Transfer case spat it at 11k

[AJ120 Out of control poster! Find all posts View Profile Close AJ120]

Re: Transfer case spat it at 11k

Hi Big Fella,

As per my suggestion they drilled out the hole and screwed in a 3/16" grub screw with some sealer.

Cheers Andrew

[snewby Junior Member Find all posts View Profile Close snewby]

Re: Transfer case spat it at 11k

I was so interested in your transfercase issue that I joined up to Pradopoint - to add my own tale..
Just before that same easter, my Prado (40K) started making an g'awful sort of cracking noise under acceleration in 1st gear. So into the dealer I went, got the expert out on a road test and heard, "Yes sounds serious - better book it in", which I did. They spent the day on it and called me to say "all OK" ....transfercase oil level was very low, we refilled it and checked for iron pieces - none - All OK, come and get it". I didn't even get out of their parking area when... CRACK..CRACK. So went staright back in and said... "Not fixed!" (not sure who road tested it)
I ended up taking it home. It ran great once I got past the initial cracking... and if I started off very gently - no probs.
I spent a bit of easter underneath pulling of tin bits and checking welds, cleaning everything etc.. finally I noticed oil running along the bottom of the transfercase from the front casing join with the gearbox.
Tuesday after easter saw me back at the dealer... who after another day confirmed the oil was coming out of the front of the transfer case. (They never believe you do they?) Another day or so later they took out the TC, got the special tool and opened it.
Cause was a cracked front oil seal... result was.. damage to the sprockets, chain and bearings. They say - 3 weeks plus? to get parts and I am without a car. No! they wont replace the whole TC unless the component costs get up close to an equivalent TC cost. (I am only at about 5-10% so far). Hope they spot all the broken bits. I sometimes get a long way from anywhere. I'd hate to find they missed something.

Steve.
Late 2007 D4D - Snorkel and 2nd battery - thats all.

[MickL Addicted PP Member Find all posts View Profile Close MickL]

Re: Transfer case spat it at 11k

Glad you got it sorted Andrew.

The whole story your dealer is putting forward sounds like a bad April fools joke...


Mick

[AJ120 Out of control poster! Find all posts View Profile Close AJ120]

Re: Transfer case spat it at 11k

Snewby wrote
I was so interested in your transfercase issue that I joined up to Pradopoint - to add my own tale..

At least something good has come of my issue, welcome to prado point Steve, I hope your situation works out OK. Its a diifferent situation to mine but i am familiar with the "we cant find a problem" speech. Unfortunately its hard to tell whether they replace everything they should or only what they have to. :x
let us know how it works out.

MickL wrote
The whole story your dealer is putting forward sounds like a bad April fools joke...

Yeah Mick it sure does, I dont claim to know how the hole got there ,but i do know that what they are telling me was not the cause, and they are so absolutely positive that they are 100% accurate, well if you work out the odds of it happening they must be a billion to 1. Since ive had the Prado home and had a closer look i realise that if something did come of the front tyres to even get close to the drive shaft would be nigh on impossible as there is a crossmember right in front of it. Anyway I was all set to getr a set of aero roof bars from them before easter but instead bought a heavy duty set from Rhino instead, so thats one sale they missed out on and it wont be the last.

Cheers Andrew

[Mark Smith Junior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Mark Smith]

Re: Transfer case spat it at 11k

Geez Andrw what a crock about the nail and the tech screw. Take a nail OR a tech screw. Get your biggest hammer and try to whack it through the casing of your transfer case and see how hard that is. I doubt a nail gun could fire a nail through the casing so neatly.

Gear box casings are pretty tough and thick. I ground a hole in my 90 series bell housing when I lost the bolts that secure the front diff. The up and down movement caused the prop shaft flange to make contact with the bell housing on and off for quite a long time on a really rough track. Every time I stopped to investigate the noise I couldn't find the cause as the movement only happened when backing off the power. Sikaflex did the trick with the hole but there's no oil in a bell housing thankfully.

I'd be right pissed off if my new D4D with only 11000km's on it had it's transfer casing plugged with a screw :evil:

Cheers, Mark

[snewby Junior Member Find all posts View Profile Close snewby]

Re: Transfer case spat it at 11k

Final update on my Transfercase / faulty front oil seal problem.
The car was off the road for 3 weeks, while Toyota searched interstate and in Japan for the bits to rebuild it. When the sprokets and chain arrived from japan they fixed it in a day. No cost to me and a refund cheque of the service costs for initially looking for the problem.
Has it fixed the problem? Well the crack/graunch was gone, but it seemed a bit "growly" under acceleration, until that is I had to floor it just the other day to get out of the way of some lunatic who could not see a White Prado (Yes I know it is almost tiny). After that the growl is gone.. ??? was the chain a bit tight? did I stretch it a bit?? Only other issue was some oil on the Tcase bottom again straight after the work, but this seemed to have come from up on top (a breather) maybe the oil was a bit over full, this settled down and has been dry since. (yes oil level is now good).
I get a 1 year warranty on the work, which is good as the car warranty runs out in Sept. Its nice to have the car back - I celibrated with a day off work and a long weekend fly fishing in the snowys. happy again, Steve.

Mar/2011.. Well that was not the end of it after all - see separate posting of how it took 8 months to discover that the Transfer case oil seal was in backwards...

[AJ120 Out of control poster! Find all posts View Profile Close AJ120]

Re: Transfer case spat it at 11k

HI Steve, sounds like a good outcome for you, even got a refund for your first checkup :shock: . make sure you give it a good workout in the next 12 months while still under warranty

Cheers Andrew

[tinkera Member Find all posts View Profile Close tinkera]

Re: Transfer case spat it at 11k

HI Andrew.Sorry to hear this story ,but tell me something did this service manager start his theory with ONCE UPON A TIME come on.My only hope is TOYOTA service had the sense to use a BSPT plug.CHEERS TINKERA.

[AJ120 Out of control poster! Find all posts View Profile Close AJ120]

Re: Transfer case spat it at 11k

Hi Tinkera,

The warranty claim process was an interesting experience to say the least. The dealer comes up with a theory (once upon a time) and it then seemed up to me to prove it wrong.
i believe they did use a taper plug, supplied by a local engine reconditioning firm designed specifically for repairs in cast engine parts, they also used some type of sealer on the thread. initially they were going to weld up the hole which i didnt think was a good idea, there is to much room for error welding dirty cast aluminium in a difficult to get to spot. Any way they had this great idea to drill and plug the hole 2 days after I suggested it.
all is still going well and i have given it a decent workout a couple of times, i have only done about 1500kms since the repair though.

Cheers Andrew