CoPart forklift driver cracked my transfer case cover

+1

But just to be clear, you put the broken piece back on, right?

 

It's not temporary. You'll never have to worry about it again.

 

I BELIEVE IN THE POWER OF JB! YES! The piece is back on should I go intp 4hi and drive around? That would activate the case eh?

 

In theory, yes. Just do it in loose substrate, or if no choice but to hit the pavement, drive in a near-straight line while activated to avoid binding.

It should be as simple as tapping the 4HI button while moving, it'll flash for a sec, then go solid if successful.

If not, try stopping, drop into reverse and tap 4HI.

If nothing still, I can point you at a flurry of troubleshooting suggestions.

Shifting into 4LO requires being in 4HI first and foremost, fully stopped in Neutral, and tap 4HI.

 

It worked! I have a bunch of gravel alleys behind my house so I drove around a couple of those and engaged 4hi perfectly! Thank you all!!

 

NP, hopefully CoPart does you right on either getting a new TC or a new TC cover, or at least compensating you. That's total BS this happened, be thankful the truck driver caught this and snapped prompt pics while the oil was still oozing out!

 

Amazing, makes me feel more inspired to fight for some compensation. The MVP was truly the driver he was this amazing dude with the heaviest Russian accent.

 

@Legionnaire You should bring your truck(and yourself) to Sedona next month.


https://www.tundras.com/threads/1st-gens-to-sedona-2023.120462/

 

@Legionnaire I see you've been on here recently, what ever ended up having to do with this.

 

I ended up JB welding it and it has been good until now. Recently I saw some oil dripping and noticed that there was lots of oil residue near my JB weld job as well as under the car. After seeing that in December it inspired my to buy a new rear transfer case cover and fix it correctly. I have a couple of dry days here in Seattle and decided I would fix it but now I am realizing I probably need some gaskets and such.

Before I unbolt the cover and realize I need more parts I thought I would ask first. When I take this cover off what parts should I also have so that I can do this job in one day?

Here is a pic of my old transfer case cover as it stands with oil residue. I marked it up to make some educated guesses as to what gaskets I might need when I take this off.



I have a few assumptions about the process here, I imagine it's something like this:

• Unbolt Unknown #1 and Unknown #2 (I just don't know the EXACT name for these)
• Then undo all the bolts around the case and BOOM it's off
• Replace Gasket #1 and Gasket #2 on install

Let me know if I am wrong in my thinking and if you guys know the gaskets/parts I might need to/want to replace when this case is off.
I am also planning on replacing my Toyota 37230-0K040 Drive Shaft Center Support Bearing too.

Thanks for any help y'all just want to get some advice so this is a one part job not a 3 stage job, thanks!!!!
Here is also a video in case it's easier to see: WILL ADD SOON.

 

Unknown #2 is your Transfer Case Shift Actuator Motor- you can remove this pretty easily. I believe it is sealed with an O-ring, which you could probably find at a hardware store. Info and links on how to remove/install here: https://www.tundras.com/threads/1st-gen-4wd-issues-diagnosis-prevention-guide.149189/ (scroll down)

Not sure what will happen if you unbolt Unknown #1. I haven't taken apart one of our transfer cases before to that extent. However, I have torn apart a couple of transfer cases that have generally similar designs to the ones in our trucks. When I removed "Unknown #2" on those other transfer cases, that part housed a bearing. It was pretty difficult to reinstall that bearing assembly, even with the transfer case sitting on a bench. I don't know if it's the same in our transfer cases, but I would definitely consult a knowledgeable person before taking it apart. Hopefully someone who knows more than I do will chime in.

 

That's your transfer case.

It looks like FIPG or similar sealant was used, not a gasket. I'm not sure what's recommended; consult the FSM, it's your source of info.

Purple arrow is pointing to your actuator on the transfer case.. The cap only, actually, it's one complete unit.

https://toyota-usa.epc-data.com/tundra/uck40/3841/chassis/3609/

That's an exploded of what should be your transfer case. @FiatRunner covered the rest as I was replying

But yeah, EPC shows unknown #1 is "transfer extension housing". It looks like a housing extension for the output shaft companion.

 

can't tell if you're serious or not but I'm pretty sure he knows that. He's pointing to a specific part of the T.C. I'm not sure what it would do or be called.

 

It's part of the transfer case.

 

Unknown #1 is the extension housing
All gaskets are FIPG. I use "the right stuff 90 minute grey" almost exclusively. Read the directions on whatever you use and follow them.
The companion flange uses a staked nut, I'd have a new one on hand. You only need to remove the rear companion flange to split the case iirc.
There are a few seals you will need. The only one that comes to mind currently is the companion flange seal.
My vent hose was nasty. This is the best/easiest time to replace it.

Download the FSM if you haven't. It'll walk you right through the disassembly, and let you track down the seals you need.
Luckily once you split the case all the "guts" can stay with the front half. It's actually very little disassembly.

I did this over a year ago, so I'm sure Im forgetting something.

Here's a picture of my welded back together case

 

This is the new rear case half that I was going to put on just for reference:


@shifty` I was pointing at "Unknown #1" because on the new case there is a rather larger hole and thought it didn't really seem to be "part" of the case itself. Will check out the manual thanks for the insights y'all!!

I suppose I am wondering if it will be easy to switch out just this panel/case cover, by unbolting these green labeled bolts below. (Not my transfer case) OR if I open this section a bunch of complicated gears are suddenly going to pop out.

 

@FiatRunner Looking at the FSM my peanut brain makes it look not that hard, but it looks like other parts are already off when they get to this image:

Hard to say...

 

I'll stick with a couple basics as I'm not sure on the details of the transfer case, I can say that you'll need something to unsteak the staked nut on the rear driveshaft output flange. When I did mine on my Tacoma I used a modified chisel to do it, I don't have any pics of it at the moment but I remember finding the idea online, maybe even on TacomaWorld. You'll also need a 30mm socket if it's the same setup as the tacoma transfer case.

 

Just read through this thread.
Did CoPart tell you to kick rocks or did they pay up?

 

It looks like you’d have to remove the flange that the driveshaft bolts onto. This piece, circled in blue:


I believe it’s held on to the shaft coming out of the transfer case with a large nut, you’re probably going to need an impact driver to remove it. And if yours is as rusty as mine looks in that photo, you might also need a gear puller to remove it from the shaft.

 

Copart...those guys are the shadiest among the shadiest

 

They gave me a year long subscription to AutoBidMaster lolol as repayment

 

I did the same thing with my mother's 2008 odyssey. She managed to crack the cast aluminum engine oil pan. The shape of the pan made it VERY difficult to remove, so i simply drained the oil from the engine for a few days, reinstalled the drain plug, poured in about a quart of lacquer thinner, let it sit for amount 10 minutes, then drained it, then repeated the cycle about 3 more times. Then used compressed air to dry out the inside of the pan. I then waited another day for it so completely dry, then laid on my back and welded up the cracks with my aluminum spool gun. That was probably close to 15 years ago.

For the OP's T case, i'd be tempted to just grind out all the jb weld and then attack the crack with the t case still completely in situ with a spool gun. That would help with minimizing the aluminum case half from heat distortion.

 

lol...that's because they wanted to prison rape you again sometime further down the line.

 

Sketchy those bolts are already quite loose, eh?

 

Very sketch. That was about a month after I got the truck- I was noticing tons of vibration, but it was making a weird squeaky noise. Literally the only thing keeping those nuts on was the rust on the studs. Tightened them down and it was good to go. Still no idea how they loosened themselves.

 

Oh this is not a bad idea... I need to have a better welder friend for jobs like this. Would you recommend I do the same kind of flushing to remove all the transfer case oil residue like you did or just clean up the exterior and go for it?

In this video he fixes a crack with JB weld too, but he talks about the idea of changing out the case half and talks about how many parts he would need to remove, so now I am a little more intimidated again: https://youtu.be/VkcwJVqhkdg?si=MwQdvpC7kYmnZ2Di&t=872

 

I am beginning to find a few videos that make up for a complete instruction manual for doing the job I need to do.

Actuator Motor Removal: This first video talks about removing the actuator motor:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bux-qK3Ze-A

Companion Flange Removal: This video talks about removing the drive shaft and the companion flange/output shaft: https://youtu.be/8YuY6rv1hkE?si=ZRQ1AgvcA15YwTM0&t=510

Extension Housing Removal and Case Splitting:
https://youtu.be/DlOm8_Tt81c?si=EF8nEY_8bwMbuskN&t=308

Just saving these here for when I try to do all this.

Parts to replace when splitting the case (I am updating this list as I find out)

• Rear Output Shaft Seal #90311-41007
• Companion Flange Seal #90312-23001
• Companion Flange Nut #90179-22016 (The one you dent)
• O-ring on the actuator motor #???

Notes: Watching him split the case at this mark at the 9:34 mark is what I was worried about. So much STUFF is attached to the back side of the case might be a nightmare haha: https://youtu.be/DlOm8_Tt81c?si=pp2sWiL8UegnTXYC&t=574

 

So I just looked through my album, and yeah, I was wrong about all the "guts" staying with the front half. Aparently I have no recollection of the disassembly

It's really not bad imo, but you're probably going to want more than one day to get it done.

 

You don’t want any residual oil on, in, behind, or near the crack. Steel not so much, but cleanliness is next to godliness when it come to welding aluminum.

There’s a chance that the heat may damage the RTV that’s between the two case halves, but there’s only one way to find out.