going on in there. And the steel shift rod or fork sounds like a good idea anyway. Either way I'll keep you all posted with what I find. Thank you for the help.

 

[SuperBuickGuy]

Ok before I dive into this t case, if a gear was broke how is my rig able to turn all 4 wheels in low on a gravel road chained to a black walnut tree? No clunking just tire spin? I feel like when this happened it was not fully engaged but I am wrong all the time. I think I will call around and see if someone that knows what they are doing split the case and see what's going on in there. And the steel shift rod or fork sounds like a good idea anyway. Either way I'll keep you all posted with what I find. Thank you for the help.

I'm going with "the front was turning and the rear wasn't climbing a hill" There's a shaft that connects to the low-gearing inside the transfer case - I presume you sheared it in half because that's about the only way the front and the rear are uncoupled when in 4 lo. In 4 hi, that's a totally different story because you either go through the planetary or the planetary is locked; but it doesn't use the shaft to switch you to 4 lo.

if they all spin when chained to a black walnut tree, then I have no idea how you managed to get only the front spinning on the sand dune....

 

[USMC_TOP]

That's what I can't figure out either. I think I'm better off having gone through though

 

[SuperBuickGuy]

post pictures... maybe it's not a straight fracture?

 

[atvspeed4]

I thought I posted a video up here when I had the same thing happen. Ended up just being the shifter fork. I had 4low but the center diff would not lock. The video was of me trying to climb some slick ledge and just the rear tires spun.

 

[USMC_TOP]

Ahh now that makes sense did you have the plastic fork?