D1 transfer case swap

[pdXDisco97]

My '97 D1 has a noisy transfer case. I drained the fluid and there were visible pieces of gear teeth on the drain plug. I purchased a replacement t case from Will, and have been attempting to pull the old one out. Whoever said its an easy job is a liar, but I digress...

I've got the y pipe pulled, cross member pulled, e brake cable disconnected, 4 of the six bolts holding the t case to the transmission, and all of the electrical connections undone. I've been advised that the next step is to loosen the engine mounts so that I can lower the whole assembly (tranny, t case, motor) enough to remove the top bolts and pull the t case from the tranny.

My question, do I really need to lower the whole thing? If I can get to the top bolt, will the t case have room to slide back off of the tranny? I'm not looking forward to messing with the engine mounts and if its possible I'd rather not.

I'm hoping for straight up info from those who've done it. I read some people's advice on not pulling the y pipe and should have ignored it. Pulling the y makes access tons easier and wished I'd started there. Live and learn.

 

[robert freye]

You don't have to unbolt the engine mounts when lowering the trans and tcase the engine will drop just enough to get upper bolts and out comes the tcase

 

[uglysteve]

I have only removed the transfer case on a D2. I just want to recomend that you get some long studs the size of the mounting bolts, to help you align it when you put it back in. Some nuts to pull it forward also helps. A cheap Harbor frieght transmission jack also helps a lot. I built a plywood stand to support the transfer case on the jack. The jack is also helpfull for removing the exhaust pipes.
good luck,
Steve

 

[Bosbefok]

Done this twice on a D2, I guess a D1 is pretty much the same. The rear of the TC needs to drop a significant height before it clears the body, the TC has to slide back about 8 inches to clear the tranny main shaft - so keep that in mind. Lowering the engine as much as possible helps reduce the angle at which the TC slides out - the closer to level you get the angle the easier it seems. The TC will not slide out without lowering the TC and tranny. Remove the rear muffler for a bit more wiggle room and remove the e-brake drum to make it lighter/easier to handle.
Just in case you're wondering, with a stock height suspension the TC can slide under the body when it is flat on the ground.
The bolts are 3/8-16, get some of the longest bolts (about 8" will do) you can find and cut the heads off to use as guide pins. Take care not to destroy the TC oil seal on the tranny main shaft when reassembling. The top driver's side bolt hole on the tranny is open ended, use a long bolt to pull the TC onto the tranny when you reassemble it. Those TC/tranny bolts are loctited in, they are a bitch to get out without an impact wrench.
An extra set or 2 of hands helps, so buy some beer and invite your friends. Oh and good luck, it's not a fun job.

 

[rwhitmo04]

You don't have to unbolt the engine mounts when lowering the trans and tcase the engine will drop just enough to get upper bolts and out comes the tcase

X2 on this. Use some sort of jack to hold up the transmission (I jammed something between the crossmember and transmission), remove the Tcase mounts, and lower the jack just enough to slide the Tcase off. No need to mess with the engine mounts.

 

[Timmy!!!!!!!]

Take the cover off so you can pull the gear off the transmission shaft. That will make removing the transfer case considerably easier.

 

[uglysteve]

Take the cover off so you can pull the gear off the transmission shaft. That will make removing the transfer case considerably easier.

Good idea, I should have thought of that the 2X I removed mine. It's also a good time to check the transmission output shaft seal for leaks.

 

[pdXDisco97]

Good input, thanks all!

I'll give it a shot this weekend and see how much the whole thing moves without undoing the engine mounts. I have the brake drum mostly removed, but couldn't get it all the way off because of the muffler. I'm hoping that when it drops, it'll clear the muffler and I'll be able to pull it off at that point.

One other question, while I have them removed, should I do anything to the O2 sensors? Clean them or wipe them off?

This is turning into quite the jigsaw puzzle, I hope I get all the pieces put back in the right spot!