Hi all,

My transfer case has a massive oil leak. At first I thought it was the shifter shaft seal, but after some googling I found a thread referencing a plug that is in place to allow you to remove a roll pin that holds a shift fork in. It's hard to spot from below which is probably why I missed it. Sure enough, it looks like I am missing said plug.


The view from the drivers side of the transfer case, taken by sticking my phone over the front driveshaft.


I tried to timestamp the link but should it not work, it's at 6 minutes, 51 seconds.

Does anyone have a part number for an OEM replacement, or good alternative that I could get from the hardware store? I'm going on vacation Thursday night and was hoping to get some time going deep into the woods, so I need to find a fix quickly!

Hopefully it just got old and fell out, and this isn't indicative of a blocked breather tube. I'll be checking that as well.

The part number I have found, 15105, comes back as discontinued.

 

I remembered I had a parts catalog and looked up the part. So 0015105 is definitely the right part number, but the only places I've found that list it show it as No Longer Available.



I'll call the dealership tomorrow, hopefully it has been superseded. Typical Chrysler... a part widely used until 2007 is now no longer available.

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I've also done a quick test to confirm the transfer case breather tube is clear. The transfer case will hold as much vacuum as my lungs can suck when the hole is covered. When uncovered air flows freely. So it probably just fell out from old age, not due to pressure build up in the case.

 

Had mine fall out and there was only about a cup of fluid left, but it shifts much easier now... :-) Next time I have my 242 apart, I'm going to tap it for a NPT plug. At least a couple times a year, or at least when I'm under there already for something, I reach up and check to make sure that plug is still in there...

It's a 3/8" diameter plug. I don't know that a tapered plug would be my first choice. Here's a few options...

Plug for 3/8" PEX tubing. Seems like something you might be able to find locally. At least these would be good to 200F... https://www.supplyhouse.com/Viega-43...rimp-Test-Plug

175F rubber options https://www.mcmaster.com/2958N13/ or https://www.ebay.com/itm/27535038477...EAAOSwIjJZPb-8

450F silicone option https://www.mcmaster.com/4491K46/

or the JY... As you can see none of the options I came up with quickly are ideal

 

Plans are as follows.

• Plan A is to call the dealership and have them tell me that the part has been superseded and order the new version for me, or that they just so happen to have one on the shelf. I have little faith in that, the Chrysler I know looooooves to discontinue critical parts.
• Plan B is to machine an o-ring plug and get an o-ring from the hardware store. Looks like the hole is about 3/8 ID.
• Plan C is to get one from the junkyard. Any 242 should have this plug.
• Plan D is to have the SO unwrap my spare 242 transfer case that's 600 miles away, remove the part, and mail it to me ASAP.
• Plan E is to just goop it up with silicone.

I've confirmed that the breather hose is clear when I suck air through it. If the hole is plugged it will eventually draw a vacuum. Based on that, I'm guessing the plug either just fell out due to age, or I accidentally knocked it loose at some point.

It wasn't shifting well the other day, hopefully no damage has been done. Once the hole is plugged I'll drain out the fluid and refill. It may need to be changed again shortly after if I find any dirt or water in the fluid. I have been off roading recently and there's mud all over the undercarriage.

 

Ever get this plugged? I tapped mine for an allen wrench plug and still have some left over when I bought a multi pack. I can send you one if you haven't fixed this yet

 

Yep, I got it plugged that week and made the trip with no problems. Thanks for checking!

Whenever I get around to building up my NP242HD, I'll add a threaded plug like you did, or a copper washer sealed plug that doesn't need a taper thread.

 

Juat saw the last post was 2 years ago 🤣 I hope you got it fixed! 🤣🤣🤣 sorry I haven't been able to get that measurement for you yet. Life has been purposefully making things struggling for me

 

I've actually already bought the AMG output shaft, I've test fit it and all indications are it will work well. That said, I don't think I'll be able to use it to actually shorten the output shaft due to the way the IRO 32 spline hack and tap is machined. It'd just be too much work to be worth the effort. I'm just looking at it as a more expensive way to get the speedo circlip slots machined at this point.

Unfortunately for my XJ, I'm just constantly finding other more pressing needs for my time, and going deeper into a transfer case rebuild and manual swap isn't making sense when my XJ is a perfectly functioning workhorse at the moment. This transfer case will probably go back onto the manual transmission before I get around to the transfer case build up.

 

If I remember right, the best option was to shorten the AMG shaft because there were more splines interacting with the driveshaft. If mine were to fail, it's probably going to be because there isn't much contact surface


You can see how much further the splines go towards the recess for the snap ring