NP321HD question

[old_man]

Have any of you ever worked on a HD version of the NP231. Specifically this one is from a mid 90's Dodge Dakota. I am helping a friend fix it because he stretched out the chain so far it wore a hole in the case and then jumped the sprockets.

The case has the wide chain. I was told that all the HD cases had wide chains AND 6 gear planetaries. This one has a three gear planetary. We are trying to figure out if someone worked on this before, contrary to the sellers claims, or if that was in fact a valid configuration.

[Jeff 98XJ WI]

I'm no expert, but I don't believe the Dodge HD 231 cases used in the Dakota's used a planetary with more than three gears. I know the Chevy 241's use a six gear planetary as that is what I swapped into my Jeep 231. I also believe some 231's used a 4 or 5 gear planetary, but I'm not sure which ones. Jeff

http://www.jpmagazine.com/howto/5449/ and http://www.4x4wire.com/jeep/tech/xfer/np231hd03/ suggest that all 231's came with a three pinion planetary, but this is not gospel.

[Root Moose]

That is my understanding as well - only the 241 and aftermarket gear sets had more than 3 planets.

r@m

[Jeff 98XJ WI]

Here is another link that suggests Dodge units also used 3 pinion planetaries:

http://dodgeram.org/tech/specs/tranfer_case.htm

Jeff