Transfer case leak and/or overfill or something

[hecull]

This is on my '03 Tacoma Double Cab, less than 30k miles; aluminum chain-drive T-case.
After a very nasty high-centering yesterday (the berm was so tall I got damage on both rockers too...) I went to assess the damage today. Hmm, counter weight bent back, skid plate flattened, and lots of gear oil on the underbelly. Visual inspection revealed no cracks that I could see, and it appears the leak is at the front output. Not currently leaking, no active drips from sitting overnight after a 3 hour drive. I'm thinking great, there's not going to be ANY oil in there and I'm out a grand for a new case.
Open up the fill plug and out spurts oil. (yes, I know the difference between the fill plug and the drain plug.) I emptied out what would free-flow out of the fill plug. Almost pint I'd estimate! Look and smell seemed fine. I'm puzzled here.
I haven't been under the truck since well before it's last free service at the dealership, but I've seen some splatters of oil on the underbody before, but couldn't track down the source, and it was never this much.
Could the overfill have caused leaking past the seals after the oil expanded from driving in 4Lo for as many hours as I did yesterday?
I'm assuming the case has a breather. Maybe as it expanded it pushed some out of the breather?
Anyone have any insight here, I'm really puzzled?
And OT, does anybody have a t-case counter weight they want to sell me?
Thanks,
Kyle

[Ted]

If you overfill it can puke out the breather. Do you have any pics of your truck high centered?

[hecull]

If you overfill it can puke out the breather.
I sure hope that's what it is. It makes the most sense as I can't find anything in particular wrong under there and it had so much extra oil.

Do you have any pics of your truck high centered?
I didn't get any, but one of the others helping out might have, I'll have to see.
I did get a shot of my rocker's paint on the ground on the peak of the berm:
http://www.kyleodom.net/pictures/4x4/paint.jpg


It was a nasty day. There was a lot of digging, rock stacking, high-lifting and winching going on. Almost the whole day was spent recovering and repairing. It took us two hours to get one truck through the last three obstacles on a trail and he was the lead truck of eight. It went south from there...
We went to Big Levels in the southern end of GWNF, through a bunch of trails that the FM2CD(Follow Me To Certain Death) club had marked. Everything was pretty standard and Green level except for one particular trail with a bunch of berms.
Kyle

[Ted]

That a berm, or a tank trap?

[TURNER]

its commin outta the breather, the breather is located on pass. side just below the shifter base, its a small, brass in color nipple, if you putta extension on it, you should be good.

being in 4 low isnt gonna make it puke oil, runnin down the highway is what does that, it gets slung by the gears up to the top of the case and no where else to go besides out that breather

btw it will never you cost a grand to get a taco case, they can be had for around $200 give or take

[LeN]

ouch... you really need to weld those sliders on

[hecull]

That a berm, or a tank trap?
Ted, I don't go where they say to not go, end of story. Though I don't like the decisions the FS makes sometimes, I respect their authority. I'm all about open use of public land, but I always follow the rules. This was a clearly marked, open trail.
These were just berms. The trail was some old Jeep trail that was well maintained at some point, the berms(about a dozen of them) were man made washouts that just erroded on the downhill side to the point of ugly. The rain had also unearthed some rocks that made the trail better than the usual Rawley Springs GWNF suff. The trail we went on was gated, and the gate was open. There were tank traps on some off-shoots, and they were pretty obvious. Some folks played on the traps, but no one in the group went past.
http://kyleodom.net/pictures/4x4/trappedtoy.jpg

Turner, thanks for the info on the breather. I'll put an extention line on it before I wheel again. I've never taken my T-case out, so I don't know too much about it. I was thinking all this 4Lo might have warmed up the reduction gears enough to expand the oil to spurt out. The mostly Jeep group I was with couldn't handle the fire roads to get to the trail at speed, so I put it in low to be easier on my Auto Tranny. I would move faster at idle in 2wd/4Hi faster than they were driving. SWB whimps. Best price I found online for a reman Case was right at a grand. I know I could get something out of a junkyard for less, but if I could get my exact case, full and complete, for $200, I'd buy one for a spare. I'd have thought even a high-mileage, junkyard case would set me back $500. Seriously, if you know of a source, PM me.
Thanks guys,
Kyle

[hecull]

ouch... you really need to weld those sliders on
You're not kidding! For the longest time I was going to have the existing damage fixed first. Every time I think that, I just get more damage. Now I've decided to forget the damage and get my sliders on before I get anymore.
The support at the rocker would have given me 3" more clearance on the right side and would have helped prevent this(see the counter weight?):
http://www.kyleodom.net/pictures/4x4/tcaseouch.jpg

I've abused the heck out of this truck for 30k miles, about time I start protecting it a little better.
Kyle

[TURNER]

my advice for junkyard parts is go online and get a listing of all the junkyards in your state, find one in a town that you've never heard and call them, if you try and get it from one in a more populated area (NOVA, hampton roads, richmond, etc) they'll rape you on stuff like that, and most of them will ship it to you

[LeN]

Now I've decided to forget the damage and get my sliders on before I get anymore.

When you going to put them on, I am thinking about getting me a pair you have the stubbs right? Which flavor did you go with? I amtorn between the Standard and the deluxe, is it really worth the $40 to have that square tube?

[TURNER]

my sliders cost $42 total, and i gar-on-tee they work just as good as those stubbs sliders ya'll are buyin

[moe.taco]

my sliders cost $42 total, and i gar-on-tee they work just as good as those stubbs sliders ya'll are buyin

Glad your happy :D

Don't mean to hijack but.... Turner you feel like helpin me do some fab work here on the 10th. My eye for detail ain't the best. Building a new spare tire mount +hi-jack mount(I passed on that rear bumper for Kajo's winch).

Pete

[BeaterToyota]

I've abused the heck out of this truck for 30k miles, about time I start protecting it a little better.
Kyle
My beater is at about 185,000 miles, and I am just now learning that lesson. :roll:


my sliders cost $42 total, and i gar-on-tee they work just as good as those stubbs sliders ya'll are buyin
Mine cost about $30 less than that. :lol:


Don't mean to hijack but.... Turner you feel like helpin me do some fab work here on the 10th. My eye for detail ain't the best. Building a new spare tire mount +hi-jack mount(I passed on that rear bumper for Kajo's winch).

Pete
If I don't go to Crozet that day, I'll lend a hand (or an eye).

[hecull]

is it really worth the $40 to have that square tube?
I got the deluxe just because I wanted 2" of flat steel under the vulnerable areas. 'course, it doesn't help when they're in a storage building and not on the truck. I didn't pay what the website says, talk to Richard and let him know you're with TTORA, I bet he cuts you a deal.

my sliders cost $42 total, and i gar-on-tee they work just as good as those stubbs sliders ya'll are buyin
You're right Turner. In the end, your's do the same thing just as well, and I've seen them work for you. I just don't have access to a bender, welder, or enough experience to work with either. I could have bought the steel, a used stick welder, and a few sawzall blades and made my own simple ones for less, but I wanted the style I got(and built well,) which would have involved compound cuts, a bender and notching as well. Those things bump the price of making plus the tools I'd need over what I paid for them. OT... Any welders in Hampton Roads?

My beater is at about 185,000 miles, and I am just now learning that lesson.
You know you learned that long ago, you just didn't care :P I beat on a truck that's not a beater. :D Though, it's beginning to look like one.

Kyle

[Ted]

I could have bought the steel, a used stick welder, and a few sawzall blades and made my own simple ones for less,

Add a chopsaw too.



OT... Any welders in Hampton Roads?


Larry welds. Or that is what he says :)