resipsa
Full Access Member
Let me preface this by saying that I'm not much of a car guy, more due to lack of time than interest.
I've had a very slow leak (a few drips a day) for a while now (don't ask) from an unknown source near the mid-center of my KJ. I originally thought it was coolant (it appeared to be either orange or red--I didn't know that ****** fluid is red), so I had the cooling system pressure tested at a national chain of ripoff artists. They said the leak was coming from an aluminum hose that could only be ordered from the dealer for $350.00, and warned that I should have it fixed right away because it could cause permanent damage, yada yada. I took my Jeep home and have regularly checked the coolant level, which has not changed.
Last weekend, tired of wiping the fluid off my garage floor, I crawled underneath and discovered that the drip appeared to be coming from one of the plugs on the transfer case (which I only identified this morning after watching a YouTube video on changing the fluid in the transfer case). I don't recall if it was the fill plug or the drain plug, but I THINK it was the fill plug.
This weekend, thanks to the first snow storm of the year, I engaged the 4-wheel drive for the first time in months and was greeted by a lovely banging sound from the front end. I promptly disengaged the 4-wheel drive and the banging stopped.
I'm now convinced that my transfer case has been leaking, and that it could very well be low on fluid. I'm wondering if the banging could be the result of that low fluid condition. I'm planning to get some ATF+4 today and drain/fill the case. My questions are:
1) could a low fluid level in the transfer case cause banging in 4-wheel drive?
2) do the plugs on transfer cases sometime leak for simple reasons (loose, cracked)?
I know that draining/filling the case this afternoon may well answer these questions, but I'm currently stressing at the idea of donating $$$ to the mechanic (I now use an independent shop) two weeks before Christmas.
I've had a very slow leak (a few drips a day) for a while now (don't ask) from an unknown source near the mid-center of my KJ. I originally thought it was coolant (it appeared to be either orange or red--I didn't know that ****** fluid is red), so I had the cooling system pressure tested at a national chain of ripoff artists. They said the leak was coming from an aluminum hose that could only be ordered from the dealer for $350.00, and warned that I should have it fixed right away because it could cause permanent damage, yada yada. I took my Jeep home and have regularly checked the coolant level, which has not changed.
Last weekend, tired of wiping the fluid off my garage floor, I crawled underneath and discovered that the drip appeared to be coming from one of the plugs on the transfer case (which I only identified this morning after watching a YouTube video on changing the fluid in the transfer case). I don't recall if it was the fill plug or the drain plug, but I THINK it was the fill plug.
This weekend, thanks to the first snow storm of the year, I engaged the 4-wheel drive for the first time in months and was greeted by a lovely banging sound from the front end. I promptly disengaged the 4-wheel drive and the banging stopped.
I'm now convinced that my transfer case has been leaking, and that it could very well be low on fluid. I'm wondering if the banging could be the result of that low fluid condition. I'm planning to get some ATF+4 today and drain/fill the case. My questions are:
1) could a low fluid level in the transfer case cause banging in 4-wheel drive?
2) do the plugs on transfer cases sometime leak for simple reasons (loose, cracked)?
I know that draining/filling the case this afternoon may well answer these questions, but I'm currently stressing at the idea of donating $$$ to the mechanic (I now use an independent shop) two weeks before Christmas.
