how bad is a slightly overfilled transfer case?
#1
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how bad is a slightly overfilled transfer case?
I just changed the fluid on my TC and it was a good thing I did - the stuff that came out was dark brown and looked like burned, 10,000mi old oil. I replaced it with Valvoline Max Life Dex/Merc which is a synthetic based DexIII compatible. Only thing is, it took about 1.6L or almost 2 quarts until it was coming out the fill plug. After comparing the amount added to the recommended amount of 1.3L for the np242 select-trac I realize I've overfilled it by a little bit. This happened because I was parked on a slight down-grade I'm pretty sure.
Is this something I should worry about? What will happen if I leave it slightly overfilled (by about 300ml)? If necessary, I can just find a flat spot somewhere and open the fill plug to let it drain down a bit. I seem to remember reading that it could cause the fluid to aerate and then not lubricate properly, but couldn't find anything about it with 30mins of googling...
Thanks in advance for any input!
Is this something I should worry about? What will happen if I leave it slightly overfilled (by about 300ml)? If necessary, I can just find a flat spot somewhere and open the fill plug to let it drain down a bit. I seem to remember reading that it could cause the fluid to aerate and then not lubricate properly, but couldn't find anything about it with 30mins of googling...
Thanks in advance for any input!
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Thanks man, I'm not really freakin out, just don't wanna promote unnecessary wear over the long term. It sounded fine when I drove it in the different modes. I'll probably just drain a little out next time I find a flat spot where I can throw down the drain pan. My driveway is mostly at one angle or another and I figured a little overfill was a better option than underfill.
I'm just glad I got this black crap outta there, it even smelled burnt!:
I'm just glad I got this black crap outta there, it even smelled burnt!:
Last edited by Potatowalker; 12-19-2012 at 07:30 PM.
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Thanks guys, that's the plan - drain from the fill plug once I've found me some level ground. That's the big problem with living up in the mountains though, even the big parking lots are at an angle so when the snow melts in the spring they don't turn into ponds. However, I'm sure there's some deserted spot on a back road somewhere that is close enough to level for this purpose, so now I have another excuse to go driving around randomly in the Jeep!
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Just jack up the front or rear diff until the jeep is level, set it on jack stands, then pull the fill plug. No need to find a perfectly level spot.
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The factory actually made a special fill plug to raise teh tC level. Run it. Check it in 1,000 miles since it was so dirty.
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You are worried about nothing. If its too full, the fluid will just burp out the vent tube, but 300ml is not overfill. 1 quart over is over fill. Dont worry about man, its fine.
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Thanks everyone, this is kinda what I was thinking since it was so nasty in there. I just wanted to be sure it wouldn't make things worse or blow out seals somewhere with the extra bit in there. I'm not exactly an expert! I'll give it a while then re-do the fluid change. I've got one of those nifty hand pumps that goes in a quart bottle so the whole process takes like 20 minutes. It was 15degrees F. when I did it yesterday and my hands barely got cold.
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