4wd help is my t case broke

[Jackthewack]

hey all so i use 4wd at least twice a month. so i used it like a week ago and it was just fine. i used 4lo and 4hi both worked great. today i changed my dash lights to leds and put my truck in 4wd to check if the light worked. it didnt come on i thought it was weird so i thought maybe if i let the truck roll allitle to engage. i rolled it back and forth a few times with no luck. then i tried 4lo and my truck felt like it wa binding really bad with the wheels straight it was like skiping so i put it back in 2wd thinking i was on pavment to much traction maybe. i got it in the field, still wet from a few days of rain, i put it in 4hi and it felt pretty normal then tried 4lo it started making a wierd noise and it was as if the truck was in neutral, it would not move at all. 2wd drove it all the way home about 12 miles with no issues. i am going to get it in the air tomorow and check the fluid level. new fluid like 8 months ago and its not leaking or anything so should still be good. anything i should check out ?? is my t case f-ed?? i can try and rebuild a t case if necisary but i dont have alot of cash and cant have my vehicle down to long.
thank you

 

[jgue467]

the tcase is just moving power between rear only and rear/front, sounds like that is working on yours now.

4hi vs 4lo functions are within the tranny. binding comes from the locker being on pavement and trying to turn. Can you feel the hi/lo change taking place? :cowboy:

 

[Jackthewack]

i cant really feel the change but i just went try it again real quick and it engaged just felt like it was bound up and had was strugling to move. if i just let off the brake it doesnt move at all. 4lo usually has so much power

 

[Kanoe]

the tcase is just moving power between rear only and rear/front, sounds like that is working on yours now.

4hi vs 4lo functions are within the tranny. binding comes from the locker being on pavement and trying to turn. Can you feel the hi/lo change taking place? :cowboy:

Unless there is something on the newer rigs that I am not aware of, the T-Case does both. It engages the front driveshaft in 4WD and it is the reduction for 4Lo. This function is not done in the tranny. Or so I believe.

 

[Jackthewack]

its a 1998 sr5 3.4l 4wd auto. totally forgot to put that sorry. also has 248k

 

[rkntoy]

With LED bulbs they need to go in with the proper polarity - at least mine did. Some would not go on so I had to rotate them 180 degrees.

Changing bulbs won't do anything to the t-case - the light on the dash is just an indicator. Sounds like it is going in to 4wd if you feel drivetrain binding on solid surfaces. Do you have the J-shift t-case or the one with the push button? Every once in a while the J-shift cases seem to take a little work to get things lined up and in to 4Lo. Sometimes rolling it a little bit helps.

 

[Jackthewack]

I switched the led 180 didnt work and i put the old bulb back in (that one worked originally) it flashed once and never came back on. And i drove it back and forth a few times and it is not freeing up any even in the wet field that had really low traction. 4hi seems to be working fine. Im gona put it on a lift today and put it in 4hi to see if all the wheels spin then i will try 4lo.

 

[Jackthewack]

Ok so it seems to be working fine now... I checked the fluid level it was good i drai ed it and found a very small amount of metal (looked nornal to me). I put new fluid. Checked the front driff same thing. Then i put it in 4wd in the air the front diff was making some noise that i did not like. But it seemed all to be moving ok. I took it out into the field again and i put it in 4lo it engaged and i gave it a decent amout of gas and it moved just fine had pleanty of power. Idk wtf happened.yesterday it barely moved today no issues. Im cobcerned about the front diff noise still though.