PDA

View Full Version : Leaky tranfer case



Walker
03-23-2010, 08:09 PM
After driving my rig for nearly 5 years constantly checking the transf.case fluid and cleaning (lol) my driveway, I bought an aluminum case cover from Rover Drive about 6 months ago. Holy S--T!! What a difference! No drips, no messes and the whole thing seems to be running cooler. So far it has been the best $100 I've spent. Does anyone else have any experience with this beauty?

Art

109 Pretender
03-24-2010, 12:47 PM
I have one that I bought from Jim Young (Mercedes Rover - Series Trek axles). It's very similiar excepting no cooling fins. The thick alum. plate really does make a diff. on leaks from the transfer case. Mine probably doesn't keep the oil as cool - but having oil in the case all the time is the best coolant anyway!! It was a simple and worthwhile mod for me as I always hated topping off the transfer case from time to time.

Cheers!

jac04
03-24-2010, 12:50 PM
^^ I didn't know these were available from Series Trek. How do I go about ordering one from him?

TedW
03-24-2010, 01:35 PM
After driving my rig for nearly 5 years constantly checking the transf.case fluid and cleaning (lol) my driveway, I bought an aluminum case cover from Rover Drive about 6 months ago. Holy S--T!! What a difference! No drips, no messes and the whole thing seems to be running cooler. So far it has been the best $100 I've spent. Does anyone else have any experience with this beauty?

Art


I've had one for 3-4 years now. I still have leaks, but not from the transfer case anymore. And I love those nifty cooling fins - makes my tranny look like a '59 Caddy!

galen216
03-24-2010, 02:38 PM
^^ I didn't know these were available from Series Trek. How do I go about ordering one from him?

Just shoot Jim an email. I have one too.

You need longer studs in the transfer case. I bought a pack from McMaster so if anybody does it let me know and I'll send you studs since I had to order 100.

I also used nylock nuts with a wide shoulder to give more pressure against the plate. Probably can send these also as I had to order 100 on these too.

Now if I can just get the other stuff on my truck to stop leaking....

jac04
03-24-2010, 02:57 PM
^^ I thought that the studs were an unusual thread (BSF) where they thread into the aluminum case. Is that correct?

TedW
03-24-2010, 03:01 PM
FWIW the Rocky Mountain cover comes with new attachment bolts and gasket..............

Regan
03-24-2010, 03:33 PM
Good to know you ordered and installed the al. case cover. I just purchased and installed a Roverdrive, having a few install issues, etc. I have a leak where the Roverdrive is mounted onto the transfer case. I have or will get it fixed. The unit does seem to run hot on the highway, so hearing it runs cooler with the al. case cover is good news to me, plus no leaks as I have leaks there as well now! Regan

TeriAnn
03-24-2010, 05:23 PM
I have one that I bought from Jim Young (Mercedes Rover - Series Trek axles). It's very similiar excepting no cooling fins. The thick alum. plate really does make a diff. on leaks from the transfer case.

Sounds like you have better luck than I did on the one I bought from SeriesTrek. Mine had the bolt holes beveled ON BOTH SIDES. The inside bevel went out to near the edge of the transfercase edge so there was very little sealing space. After trying to seal it four times I gave up and tossed it in the recycling bin. Wost $$ I've spent on LR parts in a long time. I'm still mystified as to why that plate was beveled on the inside.

greenmeanie
03-24-2010, 07:00 PM
Sounds like you have better luck than I did on the one I bought from SeriesTrek. Mine had the bolt holes beveled ON BOTH SIDES. The inside bevel went out to near the edge of the transfercase edge so there was very little sealing space. After trying to seal it four times I gave up and tossed it in the recycling bin. Wost $$ I've spent on LR parts in a long time. I'm still mystified as to why that plate was beveled on the inside.

I cannot comment if the part was made corectly to its design but in my line of business we frequesntly seal round studs and under screw heads this way. An o-ring is placed in the bevelled part and seals up against the plate, the housing and the body of the stud which should preferrably be plain at this point. Seals pretty well. I'd feel pretty sick throwing away that part for the sake of a few o-rings.

TeriAnn
03-24-2010, 10:34 PM
I cannot comment if the part was made corectly to its design but in my line of business we frequesntly seal round studs and under screw heads this way. An o-ring is placed in the bevelled part and seals up against the plate, the housing and the body of the stud which should preferrably be plain at this point. Seals pretty well. I'd feel pretty sick throwing away that part for the sake of a few o-rings.

It wasn't cut for any O ring I've ever seen. It would have been cone shaped packing washers. I can see having the outside beveled for flat head allen screws, but there is not a whole lot of sealing surface on the underside. Of course it came without screws or any kind of directions so I just took my best guess with flat head allen screws.

Mercedesrover
03-25-2010, 05:27 AM
Well, Terriann, I have sold dozens of those transfer case pans without complaint. The holes aren't "beveled" on either side, they're deburred lightly on either side with a tool called a countersink. And they hardly go to the edge of the pan. There's approximately 3/8" between the edge of the 1/4" hole and the edge of the pan.

If you didn't understand the obvious need for longer studs, I'm sorry. I didn't think that was too tricky. A longer stud, a flat washer and a nylock nut is all you need.

If you had a problem with the pan I sure wish you would have contacted me. You know I'm never far from a computer, and if you remember I had all kinds of time to help you when you bought a set of my axles used and had trouble installing them.

If you still have it, send it back. I'll gladly refund your money and the cost of shipping.

galen216
03-25-2010, 06:47 AM
^^ I thought that the studs were an unusual thread (BSF) where they thread into the aluminum case. Is that correct?


On my SIII there are standard 1/4-20 studs.

And to Jim's point above. I wrote him an email and he even gave me the size of studs to order and recommended nyloc nuts. :thumb-up:

robert wood
03-25-2010, 09:08 AM
The threads in the transfer case are 1/4 UNC.
The finned ROVERDRIVE transfer case we make here is supplied with screws not studs. The reason for not using the existing studs is that these are very brittle and often break off flush with the surface. The reason I used hex screws not studs and nuts in the design is that 1. This keeps a lower profile and you are less likely to hit one on a rock and 2. As most Series owners will have ruefully observed the studs are prone to leak through the threads on the nuts. Using a hex head screw prevents this. We use a whiz-lock screw which locks without a washer. A dab of silcone sealant under each head and viola - no leaks.
I appreciate the positive comments on this product. Thanks

Ray. Roverdrive Gear Corporation

NickDawson
03-25-2010, 09:28 AM
I bought an aluminum case cover from Rover Drive about 6 months ago. Holy S--T!! What a difference! No drips, no messes

Art
Wait a second... no drips? Then how do you know it still has oil in it? :D

when the 'slick' in front of my house dries up, I know its time to add more to the TC...its a great tool!

Joking aside - may have to order one once I get everything else in shape.

Jim-ME
03-25-2010, 09:41 AM
I too purchased a RM cover and have been very happy with it. I really can't attest too much to it being leak free because the rear seal behind the E brake leaks so much it is hard to tell exactly where the oil drips come from. I do have complete faith the once I fix that issue I will not have a proiblem. I will also add that when I had a couple of the screws fall out Ray treated me exceedingly well. In short I have zero complaints and would recommend one to anyone who asks. It has been my experience that all RM stuff rocks!
Jim

greenmeanie
03-25-2010, 12:17 PM
It wasn't cut for any O ring I've ever seen. It would have been cone shaped packing washers.

Using a chamfer as the o-ring groove is not a great practice but if you are having trouble sealing and the countersink was as large as you say it will work. It works on aircraft and military vehicles that I know of. Depending on the size of the countersink a quick reference to AS568 tells me that for a 1/4" stud a size -010 (.070 dia rope), -108 (.103 dia rope), -202 (.139 dia rope) will provide what you need. It is certainly worth a try over throwing a part out.

It does, however, sound like a lack of understanding of Jim's manufacturing.

I have the RM plate on both my series and have found them great. I have seen Jim's plate on a truck, and while simpler, it looked like a good bit of kit.

jac04
04-02-2010, 06:50 AM
I just received my Roverdrive finned aluminum transfer case cover. Hopefully, I will get a chance to install it today.
Any tips for installation? I seem to remember talking to Wise Owl a while back and they suggested Permatex #2, but only between the gasket and transfer case.

Also, the cover came with one of those thick, squishy cork gaskets. My experience has been that this type of gasket will move out of position when the fasteners are tightened if you apply a gasket sealer to them. Maybe that is why WO only wanted sealer applied between the gasket and transfer case. I do have a much firmer gasket as supplied by RN that I can use as well.

What has everyone else done for installation?

TeriAnn
04-02-2010, 11:52 AM
Well, Terriann, I have sold dozens of those transfer case pans without complaint. The holes aren't "beveled" on either side, they're deburred lightly on either side with a tool called a countersink.

The one I received was deeply deburred with a counter sink. The countersunk hole was wider than a split washer at the plate surface.



If you didn't understand the obvious need for longer studs, I'm sorry. I didn't think that was too tricky. A longer stud, a flat washer and a nylock nut is all you need.

I abandoned the studs well over a decade ago because they stick down more than a bolt and I had broken a couple studs off while traveling off road. I have been using bolts since then. When I received the plate and saw the "deburring" I did contact you and ask what you had in mind and you suggest just longer bolts. I started off with longer bolts & split washers. They they sat inside the "deburred bevel and allowed oil to leak past. I next went to flat head allen screws which better matched the deburr surface. The flat head screws fit the top opening with the top surface of the screw close to flush with the bottom surface. I thought it was a cool design that allowed a recessed screw so rocks could not knock the top off. But there just wasn't enough surface left after deburring where the plate fits against the case to get a good oil seal.



If you had a problem with the pan I sure wish you would have contacted me. You know I'm never far from a computer, and if you remember I had all kinds of time to help you when you bought a set of my axles used and had trouble installing them.

I very much appreciate your advise with the axle installation. It turned out that the outer axle bearing was just a little too worn to slide over the race when in the bearing was in the vertical position so it hung up looking like it was in place. A new bearing & race solved that problem.

I should have contacted you again about not being able to seal the plate with either the longer bolts or the flat head screws but the transfercase was in the final stages of being rebuilt and resealed when I decided not to fiddle with your bottom plate anymore. I didn't have the time to fiddle with it some more to see if I could stop the leaks around the mounting holes so a stock steel cover went on instead (and sealed nicely).

My only defense about not contacting you was that rebuilding the transfercase was just a small part of work getting done on my truck and everything was interrupted by unexpected abdominal surgery. I was only a couple days home from the hospital when this thread came through. Any thoughts about contacting you about a problem I found in the plate shipped to me was lost in the mix. I was reading the forum because I wasn't in any condition to do much else. I'm sorry I caused you any emotional problem. I've always respected you and what you try to do. Providing feedback on a product that I thought was flawed didn't seem important when I unexpectedly found myself in the hospital and I soon forgot about it.



If you still have it, send it back. I'll gladly refund your money and the cost of shipping.

I gave it to someone who is collecting aluminum for recycling. I'll see if I can get it back. Thank you for your generous offer to refund the cost. I would like to get your opinion of the deburring.