Fixing the transfer case shift motor leak from within..
- Thread starter MandAtaco
- Start date
Harmelidky
New member
I really appreciate the original write-up and updates from MandA and the useful info that others have added. Let me add a couple of things from the perspective of a relative novice.
First, I attached schematics for an '03 V8 with part numbers of the items you will need and some you may need. The local dealer was very helpful figuring the parts I needed and getting them in the next day typically.
Second, here are a few thoughts as I went through the process.
1. I wish I had taken the advice of a previous poster and built a good cradle on top of the floor jack or procured a transmission jack. Instead I built a half-ass cradle and the xfer case rolled off and hyperextended my thumb (ouch!). I ended up building the cradle shown and lag-screwing it to my floor jack (see attached images; worked well.)
2. I was glad I had the 4R up on stands instead of ramps. That let me rotate the drive shafts later to line things up. I wish the jackstands had been taller so the case on top of the floor jack could have cleared the bottom of the vehicle. But I wasn't going to buy taller stands to avoid wrestling the case off the cradle while laying under the 4R.
3. I'm glad Toyota had marked the rear driveshaft and the rear differential with some pink paint. I read in the Haynes manual later that they need to be bolted back the same way or the shaft could vibrate.
4. Splitting the case was hard until I decided to use a bearing puller in reverse and wedged it between webs on opposite sides. I was fearful I would crack it but it popped open. I was so tempted to jamb a putty knife in the joint and risk scratching the sealing surfaces.
5. Cleaning the sealing surfaces was fast an easy with a brass wire wheel on my Dremel. Found them at Harbor Freight.
6. Had to destroy the 3 snap rings to get them off. Was worried I would have trouble getting the new rings on but they were a ...snap.
7. Looks like the case itself must be the same as the V-6 model because there are holes for three actuator shafts. I wonder if the third (empty) hole were not there if the leakage problem would be bad on these V-8's.
8. The O-ring was definitely failed; flattened around most of its circumference. It bothered me that there was a little play in the lineup of the actuator with the three bolts. I hope the O ring gap is even now.
9. During reassembly I thought I would be smart and do a couple of dry fits before applying the RTV. This turned into a scary moment when the bearing on the top of the shorter shaft got stuck in the larger half of the case. When I separated the halves the lower bearing pulled out of the lower half; that caused the chain to fall off. It took a few minutes to figure out how to put the chain back on.
10. I wish I had remembered to put the wiring harness bracket back on when I bolted the case back together. One of the case bolts had come out with galled threads; I didn't think to chase the threads in the case so when I screwed a bolt back into that bad socket it got very difficult to turn. But it went in all the way without breaking.
11. I am glad I went ahead and replaced the front drive shaft seal. The old one looked a bit ragged and it was not difficult to do.
12. Again, the cradle on the floor jack really help getting the transfer case back into the vehicle. It took several minutes of minute adjustments and jiggling but it went in with little effort. I cannot imagine how my helper and I could have manhandled the thing back into place. The driven shaft has to fit through a bearing in the transmission and the shaft is not tapered so lineup is critical.
First, I attached schematics for an '03 V8 with part numbers of the items you will need and some you may need. The local dealer was very helpful figuring the parts I needed and getting them in the next day typically.
Second, here are a few thoughts as I went through the process.
1. I wish I had taken the advice of a previous poster and built a good cradle on top of the floor jack or procured a transmission jack. Instead I built a half-ass cradle and the xfer case rolled off and hyperextended my thumb (ouch!). I ended up building the cradle shown and lag-screwing it to my floor jack (see attached images; worked well.)
2. I was glad I had the 4R up on stands instead of ramps. That let me rotate the drive shafts later to line things up. I wish the jackstands had been taller so the case on top of the floor jack could have cleared the bottom of the vehicle. But I wasn't going to buy taller stands to avoid wrestling the case off the cradle while laying under the 4R.
3. I'm glad Toyota had marked the rear driveshaft and the rear differential with some pink paint. I read in the Haynes manual later that they need to be bolted back the same way or the shaft could vibrate.
4. Splitting the case was hard until I decided to use a bearing puller in reverse and wedged it between webs on opposite sides. I was fearful I would crack it but it popped open. I was so tempted to jamb a putty knife in the joint and risk scratching the sealing surfaces.
5. Cleaning the sealing surfaces was fast an easy with a brass wire wheel on my Dremel. Found them at Harbor Freight.
6. Had to destroy the 3 snap rings to get them off. Was worried I would have trouble getting the new rings on but they were a ...snap.
7. Looks like the case itself must be the same as the V-6 model because there are holes for three actuator shafts. I wonder if the third (empty) hole were not there if the leakage problem would be bad on these V-8's.
8. The O-ring was definitely failed; flattened around most of its circumference. It bothered me that there was a little play in the lineup of the actuator with the three bolts. I hope the O ring gap is even now.
9. During reassembly I thought I would be smart and do a couple of dry fits before applying the RTV. This turned into a scary moment when the bearing on the top of the shorter shaft got stuck in the larger half of the case. When I separated the halves the lower bearing pulled out of the lower half; that caused the chain to fall off. It took a few minutes to figure out how to put the chain back on.
10. I wish I had remembered to put the wiring harness bracket back on when I bolted the case back together. One of the case bolts had come out with galled threads; I didn't think to chase the threads in the case so when I screwed a bolt back into that bad socket it got very difficult to turn. But it went in all the way without breaking.
11. I am glad I went ahead and replaced the front drive shaft seal. The old one looked a bit ragged and it was not difficult to do.
12. Again, the cradle on the floor jack really help getting the transfer case back into the vehicle. It took several minutes of minute adjustments and jiggling but it went in with little effort. I cannot imagine how my helper and I could have manhandled the thing back into place. The driven shaft has to fit through a bearing in the transmission and the shaft is not tapered so lineup is critical.
Attachments
Last edited:
Thanks for the write up.
I just knocked this out on my mom's v8. I put on a new actuator due to it acting up after driving through semi high water, the breather hose had come off and I presumed water got in.
The car thought it was in 4lo and mechanically it was in 4hi. She had to turn the knob to 4lo to avoid it beeping at her.
Either way, put in the new actuator and as mentioned it made some loud chunks the first time I tried 4lo and even switching back to 4hi, but it shifts in and out now instantly going either direction with no noise.
I just knocked this out on my mom's v8. I put on a new actuator due to it acting up after driving through semi high water, the breather hose had come off and I presumed water got in.
The car thought it was in 4lo and mechanically it was in 4hi. She had to turn the knob to 4lo to avoid it beeping at her.
Either way, put in the new actuator and as mentioned it made some loud chunks the first time I tried 4lo and even switching back to 4hi, but it shifts in and out now instantly going either direction with no noise.
Raging Canuck
New member
Does anyone know the torque specs to do this job?
Raging Canuck
New member
This is the cheapest place I have found to get a new actuator https://partsouq.com/search/search?q=3641060093
Unfortunately, seems like mine went out today. I searched and search and could not find anything on this. I tried all the small stuff such as disconnecting the battery, tapping with a mallet, and refollowing the instructions in switching from 4Hi to 4Lo and back again. Nothing... It's stuck in 4Lo.
I have really narrowed it down to this actuator. I found a youtube video of someone working on a Tundra, not sure which year but it seemed so much easier than this. The transfer case had a shaft that came out and the actuator motor had a gear that rotated that shaft. But from the looks of this, our transfer case and electric motor is set up a little different. The shaft and the electric motor are all of one piece.
It would've been great to just be able o unbolt the electric motor unit and bolt a new one back on. Unfortunately for me, I am not confident enough to open it up so it looks like I may be spending the dough to get this baby running again.
Thanks to the OP! I know this thread is old but it'll help out tons of people.
I have really narrowed it down to this actuator. I found a youtube video of someone working on a Tundra, not sure which year but it seemed so much easier than this. The transfer case had a shaft that came out and the actuator motor had a gear that rotated that shaft. But from the looks of this, our transfer case and electric motor is set up a little different. The shaft and the electric motor are all of one piece.
It would've been great to just be able o unbolt the electric motor unit and bolt a new one back on. Unfortunately for me, I am not confident enough to open it up so it looks like I may be spending the dough to get this baby running again.
Thanks to the OP! I know this thread is old but it'll help out tons of people.
Transfer case problems
I have a 2007 4Runner Sport with 85,000 miles on it. I purchased it in 2011 with 45,000 miles from a dealer. I immediately had it inspected and pronounced "in good shape" by another Toyota dealer, and for the first few years god good use from it.
About a year ago it began to refuse to engage 4WD. I took it to a mechanic who replaced the actuator and pronounced the problem solved. Because I was unhappy with some of the other work this person did I took the 4R to a Toyota Dealer and paid them to inspect his work. They told me the transfer case need to be replaced and that the center diff was "locked". The estimated cost was more than $4000 as I recall.
I did not proceed with their recommended repair but instead took the vehicle to another local mechanic - who has also done work for me and who is supposedly a transmission specialist - and had him diagnose the problem. He reported that they could get the 4R into 4WD, but only on the lift, not on the ground.
After recovering the truck once more I tried putting it into 4WD myself. It seemed to me that it would do so, but that the center diff was locked whether I engaged it or not.
I found another transmission shop who said he personally has owned 6 Toyota 4WD and could diagnose the problem. Two weeks and $120 later he returned the 4R, un-repaired. When I asked him if I could continue to drive the vehicle in 2HI, he recommended that I sell the vehicle instead. He said "Your Toyota is very confused. It is going in and out of 4WD all on its own. Spend the money and trade it in on a new one."
I really don't want to sell it: Apart from the cost of acquisition and repairs, I like the body style and I think that for the cost of a 2016 I could replace the entire drive train on this one.
I am beginning to suspect an electrical problem may be part of this, but I have read here that there are vacuum line leaks that may be responsible as well. So what does the forum membership have to say? Dump the truck or keep trying to solve the problem?
Thanks for your replies.
I have a 2007 4Runner Sport with 85,000 miles on it. I purchased it in 2011 with 45,000 miles from a dealer. I immediately had it inspected and pronounced "in good shape" by another Toyota dealer, and for the first few years god good use from it.
About a year ago it began to refuse to engage 4WD. I took it to a mechanic who replaced the actuator and pronounced the problem solved. Because I was unhappy with some of the other work this person did I took the 4R to a Toyota Dealer and paid them to inspect his work. They told me the transfer case need to be replaced and that the center diff was "locked". The estimated cost was more than $4000 as I recall.
I did not proceed with their recommended repair but instead took the vehicle to another local mechanic - who has also done work for me and who is supposedly a transmission specialist - and had him diagnose the problem. He reported that they could get the 4R into 4WD, but only on the lift, not on the ground.
After recovering the truck once more I tried putting it into 4WD myself. It seemed to me that it would do so, but that the center diff was locked whether I engaged it or not.
I found another transmission shop who said he personally has owned 6 Toyota 4WD and could diagnose the problem. Two weeks and $120 later he returned the 4R, un-repaired. When I asked him if I could continue to drive the vehicle in 2HI, he recommended that I sell the vehicle instead. He said "Your Toyota is very confused. It is going in and out of 4WD all on its own. Spend the money and trade it in on a new one."
I really don't want to sell it: Apart from the cost of acquisition and repairs, I like the body style and I think that for the cost of a 2016 I could replace the entire drive train on this one.
I am beginning to suspect an electrical problem may be part of this, but I have read here that there are vacuum line leaks that may be responsible as well. So what does the forum membership have to say? Dump the truck or keep trying to solve the problem?
Thanks for your replies.
If I were in your shoes, I would buy a completely new transfer case from Toyota and install it and be done with it. No more "diagnosing" or anything like that. It sounds to me like someone has messed with the actuator timing and did not know what they were doing. In that case, I have made a thread on how to re-time the actuator yourself (if you are really confident with electromechanical things you could attempt it)
http://www.toyota-4runner.org/4th-g...ctuator-transfer-case-timing.html#post2419033
If not, I would just not waste anymore time and get a new unit.
If you can rebuild an engine you can swap the TC out in under 2 hours I bet. I did the entire TC job, but split my case and replaced the actuator in 4 or 5 hours. Pulling it out and reinstll was maybe 1.5-2 hours of that job.
for those of us whose actuator doesn't always work consistently, is it simple as removing the cover and checking things out while someone rotates the 4wd hi/lo knob from inside the cab? As long as the actuator didn't get dunked in the water or lost its lubrication, the thing *should* operate normally. My CDL operates pretty well, although sometimes it takes a lot longer to engage/disengage.
Do NOT do this. The whole 4wd system will get confused and won't be sure which mode it is in. The cover has the timing sensor built into it, and rotates with the gear when the cover is closed. If you remove it and then try to change modes the motor will start, but not stop because there is no sensor. You could end up breaking something or getting stuck with the t-case halfway engaged in one mode or the other. At the very least, you will strip all the teeth off the plastic gears or smoke the motor.
Ahhh, excellent point, thank you for that. So, I can remove the cover and see if it needs lube and check things out without operating anything and do any harm from what it sounds like.
Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
Last edited:
Can anyone who has done this job on their back recall is there room to slide the transfercase straight back in a level position or does the rear transmission have to angled down? If there's room to go back in a level position I would think a motorcycle type sizzor jack, wood blocks, and a rachet strap or two would work well. If not it's likely a two person job to avoid damaging the transmission output shaft and bearing, using a floor jack and cradle right?
MandAtaco
Member
No need to slant the trans down, transfer case slides on and off in the level position. I just used a Harbor Freight scissor style transmission jack.
Thanks, I've read conflicting info elsewhere. That makes it much easier.
Alternate shaft seal source. Found these guys 3 shaft seals shipped under 7$ total. I'll post if there is an issue with them.
Shaft Oil Seals TC15x23x7
Shaft Oil Seals TC15x23x7
Hi there. So I have a 2003 4runner V8 4x4 and also have the opportunity to also own the luxury version of the 4runner aka Lexus Gx470 4x4 V8 (more horsepower with the cost of less MPG, and lightning brakes for stopping. Much better than the 4runner imo. )
Anyways, back to topic. The drivetrain is the same as the 4runner with the same transfer case leak. I was reading online from a Lexus mechanic regarding the Lexus GX 470 and other few members there said that there was a much more simplified version than the one the OP did. The risk is it may damage the internals more if the actuator was forced out wrong or put in wrong.
Can anyone confirm that they have tried just taking the actuator out that was 3 bolts and 7 screws, and carefully sliding the actuator counterclockwise and using a prybar to take it off from the tcase? then simply change out the seals and O ring?
I want to do it this way. But OP's way is nice, but way more complex even though thats the way it should be done by the book. I don't want to do more work if its not necessary if there was a shortcut. Thanks.
Similar threads
