Checkmate

My transfer case has something wrong with it. Apparently it has since I bought it 2 months ago, but the previous owner never said a word about it. Anyway, when I put it in 4x4 high OR low, it acts as though the front drive section is stripped or something. If you roll on dry pavement it won't do it unless you give it alot of throttle, BUT if you get the truck stuck so the rear wheels are spinning, then shift into 4x4 it just bangs like I stated and the front tires will not pull. I know the problem is in the t-case because the driveshaft doesn't turn either.
A buddy said he thinks the 271 has plastic gears in it. I can't imagine that this is true since the 231 in my 95 is a much weaker t-case and doesn't have any plastic in it.
I need to fix this asap and would like to know what I am getting into before I tear this thing apart.

Thanks, Dan

bulabula

I've never had my xfer case open, but don't think the gears are plastic. Why are you on the throttle with the rear wheels spinning and trying to engage 4x4 at the same time? Sounds abusive to me. I would expect something to bang too.

I never shift on the fly unless all 4 wheels are rotating at the same speed. If there's any delta betwteen them and try to shift into 4x4, I'll wait until all 4 wheels are stopped.

What was the motive for the previous owner to sell it?

Do you have the manual 4x4 shift or electronic shift? Are you sure the xfer case is really engaging; or just "banging"?

Sounds like it might be time to remove and disect the case for damage.

Checkmate

I am not throwing it in 4x4 while spinning the rears. What I was trying to explain was that when I get stuck to the point that the rear wheels are just spinning and I am not moving, then I stop, put it in 4x4 and start going, the rear wheels spin but the fronts do not. I am not a moron, I know my way in and out of these trucks, but what I am looking for is a possible reason BEFORE I pull the transfer case out and have my daily driver down for a period of time. If it's something like a strecked chain then no prob. But if someone tells me that these have had major problems or something then I will wait til I have my 95 100% fixed to tear this one down.
BTW it's a manual shift, the only one I would ever have. Some people like the electronic, others swear by it, I myself hate them. The wifes 02 has it and it shifts into 4x4 by itself when it feels like it. Just like the old VCR's when you push play it played, when you push stop, it stopped, none of this...hold on a minute, I'm thinking B.S.

bmoeller

Does it make the noise going into 4x4, high range, or when going into low-range?

Checkmate

pcburnout

sound to me you tranfer case chain is slipping

Nuttymopar

I know on other trucks. The vehicle needed to roll about 3 feet to fully engage the front shaft. I do not know if that is the case on Dodge or not. My older 1st gen, it was manual locking front and once you turned that hub, it locked in and it would move the front tires. With these 'Shift on the fly' ones, not sure if it needs to roll forward or back that 3 - 5 feet or not.

Hope that helps.

pullin hard

i would drain the fluid before you open it to see what it looks like, lots of metal shavings , get it pulled and fixed.
as for the the plastic gears, i can be sure that you will not find plastic shaving in that case.
i have hade i few t case apart, not the one in question, but now of the ones i had apart are plastic.

Checkmate

I didn't think there would be ANY plastic in a heavy duty transfer case. I'll have to tell that guy he is full of --it.

handymantim

Your first post does imply that you shifted while the wheels were spinning so Bula's statement was valid. Besides he's just trying to help like everyone else on this forum.

If it were me, I'd first do a manual check of the front and back gear ratios by jacking up a tire at the front end with the tcase in neutral and hub locked. Mark the tire and driveshaft and then spin the tire one revolution. Count the number of times the driveshaft spins. Repeat for the rear differential. The difference between the gear ratios is only about 1/4 of a turn of the driveshaft so you should do the test several times for each end to verify the count of the driveshaft revolutions. If you have a limited slip diff with a clutch pack then you'll have to raise both tires on that differential. When you raise both tires, ensure they both spin the same direction when running the test. If one spins the opposite direction then you should put one tire back on the ground and re-run the test.

4x4s hate to roll on dry pavement but requiring "a lot" of throttle to move is not normal. Sure sounds like a mismatched gear ratio setup. Do either of the differentials look "new" or do the covers look like they've been off (i.e. RTV sealant around the perimeter?)

Assuming the gear ratios are the same, the next test I would do is remove the rear driveshaft and then try to drive the truck with 4x4 engaged and the hubs locked.