TCase issues/potentially solved

[Ddays]

I guess if you’re into that sort of thing *.

Those are aftermarket flanges correct. I just changed mine about a month ago, I’ll have to get under there and look now.

Yep, the flanges came with the first axle package I bought 5 years ago.

Actually a good question. With Adams driveshafts you move flanges around and re-use certain pieces. Could a mismatch there be causing this

My DS's came from Adams. The flanges came from NR4x4 with the axles but I'm not sure where they originated...

 

[Slimebones]

So my Tcase issues are fairly common I guess. Two cracked cases are enough for a lifetime. I could never really figure out why this happened, especially the grenaded one.
I was at the shop checking on the progress of the axle install today and happened to look at the Tcase that just got taken out. Matt, the mechanic showed me something that I'm now pretty sure has been the issue all along.
So on the Tcase drive flange, the nut that holds it on has a wide flange on it. An o-ring gets compressed in a recess and that seals off the fluid.

View attachment 347515
View attachment 347514
View attachment 347516


But the nuts that were holding the flanges onto the tcase weren't wide enough to stay up out of the recess - instead they fit inside the recess and compressed the oring seal onto the splined shaft AND NEVER SEATED AGAINST ANY METAL. It always had a cushion between fully seating that more than likely allowed the flanges to wobble slightly and created a vibration that caused the cases to fail.

See how it doesn't sit up on the recess, rather it fits inside it.

View attachment 347517


So even though I had both shafts balanced (twice) new Ujoints, caster set at 6* etc, etc, the shafts must have been wobbling enough to cause failure. The new Rubi case has nuts with larger shoulders that sit on top of the flange instead of inside it. I really hope this solves the issue. Well, having lockout hubs helps too, but still. Check your nuts!

That's totally insane. Don't see how the proper torque was reached with it like that. Should have been a clue.

 

[jeeeep]

That's what happens when your nuts are too small, get in places you ain't supposed to be!

Now i need to double check the fit on my JK, I used new flange nuts and pretty sure they fit properly...but then again, that was some time ago :thinking:

 

[Ddays]

That's totally insane. Don't see how the proper torque was reached with it like that. Should have been a clue.

Strange, I know. All I can say is that when I tried to break those nuts loose to take the DS's to get rebuilt, I couldn't break either one of them loose. I tried an impact wrench (18v Milwaukee, not air) and even jacking the Jeep up and using a breaker bar along with a 3' cheater. Those are the first nuts I haven't been able to loosen. Ever. You can see how chewed up the o-rings are from being smashed into the output shaft. They were certainly tight. I think the vibration as just slight enough to do this over time.

 

[Saharaunlmtd]

I’m glad to hear you got to the root cause. It should provide some peace of mind moving forward.


Sent from my iPhone using WAYALIFE mobile app

 

[Slimebones]

Strange, I know. All I can say is that when I tried to break those nuts loose to take the DS's to get rebuilt, I couldn't break either one of them loose. I tried an impact wrench (18v Milwaukee, not air) and even jacking the Jeep up and using a breaker bar along with a 3' cheater. Those are the first nuts I haven't been able to loosen. Ever. You can see how chewed up the o-rings are from being smashed into the output shaft. They were certainly tight. I think the vibration as just slight enough to do this over time.

Had to be a pretty "thin walled" socket to fit in there too, huh. Had to be a 12 point. Surprised it could take that much torque, with the impact trying to remove it. Must feel good getting to the bottom of this.

 

[Ddays]

Had to be a pretty "thin walled" socket to fit in there too, huh. Had to be a 12 point. Surprised it could take that much torque, with the impact trying to remove it. Must feel good getting to the bottom of this.

Funny you mention that - I didn't have an impact socket that fit & had to use a std 12 pt socket on my impact. I was worried that it was gonna snap with the cheater on it. And yes, even with having the lockout hubs in front, the rear would have still been affected so I'm really glad we found this.

 

[Slimebones]

Funny you mention that - I didn't have an impact socket that fit & had to use a std 12 pt socket on my impact. I was worried that it was gonna snap with the cheater on it. And yes, even with having the lockout hubs in front, the rear would have still been affected so I'm really glad we found this.

A relevant point to mention here, I had trouble removing that same nut on mine, and a little heat from a torch made all the difference, since it was installed with a lot of red loctite (probably more than was needed)!:idontknow: