transfer case leak? (name that drip)

[dlb]

while under ron to do the front end i noticed a small drop of golden oil on the vinyl sheet i had put down to lay on. i looked up to see where it came from and this is what i saw:



like the steering system, this is something else i've never played with before. i assume that on the right in that pic is the universal joint for the rear drive shaft, but what is the collared piece where the drip is? is that part of the transfer case? if i had to guess i would say there's some seal at the aft end of the transfer case where the joint for the drive shaft connects to it, and that seal is leaking. thoughts?

[ARCHINSTL]

I had this last Summer. I wound up replacing the seal (and the whole driveshaft, but that is another story).
A helpful thread is: https://tercel4wd.com/forums/viewtopic.php? ... hilit=leak
While I purchased the tailshaft bushing (only a couple left in the country), all I did was replace the seal (like usual, I bought 2 in case I ...). So far, so good - no further leaks. Replace with CARE, though; it's kinda awkward. And as usual, observe the depth recommended in the FSM!
Bushing OE part number: https://tercel4wd.com/forums/viewtopic.php? ... it=bushing
Tom M.

[dlb]

thanks tom. ok, on to the next questions then. what the hell am i looking at? is that the dust shield that the drip is hanging on, and is that the supremely rare bushing inside of it that is mentioned in the first link you posted? i'm guessing it is but i'm looking at the propellor shaft page in the FSM and in the diagram there it looks like the dust shield sits facing the other direction so i'm confused. which leads me to yet more questions. are the terms driveshaft, propellor shaft, and driveline synonymous? it seems like it but again, i'm not sure.

finally, how did you determine that the u-joint was 'notchy,' as 4wdchico put it, or worn out? do you just have to disconnect the u-joint from the, uhmmm, tailshaft housing and see if the u-joint has any slop in it? and if so, i've got to replace the entire shaft?

sorry to bombarb you here, tom. once i understand what i'm looking at and needing to do i won't be helpless as a kitten, but for now...i'm helpless as a kitten. with an arsenal of tools, anyway.

[Petros]

yes, it is a dust shield. You remove the drive shaft by unbolting it at the rear diff flange, and remove the center carrier mount, drop the drive shaft and slip it off backwards. The front of the drive shaft has a spline that engages inside the rear of the tyranny. The dust shield should than slip off exposing the rear seal. A fairly easy job to do, I would say all you need is a new rear shield.

But before you do that make sure the rear seal is the source of the leak (which it looks like in this picture), it is possible it is leaking out somewhere else and as it drips down is blown back when you are driving.

[dlb]

i will look for further upstream but imagine it is the seal because it's never leaked here before but it is up on quite an angle right now while i work on the front end. almost identical to tom's situation when he had this occur. doesn't appear to have dripped anymore overnight but it's still something that needs to be taken care of before it gets worse.

[ARCHINSTL]

dlb - see my edit above. Actually, I just switched the phrase "all I did was replace the bushing" to "all I did was replace the seal."
Sorry.
I bought the bushing in case I had to replace it and two seals in case I boogered one of them. At some point I may replace the bushing, but that is kind of a major job - but at least I will have one. The new shaft went in without any noticeable later shuddering/juddering/weird noises. Although - I did have to switch position of the new shaft on the pumpkin's flange.

Mine only leaked when the car was on about a 25○ or so upward incline.

"Driveshaft" = "propellor shaft."

As Petros mentions, removing the driveshaft is easy - be sure to mark the position of the rear flange to the pumpkin's flange (it makes a difference in balance as I discovered). Ditto on the center bearing "holder" to the body. Read the FSM.
I replaced the driveshaft when I removed it because the U-joints were definitely not smooth (quite notchy and stiff - they should be smoothly-moving; heck, they're 25+ years old) - this started out as replacing the seal, then the center support bearing as it was totally shot - and finally the entire driveshaft. The reman shaft came with a center bearing already installed (as well as grease fittings and rebuildable U-joints - not that I'll ever need the latter). I had gotten a center bearing from Rock Auto, but sent it back.
The dust shield just pops right off with a little prying with a screwdriver - and pops right back with a gentle tap of a hammer - both EZ procedures.
See: https://tercel4wd.com/forums/viewtopic.php? ... aft#p46073
and long thread https://tercel4wd.com/forums/viewtopic.php? ... driveshaft
and https://tercel4wd.com/forums/viewtopic.php? ... driveshaft

NOTE - if you need a driveshaft, let me know and I'll dig out the contact info - I got a great deal on a reman shaft! It was $329 from Powertrain Industries. As mentioned, this included the center bearing (it was $122 'retail' from RA, as I recall).
Tom M.

> > Entirely unrelated - I tried to add the proper 'degree' symbol to my "25" above...could have sworn it was "hold down ALT key and type 2 4 8 on the numeric keyboard." It's worked in the past but not now ? ? ? Also tried ALT and 1 7 6, but that kicked me off the site...

[Petros]

- be sure to mark the position of the rear flange to the pumpkin's flange... Ditto on the center bearing "holder" to the body.

Exactly what do you mark on the center bearing holder? lets see, I mark the shaft and bracket alignment, and lo! It changes when the shaft rotates?/? so, do I just expect it to be in correct alignment only once every time it goes around?

Gee, and all those times I removed the drive shaft I just bolted the center mount bracket back on the way it landed. Little did I know I was not getting the drive shaft to bracket alignment correct. who knew?

So please tell me exactly how do you align the center mount bracket?

[ARCHINSTL]

Ditto on the center bearing "holder" to the body. Read the FSM.

Well...the center bearing "holder" has two wide slots - not just bolt-sized holes; ergo, the holder can be positioned fore and aft and angled as well as cocked from side to side.
There could be "witness marks" on the body from the OE positioning - but don't depend on this (the marks on mine were quite faint) - put a dab of paint on each side.
See pages PR-6 & 7 in the FSM.
Capiche?
Tom M.

[dlb]

And as usual, observe the depth recommended in the FSM!

just looked through the FSM and couldn't find the recommended depth for the TSH seal in the manual transmission or propeller shaft sections. i'm probably just not seeing it but does anyone know exactly what the depth is or where i can find it in the FSM?

*edit* never mind, the old one was flush with the housing so i just put the new one in the same way.

[ARCHINSTL]

dlb - I apologize...
The seal IS inserted until it is flush; see page MT-42.
While the info I gave is technically correct, it was sorta misleading.
Tom M

[dlb]

no worries tom. if i had just looked first i wouldn't have had to ask! anyway, i took pics of the whole thing and put them here:

https://tercel4wd.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=7&t=6388