Transfer case exploded

[deserteagle56]

The CV joint (centering ball) on the front driveline began chirping with only 46,000 miles on my 2006 TJ Rubicon (4" lift). Had it rebuilt with the greaseable unit. Yes, greasing it is a major pain and takes a long time due to all the disassembly/assembly required but to me its worth it. Do it once a year when I do all the maintenance.

Wish there was a good stout free-spin kit (hubs) I could install on this thing without having to go to Dana 60 axles. Probably never have to mess with the front driveline again after that.

 

[Irun]

how many miles on the centering yoke?

I'm just trying to get a feeling for how long they typically last in case I pay somebody to put one in mine. As previously mentioned, I've replaced 2 that were beyond 100k that were definitely stale but not making noise and not about to lock up.

I've seen them go 200k. Personally, I'd never recommend waiting that long.

 

[freedom_in_4low]

I've seen them go 200k. Personally, I'd never recommend waiting that long.

I wouldn't either.

I'd happily replace a non-greasable one every 50-100k though, rather than the effort I have to go through to grease the front one on mine, multiple times per year.

 

[Moglocker]

that's really my problem. I don't mind the rear as much, but for the front it's either support the transmission and drop my 80lb skid plate, or set up a fiddly magnetic work light and get the needle into the zerk looking between the frame and tub, where I can either see whether grease is spilling out of the needle that isn't lined up well enough, or coming out of the ball, but not both. Pulling the shaft is an equal PITA because my skid is aftermarket and doesn't have the handy little window to stick a wrench through to loosen the bolts, and because they have a 7/16" head instead of the original 5/16", which is too big for a ratcheting wrench to fit around so it's a combo wrench 1/4 turn at a time. Then reinstalling the shaft sucks because I have a HP axle and the shaft needs to compress when the axle droops, so I had the shaft built just a hair short, which means the boot is stretched a bit from it's natural position and I have to pull tension on it to get bolts started.

The amount of work involved means I end up greasing when I'm about to leave on a road trip and realize I don't remember the last time I did it, and i do a half ass job at it and end up spinning grease all over the bottom of the tub once I drive because I'm shooting blind without dropping the skid.

You just described my last attempt!

 

[06TJ35's]

I think my centering yoke failed

 

[CharlesHS]

That last picture says it all….
Time for me to buy a front TW driveshaft.

 

[deserteagle56]

Wow! And you didn't hear any unusual noises before it failed? Mine gave me plenty of warning!

 

[JKP]

I've seen them go 200k. Personally, I'd never recommend waiting that long.

My OEM one went 250K on a stock Rubicon.

 

[06TJ35's]

Wow! And you didn't hear any unusual noises before it failed? Mine gave me plenty of warning!

On my way home after work I did hear minor squealing noises when coming to a stop. I packed up headed to the hammers. I took off with my radio on blast. 40 min into the trip I started feeling vibrations then boom!

 

[06TJ35's]

The explosion of my tcase ruined my brand new savvy cable shifter. Still don’t know about the sye.

 

[Marklar1983]

There's a good chance that happened from the front driveshaft's CV seizing which is getting more and more common as our TJs age. Especially if you ever heard an 'angry sparrows' sound from the front while driving. We never used to see this problem but it's getting common now.

I just started hearing this noise after installing my Savvy UAM. Time to pull the front and order a Woody! Thanks for the warning!

 

[Marklar1983]

Preventive-wise only rebuilding the CV comes to mind other than replacing the front driveshaft entirely. Also call @Shawn at Tom Wood's at www.4xshaft.com as their prices for the entire shaft are often not much more than it'd cost to have it rebuilt at a driveshaft shop. They're fast too. I'd only specify that it was made with Spicer sealed u-joints if you decide to go that way.

That’s my plan, but doesn’t the Rubi use 1330 front joints?

 

[Jerry Bransford]

Do all 231 transfer cases fit into an automatic and Manual transmission?

The 231 has different length input shafts depending on the transmission type. Like the 32RH automatic requires a longer input shaft from the 231 than the AX-15 does.

 

[Jerry Bransford]

That’s my plan, but doesn’t the Rubi use 1330 front joints?

You're right, and the Rubi uses different u-joint sizes depending if it's an 03-04 or an O5-06. I'll go back up and edit that earlier post.

 

[06TJ35's]

I just started hearing this noise after installing my Savvy UAM. Time to pull the front and order a Woody! Thanks for the warning!

My noise also started after savvy UAM.
It probably was there to begin with but after raising the transmission the joint just gave out.

I’m going to take off the tcase next week will update photos of the damage.