Transfer case noise?

[vinnio]

Heres what I've got so far. I think there is a small leak in my transfer case. The floor pan by the output shaft of the transfer case (yoke area) is nice and moist. There is something around that area making noise as well. Its a metal on metal / vibrating noise that only happens under very slight amounts of load. (like 5% throttle) The output shaft (yoke) has a small amount of play in it. If i grab the drive shaft right at the first u joint it will move up and down slightly. It goes in and out as well, but I'm pretty sure thats supposed to happen.

My main question is about the play in the output yoke. Is that normal or do i have bad bearings in my xfer case?

Also, what else can i do to find this noise? I want to put my car on 4 jack stands, start the car and spin the wheels, but i don't think thats too safe with me under the car. ( i'll do it tho!!! NO FEAR!!)

I can put up pics, and videos if anyone wants to see! But any help would be greatly appreciated!

 

[turboAWDfanatic]

As for the leak, you probably have a leaky yoke. Sometimes its just the T/Case seals, so if you want you can replace those first for really cheap and see if it stops...but it's probably the yoke. The leaky yoke is actually a recall issue, but it might be more of a hassle than its worth to try to get a Mitsu dealer to fix it for free. BUT, have no fear, there is a yoke recall kit available for around $30. Go ahead and replace the transfer case seals while you're at it.

As for the sound, I'm not sure. The good news is, when you get the yoke recall kit, it comes with the front u-joint!!! Unfortunately, I can't remember the p/n for the recall kit, but if you search around 'tuners you'll find it.

Here's info on the leaky yoke at the VFAQ. I had to look up one of the links on the wayback machine:
Transfer Case Leak
Transfer case removal

The vfaq shows a way to fix it yourself, but forget it! Get the recall kit. It's cheap and it will save you the time of trying to fix it again when it continues to leak.

Here's a good vfaq on rebuilding the driveshaft which will help you w/ replacing the u-joint that comes w/ the kit

 

[vinnio]

Hey, thanks for your help. I made an appointment at the local dodge dealership to see if it was a recall issue. Turns out it was!! The recall was done on the car back in 98' but failed again. So, they're giving me a new transfer case and install for free. Made my week/month. haha

Good info tho, thanks a lot!