Well, since J-L brought forth his transfer case tales of woe it seems a
good time to send in mine. A month or three ago I procurred the Suffix 'B'
intermediate and low gear wheels. Having just had an electrical failure
prompting virtually complete dissassembly of the vehicle I thought it a good
time to follow through with the gear change. All was happily rolling along
in the dissassembly scene... but wait, since all these nice parts have been
torn assunder one might as well strip them completely and clean them! So
this poor shmoe merrily removes every last little morsel of metal that might
be divorced from its prior home. Everything is nicely laid out on a little
worktable as I take each piece and clean it.
Now life steps in. Work demands toiling away my hours on other tasks.
Days go by. Still now time for the LR. Weeks go by. Occassionally I have
a few minutes to 'tinker' but there is only really enough time to get the
coveralls on and say to myself, 'Now where the heck was I again?'. Finally
tonight, while after coming down to the shop for some other work I decide to
finally break down and start to reassemble something. Did Rover
intentionally make the front output housing a real nuisance to assemble?
Anyway after fiddling with this thing, and that thing, and then this thing
again, the t-case looks to be in place. The OD needs to go back on as well
as the parking brake and driveshafts. Let me tell you all that I have never
had either of these off my working t-case before. As such they have never
had to be put on either. Any of you that have a Fairey OD there are two
studs encapsulated by the OD body. Not only do you have to use an open end
wrench 1/16 of a turn at a time, but you have to remember to put the lock
washers and nuts on too prior to fiddling the thing into final engagement...
lest there be too little room to get them on there afterward. Silly me, I
didn't think of it. After finally getting the OD in the last 1/4", I go to
put the lower two nuts on from underneath. Damn. Out comes the OD, on goes
the -nut & washer-. A little more wiggling and the OD is back up tight. So
I throw the other bottom nut and washer on. My arms got sore above me on
the creeper tightening those two nuts ever so little with each turn.
"Finally, they'er done!" So I crawl out from under the LR to finish the
other 4 studs. Only now do I notice the OTHER stud on the left hand side is
the same situation as the lower one. Oops. (I don't think that was the
explicative I used though) You know I had to pull the whole thing off again
to get the other nut on. I am so glad the good Lord gave me just one extra
opportunity to practice my patience! ;-)
It's all down hill now. How hard could it be to install the parking
brake and drive shafts? backing plate goes on just fine, drive flange and
nut (85 ft-lbs remember)... this is too easy. I don't know why everyone has
trouble torquing down that output nut? So I mate up the front half of the
rear drive shaft and start to tighten the 9/16" nuts. You know how you roll
the truck back and forth to open the UJ -just so-? That allows enough space
to actually move a wrench in there. Well, my truck only takes up the slack
in either direction and then goes no farther. What the heck??? From
underneath the truck (my face right under the open t-case) I started rocking
the truck back and forth and watched the gears. I looked at the output
shaft and how both high and low gears were engaged at the same time!
$%A&@!$% No wonder, the gears are binding. That's why it was so easy to
torque the output nut.
This isn't good. How could I possibly have screwed that up?!?! Now I
am looking at taking the whole thing apart again and figuring out how it is
supposed to be put back together. Not a happy boy anymore. Defeated and
discontent, I roll out from under the 88". Before quitting for the night I
might as well get those drive shaft nuts on though so I shift the t-case
into high hoping that it would dissengage the low gear wheel and stop the
binding which would allow me to roll the truck back and forth. IT'S STILL
BINDING!?!?!?!?! This shouldn't be possible... it isn't possible. To
picture what I am doing you need to know that the bonnet and wings are off.
I am standing at the front left hand side trying to rotate that tire. While
doing this something catches my eye. It's the alternator and fan turning.
DOH!!! The transmission is in gear. The lesson today is, 'remember the
obvious'. ;-)
Kirk
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