Transfer Case Removal (automatic)

[Phoney36]

'89 325IX-- My xfer case is leaking so I started pulling it. Forum posts I've read said you can do it without dropping the transmission. I've got 7 of the 9 nuts off. Just the top two remaining. I'm stumped how to get to those without dropping the transmission.

Can you "tilt" the engine and tranny by undoing the engine mount bolts? Does someone have a picture or write up on how to get these last 2 nuts off?

Any and all help is greatly appreciated. This forum, and the combined wisdom and experience of those who take their time to respond, has been a life saver.

Thanks in advance.

[TehRaydarlover]

My school has access to the ebsco auto repair reference center this is what it said about the transfer case. Just skimming through it, looks like for the manual you need to drop it but maybe not for an auto.

edit: I guess this doesn't really say yes or no, but it doesn't talk about having to drop it. I guess it just implies you don't need to.

325iX Models
WITH MANUAL TRANSMISSION

NOTE: To perform this procedure, a special, large wrench that locks onto flats on alternate sides of a section of the rear driveshaft is required. Use Tool No. 26 1 060 or an equivalent.

Disconnect the negative battery cable. Raise and safely support the vehicle. Remove the exhaust system. Unbolt and remove the exhaust system heat shields located behind and below the transfer case.
Unscrew the rear section of the driveshaft at the sliding joint located behind the output flange of the transfer case.
Hold the through-bolts stationary and remove the self-locking nuts from in front of the flexible coupling at the transfer case output flange. Discard all the self-locking nuts and replace them.

NOTE: During the next step, be careful not to let the driveshaft rest on the metal fuel line that crosses under it or the line could be damaged.
Slide the sections of the driveshaft together at the sliding joint and then pull the front of the driveshaft off the centering pin at the transmission output shaft.
Remove the nuts and through bolts from the flexible coupling linking the transmission output flange with the short driveshaft linking the transmission and the transfer case.
Support the transmission from underneath in a secure manner. Then, mark each of the 4 bolts fastening the crossmember that supports the transmission at the rear to the body, bolts are of different lengths. Remove the crossmember.
Lower the transmission/transfer case unit just enough to gain access to the bolts linking the 2 boxes together. Remove the 2 lower and 2 upper bolts. It is possible to gain access to the upper bolts using a socket wrench with a U-joint and extension.
There is a protective cap on the forward driveshaft where it links up with the transfer case. The cap is made of a brittle material, so it must be handled carefully. Gently slide the cap forward until is free of the transfer case.
Slide the transfer case to the rear so it can be separated from both the transmission and the forward driveshaft. When it is free, remove it.

To install:
Install the transfer case under the vehicle and raise it into position, bearing the following points in mind:
Inspect the dowel holes locating the transfer case with the transmission and the guide hole for the output shaft where it slides into the transfer case to make sure these parts will be properly located. Lubricate the guide pin and the splines of the front driveshaft section with grease.
When fitting the transfer case onto the transmission, check to make sure the output flange of the transmission is properly aligned with the flexible coupling. Put the through-bolts through the flexible coupling and then install and torque the nuts to 65 ft. lbs. (88 Nm) while holding the bolts stationary, rather than turning them.
When reconnecting the transfer case to the gearbox, torque the bolts to 30 ft. lbs. (41 Nm).
Before fitting the driveshaft back onto the rear of the transmission, retain the seal in the protective cap by applying grease to it.
Torque the transmission crossmember bolts to 17 ft. lbs. (23 Nm).
Check the fluid level and fill with the recommended lubricant.

WITH AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION

NOTE: To perform this procedure, a special, large wrench that locks onto flats on alternate sides of a section of the rear driveshaft is required. Use Tool No. 26 1 060 or an equivalent.

Disconnect the negative battery cable. Raise and safely support the vehicle. Remove the exhaust system. Unbolt and remove the exhaust system heat shields located behind and below the transfer case.
Unscrew the rear section of the driveshaft at the sliding joint located behind the output flange of the transfer case.
Hold the through-bolts stationary and remove the self-locking nuts from in front of the flexible coupling at the transfer case output flange. Discard all the self-locking nuts and replace them.

NOTE: During the next step, be careful not to let the driveshaft rest on the metal fuel line that crosses under it or the line could be damaged.
Slide the sections of the driveshaft together at the sliding joint and then pull the front of the driveshaft off the centering pin at the transmission output shaft.
Remove the nuts and through bolts from the flexible coupling linking the transmission output flange with the short driveshaft linking the transmission and the transfer case.
Note the locations of all the washers and then loosen the retaining nut and disconnect the range selector lever cable at the transmission by pulling out the pin. Be careful not to bend the cable in doing this. Then, loosen the nuts that position the cable housing onto the transmission and slide the cable housing backward so it can be separated from the bracket on the transmission housing.
There is a protective cap on the forward driveshaft where it links up with the transfer case. The cap is made of a brittle material, so it must be handled carefully. Gently slide the cap forward until is free of the transfer case.
Remove the drain plug in the bottom of the pan and drain the transmission fluid.
Support the transmission from underneath in a secure manner. Then, mark each of the 4 bolts fastening the crossmember that supports the transmission at the rear to the body, bolts are of different lengths. Remove the crossmember.
Remove the 9 nuts fastening the transfer case to the transmission housing. Note the location of the wiring holder so it will be possible to reinstall it on the same bolt.
Slide the transfer case to the rear and off the transmission.

To install:
Install the transfer case under the vehicle and raise it into position, bearing the following points in mind:
Inspect the sealing surfaces as well as the dowel holes in the transfer case to make sure they will seal and locate properly. Clean the sealing surfaces and replace the gasket.
When sliding the transfer case back onto the transmission, turn the front driveshaft section slightly to help make the splines mesh.
When reconnecting the shift cable, inspect the rubber mounts and replace any that are cut, crushed, or cracked. Adjust the shift cable.
Before fitting the driveshaft back onto the rear of the transmission, retain the seal in the protective cap by applying grease to it.
When fitting the transfer case onto the transmission, check to make sure the output flange of the transmission is properly aligned with the flexible coupling. Put the through-bolts through the flexible coupling and then install and torque the nuts to 65 ft. lbs. (88 Nm) while holding the bolts stationary, rather than turning them.
Torque the bolts holding the transfer case to the transmission to 65 ft. lbs. (88 Nm).
Torque the transmission crossmember bolts to 17 ft. lbs. (23 Nm).
Check the fluid level and fill with the recommended lubricant.

[TehRaydarlover]

Also found this on E30tech:

the bottom bolts are really easy. The top ones I do through the shifter, with a 6 point 17mm socket, a flex joint, a couple extensions and a breaker bar. Lower the rear of the tranny all the way, stick the socket onto the top bolts through the shifter hole, raise the transmission as much as possible and break them loose. Then I switch to a ratchet until they are 90% out, the rest I have to do by hand but it's not bad by that point.

Couldn't reach the top nuts in mine which has an automatic. Read about the shifter, but too much trouble for me. So I installed two longer bolts in the front subframe and with a floor jack lowered the engine only about 1 inch at most. Supprising how much acces it provided around the tcase. Reached all nuts from below and removed/reinstalled with a wrench 4 inches long!

http://www.e30tech.com/forum/showthread.php?t=73651

[Phoney36]

Thanks for the detailed write up. I looked through the e30tech forum as well and missed that one. It sounds like he was able to lower or tilt the engine backwards giving more access to the TC. I think I'm going to try that tomorrow.

[TehRaydarlover]

Yep. If you can, you should take some pictures and post them

[nando]

those instructions from E30tech were for a manual trans, they won't work for an automatic.

the auto is still a bitch for the top two bolts, just because there's no access to them and you can't see them (even worse than a manual).

I bought a bunch of different odd-shaped 13mm and 1/2" wrenches, some shaped like a horseshoe, some stubby ones, etc, until I found one that gave me just enough room to break it free.

you don't need to unbolt the engine mounts to tilt the engine - just the trans mounts. the rubber mounts will flex enough, and the head will rest on the firewall anyway which prevents you from rotating it any further. last time I did this I actually loosened the subframe bolts and lowered it about 1/2" which gave me a bit more room.

[Phoney36]

Okay. Transmission mounts and subframe bolts. Got it. I'm assuming loosening, not removing, on the subframe bolts. This is a PITA.

Do you have to undo the shift cable from the passenger side of the tranny before lowering it some? How much slack is in the cable?

Thanks Nando for the hints.

[Phoney36]

Okay. So I sat under my car talking to it, trying to figure out an easier way to get this job done. While under there, I noticed a large "bulb" with two screws in the body ABOVE the Transfer Case . So I got an idea...

You can access the top two bolts for the Transfer Case from inside the car. Remove the automatic shifter handle and pull out the rubber seal (that's the "bulb" thing I saw from under the car) and you can get to the top two nuts easy peasy. Took me about half an hour to pull the handle out (removing the cable linkage, the wiring harness, and about 5 bolts holding in the center console... you have to remove the console around the e-brake handle as well), and that was going slow since it was my first time and I didn't want to crack any of the old brittle plastic bits.

Notice how much crap and road debris is around the nuts. That would be a pain the butt to try to get a socket on there blind.

Everyone has been so helpful to me. Hope this makes dropping a transfer case easier for someone else.



Here's a picture after I vacuum all the road smutz from the bolts. Still not a lot of room.



Another picture of where you're working



The "Bulb" after it's removed from the car.

[TehRaydarlover]

Looks like quite the pita, good job and thanks for the pics!

[monticello]

Nice job!

[Phoney36]

Tool Update

Getting the top bolts off is still a PITA because of the restricted access of the housing. I used 5 or 6 different wrench and socket combinations and still couldn't get the angle. I ended up having a friend make a wrench using a 13mm Kobalt wrench from Lowes and a piece of stainless steel for the handle. I was able to break the bolts without a breaker bar. Here's a picture.

[audiquattrot]

Lol shit I should've replied to this thread sooner, but like posted above the top two bolts are in fact accessible from the shifter area. That how we got mine out when I did my manual swap

[ghatid]

Tool Update

Getting the top bolts off is still a PITA because of the restricted access of the housing. I used 5 or 6 different wrench and socket combinations and still couldn't get the angle. I ended up having a friend make a wrench using a 13mm Kobalt wrench from Lowes and a piece of stainless steel for the handle. I was able to break the bolts without a breaker bar. Here's a picture.

I am thoroughly impressed by how many 13mm wrenches you have.

[Nico*]

Hello,


i did the removal and it only works perfectly with this combination.

[barbierij]

any pics of removal and install while the tranny is in the car?