Help! Extension Housing Bushing Questions

Hey everyone. I am the proud owner of an '89 XJ 4.0L 4X4 AW-4 with a N.P. 231. Noticed the other day that my transfer case was bone dry so I filled her up with dextron III (I hope thats the correct fluid, last owner lost the owners manual and haynes doesn't specify). After takin it out for a spin i went back underneath her to check the fluid level and figured out why I lost all my fluid! Looks like the extension housing, aka tailcone, sprayed out almost 1/4 quart of atf. I know the seal on the outside has been gone as long as i've owned this XJ (3000 miles and 3 mos.) but never noticed anything leaking. So today I went to the stealership to order the mopar replacement bushing and seal. Now for my question(s):
-Do I have to remove the extension housing to remove the bushing?
-If not, how do I remove it?
-Does the new bushing need to be pressed in or can I do it myself?
I read most of the previous threads but could not find any details, but I do know to lubricate the new bushing. Also, the two rearmost vacuum hoses are disconnected on the t-case but 4wd still works fine (just doesnt disengage the first time, usually have to slap her in revar a few times and the part-time light doesn't always go off), what's the purpose of them? If you can tell me an easy way to post pics I can do that as well. Thanks in advance for all the help.
schmels3

Somebody please help, I really need to order the gasket, if needed, tonight so I can go wheelin tomarrow night. Thanks again for any help.
schmels3

Just pull the tail housing and replace the parts. Use Black RTV gasket maker to put it back together.
Remove driveshaft, pull out speedo gear, remove tail cone, pull seal and bearing. Reassemble in reverse order, should take no more then 2 hours.

Do you mean bushing or bearing. If there is a bearing in there as well as a bushing, do I need to replace that as well? Is the speedo gear on the tailpiece, i'm not sure but I dont think it is? Can I get away with just black RTV or should I purchase a gasket too? Thanks for the help.
schmels3

No need to remove speedo gear on a 231. Take the tail cone off, pry out the seal, and drive out the old bearing. If you're lucky you might find you have a wrench socket with a diameter close enough to use for driving. You can use threaded rod and washers as a press to put the new one back in. You can probably also drive it in with a block of wood or a plastic hammer, but be very careful not to get it in crooked, or force it so that the ends get mashed. Make a note of just where the old bushing sits in the bore of the tail cone before you remove it. Don't expect the new bushing to remove all the play in the slip yoke. It will still have a little movement, but it's all right as long as it doesn't leak.

If you don't feel a lot of side play in the slip yoke, you might consider skipping the bushing and just doing the seal, since the bushing may not make a lot of difference. If it's very sloppy or rattles in use do it.

I dont think there was any play its just that it was literally spraying atf all over the underside of my heep. From what I've read on previous threads (that's right, I did a search), the seal doesnt actually seal anything it just prevents dirt and water from getting in but doesnt actually help retain atf. So if im not mistaken, I need to replace the bushing. If I were to bring the tailpiece and bushing and everything into a tranny shop to get it pressed in, how much do you think it would cost (just to press it all in, I will reinstall everything else)? Thanks again for the help!
schmels3

also, is dextron III correct for an '89 n.p.231 or should I be running dextron II or something else. Any experience with lucas tranny fluid in the transfrer case....results?

Any more help overnight would be greatly appreciated. I'll be back around 2 tomarrow after I get out of school at UTI, go to mak haik (stealership) and go to autozone for RTV. Thanks again for all the help!
schmels3

Hey everyone. Got all the parts, took off the extension housing, now assembling. The old seal was definitely worn, or gone. After much forced pounding and prying, I finally got it out. Now that I have about 5 larger pieces of the housing that broke off where the seal goes, do you think I could just put the seal back on and use some RTV to help prevent leaks where it broke and then put JB Weld over the cracks of the broken pieces of the housing? Thanks in advance for any input.
schmels3

Take some pictures and show us. Then, while we debate over how bad its going to leak. Run to the junk yard and pull another tail cone. If its really that bad, then why put all that work into fixing it only to have it leak again. That's what your trying to fix in the first place. Oh, and possibly damaging the new parts while removing them to put in the other tail cone.:shiver: