removing t case, 6 bolts?

I am pulling the 242 out of my 2000 and I am 6 bolts away from it being out. I have the driveshafts, linkage, wires and crossmember removed and all thats left are the 6 bolts holding the transfer case to the tranny. HOW TO YOU GET TO THEM! I get get 2 off but the others I have no way of getting to. I have tried lowering down the tranny and tcase to get to the top but I cant get my wrenches or sockets up there with room to wrench on them. I have simple wrenches and socket wrenches, no specialty tools so how do I do it? Any tips or tricks?

You can get to them. If I remember right, I had to lower the exhaust by taking it off that rubber hanger thing. Once you have that out of the way, you'll be able to get to those bolts a little easier. It is not the easiest job in the world, but once you get in there, you'll get 'er done. Good luck. Not my favorite job I had to do.

half moon rachet wrench

extentions and a swivel. thats how i got mine out.

stubby wrench, 1/4" socket and ratched. either if you've got strong forearms. or use extensions and swivel. you'll get 'em. they can be a real pita though.

thanks guys, gonn run out in the am and get what I need to pull this thing so I can get it fixed.

A little off topic, but out of curiosity... why are you taking it out? Problems? Swapping in for a different one?

9/16 box wrench about 6'' long. just lower the crossmeber all the way done. i dont get what the big deal is?

just put your purse down and get-r-done.

I either stretched my chain or stripped some gears. I was out the other day and stuff poopped then I lost front 4wd in the front. So I can lower the assembly as far as I want?

MG2000XJ said:

I either stretched my chain or stripped some gears. I was out the other day and stuff poopped then I lost front 4wd in the front. So I can lower the assembly as far as I want?

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Be mindful of the fan hitting the radiator. You can lower it down a few inches from where it normally sits, but you've gotta support it. I usually use a floor jack with a 2x6 on the transmission pan to distribute the weight. When you get the case open you need to take off the front yoke to get the two shafts out together. Then you can pull the chain. Put the chain down on it's side on the table, put your left and right index fingers inside it, pull it until it's flat like this pic.



Pick up one end and see how high up you get from the table before the rest of the chain joins it. It should be pretty stiff, like picked up a ruler or solid piece of stock. You should only see about 3/8" of air under the picked up end before the remaining chain picks up from the table. If it's more than that, it's stretched. Check the inside of the case for scoring (can happen when there's enough slop) and go from there. It's doubtful you killed the gears inside, but check the bottom of the case for nuggets of goodness. When you pull the main shaft, check the very front of the case for the planetaries and make sure they're intact.

ok, we got the case out, and seperated, but the halves will only seperate about an inch and wont go any farther. Do I have to remove the pinions? Once the bolts are seperated what holds it together?

I haven't had a 242 apart, but with the 231 there are c-clips in there. Time to buy another tool.

Sweet, well someone else is rebuilding it for me so I might just give it to him and let him deal with it from here. Still, any tips are appreciated. Thanks for all the help so far guys!

You have to remove the front yoke to split the case.

Thanks, I found a great write up as well tells you everything you need to know. I dont have the tools I need though so I will leave it to the guy who is working on it from here.

Here's the write up:

http://www.mallcrawlin.com/forum/showthread.php?t=8549