94 F350 Transfer Case Problems

[JohnZ]

I have just pulled a U-Haul trailer from the SLC Utah area up and over the Rockies into the Denver Area. This is a business trip where I am replacing a lot of servers in our DR data center out here and I used my 94 F350 to haul a bunch of equipment out here...

Along the way out here on any of the extended hills, the floor over the transfer case would get extremely hot and what I believe was the transfer would start to growl in protest. I would pull over at the next pullout I could find and let everything cool down. I crawled under the truck and could not see anything apparently wrong, but it smelled like burning oil or tranny fluid. I checked the tranny fluid and it was right at the top of the full "Hot" mark and did not look burnt or discolored. However I have never checked the differentials or transfer case since buying the truck 7 or 8 years ago.

Anyway I did make it out here to the Littleton area staying at a hotel just off of Ken Karyl and E-470. However if I try driving the truck I can hear a low growling noise that sounds like it is coming from the transfer case. I took the entire trip with the truck in 2wd and the front hubs unlocked, and it is making this noise while in 2wd now. I do not know if I should drive the truck at all at this point. I will be out here for work through the end of next week and need to drive back to Utah in two weeks, so I will need to get whatever is going on fixed by then.

On a side note, every time I come to a stop now, the truck lugs down and the engine stalls out. Seems like the Torque Converter is locked up and not releasing unless I shift into "N" for 10-15 seconds before shifting back to "D".

Luckily about 1/4 mile from my hotel is "Excel Diesel and SUV". Is there anyone from this area who knows anything about this shop? Are they reputable, or should I drive some place else within the Denver Metro area to another shop who will treat our IDI trucks with respect and not thumb their nose at a non-computerized Diesel truck.

Anyone have some good advice for what may be wrong with my truck or what I should be aware of taking my truck into a shop for service. I am wondering if I should just have someone do a full fluid drain / refill of the transfer case and both differentials. What about a fluid flush of the transmission. I had a drain / refill done about 5-10k miles ago. If I were back home and not working 12 hr days for the next two weeks while out here, I would just do all the work myself at home, but on this trip, it will cost me less to have someone else do the work for me, so I need to find a reputable shop.

Thank you everyone for your tips and advice. - John Z

 

[JohnZ]

I called Excel Diesel Service this morning and they said that they had a "4 Wheel Drive Service" for about $300 which included a drain / refill of both differentials and the transfer case. Additionally I found an "All American Four Wheel Drive" shop less than 1/2 mile from the office location I am working at here in the Denver Area. Both shops have an opening tomorrow morning at 8am where I can bring the truck in for diagnostics / service.

Is there anyone in the Littleton / Highlands Ranch area with experience with either of these shops or can recommend a reputable shop in the area that will not Take me for a "Ride" since I am from out of state?

Thanks - John Z

 

[89Laredo]

for about $300

Bring some lube, they're trying to screw you.

That would take about an hour, maybe two and cost ~60 in materials.

 

[JohnZ]

I hear ya. If I were at home, I would just do all of this in the garage, but the issue I have is that the Hotel will not allow me to work on the truck in their parking lot, then by the time I drive up to DIY Auto Repair, spend the time going to the parts store etc. etc. those are hours that I am not making overtime working in the Data Center which is why I am out here in the first place. I figure that everything would end up being a wash between time not being paid, cost of lube, renting a bay at DIY and gas to get there and back, and that is if everything went smoothly and I could get everything done in a two hour shop bay rental, being realistic with how it always takes me longer to get anything done than I expect.

So, I decided to go with All American as they are less than 1/2 mile from the data center, offer a free shuttle service, and their reviews online sound really good, even from women stating that they were treated fairly and not taken advantage of like at other shops, Plus the prices they gave over the phone, I should be able to get all of the same service done plus get a front end alignment which I need for the same price I was given by Excel for just the lube.

I'll let everyone know how this goes later tomorrow as I have an appt. to bring the truck in tomorrow morning at 8 am.

Well, time to get back to work. - John Z

 

[89Laredo]

I'm thinking
A: lube isn't the problem
B: its too late if lube was the problem.

I'm sure you know this but the old saying goes "an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure", not checking that stuff for 8 years was really dumb.

Let's hope the service take care of the issue but I'm going to guess your tcase or something is *****.

I would also tell them to check the tcase shifter adjustment, this is a pretty common thing on jeeps and can cause grinding (pretty much same design).

 

[89Laredo]

Also have them do the typical checks. Ujoints, support bearing (if you have one), etc.

 

[79jasper]

T case pump probably let go. Very common.
Also t case range fork bushings could be gone, which will cause it to pop out of gear/grind.
I would bet you need a t case.

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[JohnZ]

I'll admit that not checking the t-case / differential fluids for 8 years was not very smart, even though I have probably only put 5-10k miles (If that even) on the truck in that time frame, and I just pulled it out of storage last year where it sat for four years. Checked about everything else but not those items down low, yeah I know, dumb...

I drove the truck today and was hard pressed to hear anything down there, mostly only when under gentle deceleration. Otherwise it ran pretty good today after sitting overnight. I have not tried to shift out of 2hi since before leaving on this trip, but prior to that it was always pretty difficult between 4hi, N, and 4lo, so I will ask them to check the shift linkage.

So, I am hoping that since this noise only started when pulling extended steep hills, that the fluids were only a little bit low, and the guy on the phone said that the fluid may foam up causing a noise when under load. They offered free diagnostics and checks and will take it out for a test drive with me. Hopefully "Free" diagnostics does not mean ... Here is a list of things you need to have done before driving back to Utah. The goal is to be able to safely make it back home where anything major can be taken care of in my own garage where I am game to pull and rebuild the engine, transmission and tcase, but only after doing the engine and transmission in the wife's suburban.

Note: On those extended hills when the noise started, the engine coolant was typically about 240 degrees and the EGT close to 1200 degrees, so I was looking for a place to pull over anyway, and the noise would start when slowing down into a pullout. I just installed good temp gauges a month ago and since then, the highest temps I've seen was a week ago pulling 9k lbs up Big Cottonwood Canyon when on one of the steeper climbs the temps shot up from 210 and 900 degrees to 240 and 1300 degrees within about 1/2 mile and the time I could find a place to pull over. Perhaps I need to turn down the fuel pump a little? Timing was dead on 8.5 degrees a few months ago at 2000 rpm. When going back down Big Cottonwood, the alternator went up in flames (shot bearings), and after replacing the alternator, MPG has gone up from 10-12 best case to over 16 MPG on this trip and the engine pulls a LOT better. Who would have known that an alternator could cause so much drag on the engine.

Boy, I sound like a chapter from a series of unfortunate events here.

Well, here's for the best tomorrow morning, and hopefully a safe trip back home in two weekends. - John Z

 

[79jasper]

I would turn fuel down a hair.
You know, I just now thought of this, but could be your coast clutch in the Trans.

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[JohnZ]

O.K. So, if it is the coast clutch in the trans, what would be the risk in driving back to Utah with it in this condition, or is that something that could leave me (plus the wife and four kids) stranded on the side of the road?

Really, I am trying to be optimistic here and hope to make it back home where I can work on things myself in the garage, but also trying to be certain that I take care of what ever caused that noise so that everyone is safe on the trip back home in about 10 days.

Thank you very much everyone for all of the pointers and what to look for / ask when taking this to the shop tomorrow. - John Z

 

[79jasper]

I'm not sure how serious it is, I've just seen people with those symptoms, and that's what it was.
Could be way off on that though.

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[LCAM-01XA]

I'll admit that not checking the t-case / differential fluids for 8 years was not very smart, even though I have probably only put 5-10k miles (If that even) on the truck in that time frame, and I just pulled it out of storage last year where it sat for four years. Checked about everything else but not those items down low, yeah I know, dumb...

If it's the pump that let go you won't be able to see that unless you took the transfer case apart. That transfer case runs on transmission fluid, it does not share it with the E4OD but it is the same type of fluid, so it reacts to temperatures the same way - if you drain it and it's nasty and brownish then something inside the case got way hotter than it should have, it's all gears and bearings in there with no clutches, so I'd suspect lube issues. Obviously this could be result of low fluid to begin with, so have the shop check for that first before draining it. Or, if they go straight for draining, they should see about 2 quarts come out of it.

You know, I just now thought of this, but could be your coast clutch in the Trans.

AFAIK the coast clutch is only active if the OD has been manually cancelled via the button on the shifter. If he slows down on just wheel brakes and leaves the trans to shift on its own as it pleases then the coast clutch shouldn't see use. A thing to try while test-driving it would be to attempt coming to a stop with just the wheel brakes first, and then under engine braking with the OD shut off - if no noise while free-rolling but noise during engine decel, then yup coast clutch could be a suspect.

 

[JohnZ]

Hmmm. I did have od turned off by pressing the button on the shift lever on each of those hills, both going up hill to gear down to keep revs up around 2500 and going down hill for engine braking. I'll have to try stopping in both modes tomorow to see what happens.

What is the best fluid to have in the transfer case and differentials?

If the coast clutch is going out, it sounds like it would be safe to dive home, but leave the od engaged. It's that correct? Also, can this cause bogging down of the engine when coming to a stop?

Thanks, John Z

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[LCAM-01XA]

I would think that a wiped coast clutch just causes the transmission to lose its ability to assist in engine braking, I really can't see a slipping clutch bog the engine down. A torque converter not unlocking properly however will do that, I once shifted out of park with mine still locked in (I had a manual switch), it was an interesting experience to say the least, didn't stall her but sure tried, then bucked like a mad horse! So yeah, leaving the OD engaged in full auto-shift mode should get you home alright. Your wheel brakes are gonna hate you tho, especially with that 9k trailer...

Last couple of years my E4OD ran synthetic Mercon V, many will see this is as unnecessary expense for a used transmission, but to me it was just extra insurance. The E4OD was designed to run on the regular Dex/Merc fluid tho, as long as she stays nice and cool she'll be happy with it, that's what mine used while performing most of its car-hauling duties prior to its retirement.

The transfer case also runs on Dex/Merc fluid, again synthetic is nice but not mandatory.

Oh, I just notices you complained about shifting the t-case - it's a pain cause the shifter you got is IMHO one of the dumbest ideas Ford ever had, I'd love to see a reasonable explanation as to why they dropped the '88-'91 style (move stick to the left for N and 4Low, instead of pushing down on it like how yours is). The most common issue is corrosion in the aluminum housing causing the shifter to seize up (could be up-down movement, or the front-back, or both), can be cleaned and sanded and greased and it will likely work fine but its removal from the E4OD is a pain. Of course it could be the range forks in the t-case giving you grief, if you pop the flat bar linking the shifter to the t-case lever and attempt to move both manually you'll know which one is the sticky one. And don't worry about screwing up linkage adjustments, your truck has none, it all basically only fits one way.

 

[JohnZ]

Just dropped the truck of at the shop. Could not duplicate the noise, even tried going out of od on the freeway when I ran into rush hour standstill traffic. Slowed right down without any noises.

Had a discussion with the shop about what oil they put in the transfer case. They said they used 5w30 (?) Fully synthetic oil as that has a longer life and greater resistance to heat than the ATF does. Anyone else heard of that? (It may have been a different weight than 5w30 though.)

Anyway, they said that they would check out everything and if the diffs had clean clear oil they would leave just too then off otherwise they would pull the covers clean out all the old oil before putting it all back together and refilling. They are also greasing all of the u joints and checking the center support bearing. I also asked then to do a front end alignment as I noticed feathering on my brand new Bridgstone tires. Not surprising as I rebuilt the front end a few years ago and just used a 2x4 as an alignment measuring tool. Never noticed uneven wear on the old tires and it drive good, but I can tell with the new tires on this trip that it needs the alignment now.

Wish me luck that they do not come back with some horrible news once they check everything out.

Thanks, John Z

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