Look what i found inside the transfer case

[91_talon_at]

just wanted to show everyone what i found inside the transfer case i just got. hmmm it just doesn't look right, all the sludge looks nasty...anyone recommend anythin to clean up the transfer case?

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Here's what i did...my old transfer case lost the oil seal that connects to the the tranny and it leaked out....so i was running on very little to no oil. the only thing that was wrong with my oriiginal transfer case was the drive bevel gear assembly. the bottom gearing that connects to the top half is fine from what i can see.

The guy I got the transfer case from recommends that i shouldn't swap the parts and just use the transfer case he gave me because the old one ran really hot had little to no oil. I need some input whether i should reuse the bottom portion from the old transfer case because there was no sludge or just try to clean out the one he sold me.

 

[Talesin]

Well, gasoline is one of the best grease/oil cutters I've found, aside from naptha, if you were asking about an easy-off solvent. You could also get some purpose-made degreaser. I'm not sure I'd use that kind of crap inside a differential though, without THOROUGHLY rinsing it with a neutral (like water) afterward, and letting it fully dry. Also, should go without saying, that both are EXTREMELY flammable.

His recommendation is probably solid, honestly. Overheated gearing can appear to be perfectly fine... but can become extremely brittle due to the high temps. As in, possible to snap off 1/8 inch metal cleanly. Had that happen when I was inspecting a damaged pulley.
If I was in your shoes, I'd clean up the new diff, relubricate it with some Redline, and ditch your old one. Or put it in a box as spare parts, if the new one starts to fail, at least for about 5K miles or so.

 

[Defiant]

Here's what i did...my old transfer case lost the oil seal that connects to the the tranny and it leaked out....so i was running on very little to no oil.

Um... did you check for a federal Safety Recall replacement?

 

[4pistons]

I'm not sure I'd use that kind of crap inside a differential though

The Transfer Case is not a differential. It just transfers power from the transmission to the driveshaft. It doesn't "differentiate" it.

If you can disassemble everything, clean it thoroughly, and inspect the parts for wear or damage you should be able to reuse it. You may have some issues if the temps got real high as Talesin said but it doesn't look like it got THAT bad.

Those pictures are an excellent reason for regular maintenance!!

Rick - '91 GSX