Rebuilding Transfer Case

I have a 242 on the way to me. I will be adding an SYE to it so I figured while I am in there I should check and replace any parts that are showing wear. The case has 90K miles on it.

What do you recommend I check out and what are items and parts prone to break or wear. I'm guessing the chain, but don't know what else.

I've seen "rebuild kits" on EBay, but not sure what exactly they rebuild or if they are a quality kit.

scott00tj said:

I have a 242 on the way to me. I will be adding an SYE to it so I figured while I am in there I should check and replace any parts that are showing wear. The case has 90K miles on it.

What do you recommend I check out and what are items and parts prone to break or wear. I'm guessing the chain, but don't know what else.

I've seen "rebuild kits" on EBay, but not sure what exactly they rebuild or if they are a quality kit.

Click to expand...

On the 242, check the chain for streching, the front output bearing, and the input bearing. Also, check the differential for clean, smooth operation. I used an ebay rebuild kit and had no problems (that I know of, I sold the case before I got more than a few miles on it).:skull1:

I'v done a few SYE's, i found the biggest wear item to be the shift fork pads, real cheap through Q-Tech. I also make sure the o-ring is good on the oil pickup tube. I typically swap in a new chain during the install.

I'v yet to have a case where it needed a bearing.

Biggest thing is the chain. With as few miles you have on that unit, I wouldn't bother with a full rebuild unless there is obvious slop in the bearings or leaking seals.

how do i know if the chain needs replaced?

Once you split the case, you can't really tell if the chain is too slack because the shafts are no longer supported on one end. So what I did is put the halves back together and remove the drain and fill plugs. Using a long screwdriver in the drain port and looking with a flashlight through the fill port, I could push on the chain with the screwdriver to see how much play there was.
The biggest indicator that my chain had been stretched was that it would pop real bad when turning in 4WD. And the unit had no oil in it when I bought it.