Borg Warner 1356 Transfer Case Rebuild

[ttman4]

The right stuff

Thread sealants aside, there’s only two sealers I use on the truck / engine and it’s relatively to international spec. Aviation permatex on coolant facing flush mount surfaces (IE, oiler cooler, front plate, water pump) and the right stuff everywhere else.

So what is the "Right Stuff?"

 

[hacked89]

So what is the "Right Stuff?"

It’s equiv to manufacturing “rtv black” / dealer. You aren’t going to wait 24 hours to roll to the next station or to move the customers car out of the bay. “The right stuff” is immediate return to service.

 

[DrCharles]

Permatex® The Right Stuff® Black 1 Minute Gasket Maker, 5 OZ – Permatex

www.permatex.com

 

[Black dawg]

Anything that matters long term, I use ultra grey. I know a lot of guys like the right stuff, but in my experience with it, I have seen it kind of dry out. Have taken stuff apart that I put together with it and found very low bond to surfaces, and i am pretty meticulous with surface prep.

As far as sealing the case halves, I have found that it is really important to spread the silicone on both halves with my finger, and sort of dab it on there. You will find spots that take a little messing with to get the silicone to stick properly. This is all after proper cleaning, like 100% dry with brake clean.

 

[bulletpruf]

Just posted the video in case anyone is interested -

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[DrCharles]

I pulled the rear half of the transfer case today, expecting to just replace the slip yoke seal and clean and apply sealant to the two halves of the case. Sure enough, it looks like I hadn't used enough when I rebuilt the TC a few years back. There is a very slow seep on the bottom, forming a drop at two of the bosses.

Unfortunately that oversight (and subsequent neglect to check the level) seems to have caused a cascading failure due to eventually running low or even out of oil... When I pulled the rear half of the case, a chunk of mangled metal fell out! It turned out to be the oil pump bracket. Also the oil suction hose came out in pieces, the last of which had a piece of cast iron attached (the snapped-off pump stator nipple).

It took a few contortions but I did get the mainshaft out without removing the rest of the TC, or further disassembling the front half. The planetary, chain, shift collar etc. all appear to be intact with no damaged teeth. Whew.

I know when I rebuilt it that there wasn't much wear on the case rib, and it has less than 8K miles on it. There are signs of wear on the mainshaft where the pump rides, hoping I can just polish that and not have to replace it too.

The big question is, did the pump seize (doesn't look like it), or did the case rib let go and the pump spun around until it hit something it shouldn't? See the pics, tell me what you think.

I don't want to put a ton of money and labor into this fix, let alone replace the whole works... and I use 4WD once in a blue moon, too.

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[DrCharles]

I decided to buy an complete oil pump kit for $69 which includes a new bracket, and do the mod too (weld a small rod to the end of the bracket). But the kit doesn't come with a new piece of tubing - what kind of hose can I use for continuous contact with ATF?

 

[Black dawg]

I decided to buy an complete oil pump kit for $69 which includes a new bracket, and do the mod too (weld a small rod to the end of the bracket). But the kit doesn't come with a new piece of tubing - what kind of hose can I use for continuous contact with ATF?

Pretty typical, pump bracket wears through case and.....

Look at the shift pads very closely, they are usually the first to wear without atf, especially the ones on the range fork.

 

[DrCharles]

Thanks. I was expecting pieces of white plastic in the drained fluid (as when I first got the truck and found gear oil in it), but they are intact although likely thinner than new. I shift the TC so rarely anyway that they should be ok...

After a close examination of the debris, it looks like I had welded a piece of steel rod to the end of the arm, but with insufficient penetration and it broke off. This time I think I'll braze it, like the pics in post #8 of this thread (there are 3, you have to click on the one displayed): https://www.powerstrokenation.com/threads/borg-warner-1356-failure.544769/

I just hope I can get the chain back on and the mainshaft with modded oil pump arm in place without pulling or disassembling the front half!