Transfer case split on the highway

Bought the Jeep the day before... Drove it an hour back to my girlfriends in NJ... Got on the turnpike to head home to PA the next day... Doing about 60mph feeling like I was in a massage chair in Brookstone... KERCHUNK! crackle crackle crackle... Get out and look under the truck and see my T-case cracked in half, horizontally.

So I found a used transfer case on Craigslist and my buddy came down this weekend to help me put it on... We found out I need a new front driveshaft and ran into problems loosening the bolts that attach the T-case to the transmission.

So now I need to get it towed to a shop and have them put on my new driveshaft and transfer case. Any idea on how much this should cost?


Adam

i sympathize with you all too well. same thing happened to me not too long ago. good luck!

Thanks!

Did you fix it yourself or pay to get it fixed?
I'm looking for a rough estimate on labor costs for transfer case and front driveshaft...

i actually haven't got around to doing it yet.. but from what I hear it's not a terribly involved process. i'd recommend trying it out yourself instead of sending it to the shop. towing services are NOT cheap and you know how mechanics can be. if all you have to deal with is tight bolts, then grow some balls and give it more torque!

its very easy to swap a case and even easier to change a driveshaft.
first unbolt drivesahfts from case, chalk wheels before.
second support tranny and pull of crossmember if you need to.
if you can get away without pulling it go ahead.
now disconnect the linkage, vacuum lines sensors etc..
next unbolt the 5-6 bolts that hold the tcase to the tranny.
now have a buddy help you pull the case safely from the tranny
install new case and do it all backwards
these cases dont weigh a thing.
the entire process is about 2 hours each way for your first time maybe less maybe more
id compare it to brakes now that ive done it a bunch and rebuilt a few ...

I know exactly what needs to be done and like I said, we went through the process. But when you have a transmission with 200k miles and covered in mud it makes it difficult to get those bolts off. I can squat a good amount of weight and I was pushing a wrench attached to one of the trans bolts with my feet and it still wouldn't budge (and that was one of the easier ones to access).

My question was only what a ballpark for labor costs would be...

MXRethoret said:

i actually haven't got around to doing it yet.. but from what I hear it's not a terribly involved process. i'd recommend trying it out yourself instead of sending it to the shop. towing services are NOT cheap and you know how mechanics can be. if all you have to deal with is tight bolts, then grow some balls and give it more torque!

Click to expand...

I have AAA :shhh: so I'm not worried about any towing costs and the mechanics work for my wholesale dealership so I'd be getting the best prices. I was just wondering what that price should be, roughly...

probably 4 - 6 hours at whatever your local shop rates are. 60 to 90 bucks an hour, Find a trans shop and ask them, some of the smaller ones may do it for less if you have cash and no receipt!!!!

My shop said $100.. guess it pays to work for a wholesale dealership party1:

heck hurry up before they change their minds!!!!1